Walking the floor

Managing via email and formal meetings is the norm in many organisations. Workforce surveys often indicate that leaders are not sufficiently visible, and this can be a strong source of dissatisfaction for practitioners. Secure Base includes tips on introducing an effective open-door policy, but another way to encourage spontaneous questions and feedback is to walk the floor.

Put simply, this is the habit of stopping to talk to people face to face. Research for Community Care (Schraer, 2014) found social workers would value opportunities to engage in open dialogue with leaders on a regular basis. Walking the floor helps leaders be more visible, connect with their practitioners, share ideas, and invite suggestions for how things could be improved. It also allows them to express their appreciation to people in a personalised way.

Make walking the floor part of your routine: If you can, ring-fence some time in your diary each day to drop in on people for an informal chat. This need not take long: even 30 minutes will do, and you can visit different teams on a rotating basis. It is best to schedule your walkabouts at different times of the day to avoid them becoming too predictable.

• Do it alone: Walking the floor works best when it involves one-to-one conversations. It is often better to express praise to practitioners individually to avoid them becoming self-conscious and embarrassed.

• Visit everybody: Only dropping in on some people regularly may be considered favouritism and can generate gossip and resentment. Try to spend roughly the same amount of time with each person.

• Listen more than you talk: Take the opportunity to get to know people. Ask about their accomplishments; say something positive and offer praise.

• Take the rough with the smooth: As well as providing feedback and praise, it is important to be open to criticism from the workforce. The Community Care survey found that social work leaders needed to ‘dig deep’ to establish how people really feel about working for the organisation (Schraer, 2014).

• Be persistent: During your first walkabouts, you might find that people feel awkward and do not communicate freely. Do not be discouraged, as repeated visits will eventually pay off. When done well, simple gestures of appreciation can be hugely motivating and replenishing for practitioners (see below); they can increase morale and enhance practitioners’ ability to manage setbacks.

• Go beyond work: Knowing people as individuals does not mean only being aware of their strengths in relation to the job they do. Leaders need to be aware of practitioners’ personal circumstances and any challenges they face (while ensuring their privacy is not invaded). When handled sensitively and in confidence, this can help people feel understood and appreciated, and any necessary accommodations can be put in place.

• Walking the virtual floor: Managing a workforce that is dispersed means that leaders must walk around virtually rather than physically, using technology to engage people. The guidance provided above will be useful, but virtual meetings will need to be planned – and will therefore be less spontaneous. One-to-one meetings are recommended but visiting online team meetings on a rotating basis will help leaders remain visible and provide opportunities to connect with the workforce, share ideas and express appreciation.