Among the multitude of concerns businesses have are employee retention and satisfaction. Many employees happily leave companies because of bad experiences- and with it comes the reputation of the company. But is employee happiness really all that important? Well, a cursory opinion would be yes, but research shows that happy and satisfied employees perform better than discontented ones- making that yes an astounding yes.
It’s not just a matter of keeping your employees happy out of the goodness of the heart- it’s actually an advantage to have happy employees. And when it comes to that, the best way is to take care of them. By taking care of your employees, a business shows that they’re not treating them like they were cogs in a machine- that instead, they’re individuals with individual traits and qualities that help the company grow. Below are some ways business leaders can show their care and corn for their employees.
Go The Extra Mile When Helping Them
A company that goes the extra mile for its customers is a good company, but one that does the same for its employees is a great one. Employees are the lifeblood of any company. They’re the ones making the day-to-day operation happen, and they’re also the ones in the field interacting with clients and customers. It’s to a business’ benefit to help them as it can develop loyalty and trust among managers and employees. Businesses aiding their employees through legal or monetary means like a salary advance or a loan, or helping a worker get a bail bond for immigrants, or even co-signing for a car or a property might all sound like too much. But it is in going “above and beyond” in helping your employees that a company can show how much it appreciates the very people making their business function.
Don’t Be Apathetic
How often have we seen or heard of a situation where an employee is sick but they’re forced to log in to work because something needs to be done? This was a common occurrence years ago, and it soured many employee’s experiences with companies. Jumping off from the last point, however, we all understand the value of being sympathetic and helping them instead. Frankly speaking, it doesn’t take too much to be not apathetic and it definitely doesn’t take a lot to be sympathetic either. As managers and business leaders, simply telling your employees to take a day off when they’re too sick to come in or telling them “take it easy” when they’re sick at work means a lot. Empathy is a skill, and it’s something that every business person needs. Employees are more likely to stay when they feel like their company cares about them, and showing sympathy is the best way to do that.
Treat Them As Equals
The belief that staff and employees are “underlings” of the boss is a negative belief to hold. A company hierarchy exists to know each individuals’ responsibility, not to give them an arbitrary rank that demeans their whole person. By focusing on rank and order, you’re forgetting that your employees are individuals with wonderful talents and skills. Businesses will overlook what they can do, and they will feel like their leaders and managers don’t care about them. It’s about time we treat our coworkers as equals- a lower position in an organizational hierarchy is no reason to feel like you’re “above” them. This can simply be shown by dropping unnecessary formalities when talking, using requests instead of commands, and generally adopting a kinder tone.
Protect Them From Bully Clients
It may not often be seen or reported by many, but one type of abuse or harassment that happens in the workplace comes from clients themselves. When this happens some business owners or managers might feel compelled to take the side of the client for fear of losing a partnership or revenue. Remember though, that your employees are the ones who truly bring success to the business. Throwing them under the bus when you encounter difficult clients simply means you don’t value the ones doing the legwork for your company. Instead, look at it objectively, and should your analysis show that your employees have done nothing wrong, take their side. Far too often we see managers blame their employees to appease clients and doing that simply opens your business for more abusive clients.
A business does not run itself without the help of its own people. This is why businesses must value and take good care of their employees. Valued and satisfied employees lead to a successful business.
