6 Steps to Get an Employee to Follow Instructions

How to Get an Employee to Follow Instructions

1. Recognize different methods of learning

Before giving instructions, you must understand that different people learn in different ways. Some people have no problem comprehending verbal communication. Other people struggle to do the same regardless of how hard they try. They would much rather have something to read. They also remember things easier when there are pictures, graphs, and other visuals.

As a manager, you should give instructions using a variety of mediums to account for the different learning styles. For example, you can discuss the instructions for one assignment with employees in person while they also have the instructions printed out in front of them.

When appropriate, you can create videos for demonstrations, tutorials, and other things that employees must see to understand. Logically, employees are more likely to follow instructions if they understand them.

2. Give instructions during a good time

Employees will have trouble following instructions if they were preoccupied when the instructions were first given. For example, they might have been finishing an assignment with a quickly approaching due date. They might also have been speaking with a client on the phone.

What happens when you give instructions to a preoccupied employee?

To be polite, the employee will nod their head and look like they are listening. However, their mind is somewhere else. As a result, they might miss some of the instructions and do things incorrectly.

The solution to this problem is to give instructions during a good time. Make sure employees are not busy with something else. For big projects, you might want to meet employees in the conference room so that you can go over particular details.

3. Be specific

Let me tell you a relevant story.

Many years ago, my English professor told the class to write down step-by-step instructions for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She wanted to gauge everyone’s ability to give and follow instructions. It was a fun activity.

The necessary ingredients were on display near the front of the room. There was a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, a packaged loaf of bread, a plastic knife, and a paper plate.

At the end of class, the professor attempted to follow everyone’s written instructions using the available ingredients. It was hilarious.

Overall, the students’ instructions were all over the place. No one got it right. Some students forgot to open the jar of jelly. Other students forgot to take the loaf of bread out of its plastic packaging. As a result, the professor could not make a proper peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I am telling you this story because it exemplifies how difficult giving proper instructions can be. Being specific is an underrated skill.

As a manager, you must question whether you’re giving the right instructions. Are you leaving anything out? Is there anything that is vaguely worded?

Assume the person following the instructions knows nothing about the task or assignment. This assumption will naturally force you to be specific.

4. Answer questions

You cannot give instructions and instantly expect employees to know what to do. That’s unrealistic, especially if the instructions are for a new assignment or complex project.

You need to allocate some time for employees to ask questions. Do this when you initially assign the instructions.

You also need to be reachable afterward in case employees think of questions that they did not think about before. Being reachable means that you are either physically in the office or at least responsive to calls and emails.

Moreover, make sure employees are not afraid to ask questions. Let them know that they will not be penalized in any way.

You would much rather have employees who know exactly what to do than employees who operate in the dark. Mistakes can be expensive to fix.

5. Use checkpoints

Incorporate checkpoints within your business processes to find out whether employees are following instructions. This is how workers can stay on the right path.

Who will do the checking?

As the manager, you can always give constructive feedback. However, be careful not to micromanage. You hire employees to offload some of your responsibilities. Therefore, let employees be independent and only step in when necessary.

More experienced employees can also check the work of junior employees.

Workers might also be able to check their own work in real-time by utilizing software solutions.

Overall, checkpoints can help save time and prevent disasters.

6. Be a good manager

Do you tune people out when they speak? Maybe you don’t like how they talk about irrelevant topics. Maybe you just don’t like their attitude or personality.

How do you know if your employees are not doing this to you?

To reiterate, you want employees to follow instructions. In other words, you want them to listen to you. Well, people are more likely to listen if they trust you. This means that you must try your best to be a good manager.

Above all, being a good manager means that you make sure employees feel valued. You do not talk in a condescending voice. Instead, you speak to everyone as fellow human beings.

You also show that you care about your employees through the decisions that you make. For example, you do not hesitate to let employees take the day off if they feel ill. You also celebrate their achievements with promotions, raises, and bonuses.

If you do these things, then employees will try their hardest to follow your instructions. They want to stay on your good side. They want to stay in the company for as long as possible because it is a great company to work for.