Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly
Happy, motivated and engaged employees are at the heart of any successful business. When an employee is fully engaged with their job and enjoys the work that they do, they will be much more likely to care about the success of the business as a whole, and this will reflect in their work. On the other hand, unhappy, demotivated and disengaged employees are a recipe for disaster, causing serious problems for companies and restricting business growth. In order to help your business succeed and grow, motivating and building good relationships with your employees should be a top priority. Here are just some of the things that you can do in order to become a boss that your employees look up to, respect and admire.
Offer Great Benefits
For many employees, it’s the benefits and incentives offered by their job which makes them enjoy it so much. By offering incentives and benefits that your employees can work towards achieving, you’re giving them something other than their basic wage to look forward to and something to motivate them to work to the best of their ability. Incentives don’t always have to be huge or even financial – something as simple as arranging a staff night out on the weekend or bringing cookies into the office can have a positive effect.
Along with offering health, holiday and other standard benefits, adding creative extras is also a great way to get your employees feeling great about their job. If you work in the fitness sector, offering a free gym membership may be enough to encourage certain people to seek out work for you. Likewise, if you employ a lot of young people, working with a local driving school to provide discounted driving lessons or theory test help (check out Top Tests to help your employees pass first time) could be a good idea.
Be a Good Listener
One of the most important characteristics of great bosses and respected leaders is that they are good listeners. In order to build a good relationship with your employees and motivate them to work their best in order to benefit the company, it’s crucial that you listen to anything that they have to say. By regularly interacting with your employees, you can discover what it is that they like and dislike about their jobs and determine if any changes need to be made in order to make the workplace a more pleasant, motivating place for them to be. After all, your employees spend eight hours a day, five days a week of their lives at work, so their needs and wishes should always be a priority.
Be Available
When it comes to building great relationships with your employees, it’s important that you are available. Being available means that it’s easy for employees to find you in order to voice their concerns and ask questions related to their jobs. Along with this, it’s also vital that you are approachable. Unapproachable bosses tend to leave employees thinking that it’s better not to say anything, resulting in unhappy workers who haven’t had their voice heard. Being available to and approachable by your employees is key to being an awesome boss.
Bosses who are great leaders and understand their employees are key to having a motivated, driven workforce.
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