Have you ever asked your employees how they want to be treated? Or what their expectations are for you as a boss?
The way you treat your employees has a strong influence on their productivity. In order to establish a strong and successful working relationship it’s important to treat your employees with the same respect as you would treat your best customer.
From an employee perspective, here are a few ways to treat your employees well and create a relationship that is a win-win for you both.
Trust us
As an employee, we are going to grow tired if we constantly feel second guessed. Showing skepticism in the work we do will cause us to be confused and anxious. Leaving us to question, “Does my boss even have confidence in my work?”
Laying a foundation of trust is the key to a good relationship with your team. We want to know that you have faith in the work we produce and the confidence to let us represent your company in a way that makes you proud.
Being honest and respectful to your team gives us the best chance to be honest and respectful to you. Establishing the elements of trust early will lay a strong foundation for a successful working relationship.
Consistently communicate
It’s so important to provide an effective system for communicating with your employees on a consistent basis. Ask when and how it is best to contact us. Perhaps one of your employees prefers a phone call to an e-mail and vice versa. You want all communication to be effective and timely so choosing a communication channel that is a win-win for you and your employees is ideal.
Encourage
The truth is, we want our bosses to validate our hard work. Positive praise is something we crave and thrive off of. Express to us what we are doing well and why (this is important). Taking the time to explain why the things we do send the company in the right direction will give us better insight into courses of action we should take in the future.
Encouragement doesn’t have to take the form of lengthy love letters. A simple “Hey! This blog post rocks! This title will definitely engage our readers!” will suffice. Sometimes it’s the little bits of encouragement that make the biggest difference.
Seek our opinion
Ask us questions and seek feedback on upcoming projects, changes, or ideas. Even if it’s something we are not directly involved with, taking the time to ask our opinion on company matters makes us feel valued. This is something we sincerely appreciate. Caring about our perspective and vision for the business will only increase our respect for yours.
Help us grow
Although making mistakes is not something any employee looks forward to doing, we are certainly open to learning from them. We want you to help us become better, more efficient workers and grow from these experiences.
Just as a gardener takes the time to water, weed, and tend to flowers, you must take time to invest in your employees training and progress. Your guidance never goes unnoticed and is something we truly value. Taking the time to invest in us as individuals will inspire us to further invest ourselves in the company.
Water us with knowledge, weed out our flaws, and help us flourish into vibrant, successful workers.
It’s much easier to be excited and work hard for a boss/company you feel values and respects you as an employee. As an employer, giving a little will result in getting a lot. Going the extra mile will be well worth it!
What other tips do you have for treating your employees well and helping them stay engaged at work?
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