Let’s admit it; almost 80% of the time, we hate going to work because we need to deal with our bosses. That’s why a huge chunk of today’s workforce is deciding to open their own business or work from home as freelancers. Employers need to work double on their relationships with their employees. The better the relationship the employees have with the management, the more likely they will stay for a long time. Retaining skilled and talented employees benefit the business.
Everything will improve when there’s a good relationship in the office—from the warehouse safety audit, customer relations, to sales inventory. Your employees will be inspired to work harder for the good of the company. They will support your endeavors and believe in what the company stands for.
But how can you achieve this? You are ready to do the work of improving your relationship with your employees, but where do you start? Is it too late to start?
Ask for Their Input
The reason you’re hiring good employees is that they are as good as or better at their jobs than you. For example, you’re a magazine publisher. Would you hire someone with writing skills that are not as good enough as yours? Or would you hire the best writer you can afford? If you believe that you have hired the best writers, why are you not asking for their input? When it comes to how a certain story must be angled, why are you deciding on that by yourself? Shouldn’t your “best” writers do that work for you?
Appreciating their knowledge by giving them a raise is a good thing. But your employees are also looking for validation. They want to know that you trust them to do their jobs well.
Compensate Well
You are not required by law to pay employees twice their minimum wage. It is up to you to determine the value of what they’re doing for the company. While they will agree to the salary in contract, they expect their hourly rate to increase after two years or so. If your company is in good standing, you shouldn’t only be the one reaping the rewards. Your employees should have an increase, too. They deserve it after working long hours on the projects.
Your employees have families to feed. They have mortgages to pay. The best way to show your appreciation of the job that they do is to compensate them.
Promote Work-life Balance
A healthy balance of work and leisure is essential for the productivity of your employees. You may be running them on the ground. That’s going to stress them out. As a result, they won’t come up with brilliant ideas and well-written presentations. Giving your employees more vacation time shows your concern about their well-being. Create an environment that prioritizes your workers’ emotional and mental health. Invest in plants. Give out free gym memberships. Take them out for dinner or lunch. Buy a box of pizza during meetings.
There are many other ways that you can improve your team’s morale. If you put in the effort to invest in your relationship with them, you’ll have employees who are loyal to your company. Loyalty is always a good thing in business. It leads to concern and productivity.
