Listening to your customers is a top priority in business; you use their feedback to improve your model and branch out with requests and popular demand. Another important part of a business model is the way you treat your employees. You can easily increase business productivity by treating workers with respect and thinking of them when it comes to adapting a plan.
Below are a few ideas on where to start when it comes to incorporating the heart of business operations into your model.
Talk To Them One To One
The best way to get to know any of your employees is to have a face to face with them on a weekly basis. Holding meetings allows everyone to get together and share concerns, but having a one to one on top of this may give you greater insight.
People can share family situations and difficulties in a more relaxed setting to retain confidentiality. It can also give you ideas of what is needed around the office based on off hand comments.
Having a workforce that feels like a family will have people lining up for new positions when you advertise them. With this, you can become a popular business amongst would be employees.
Give Them An Element Of Creative Freedom
This seems like a surprising option, but allowing your employees to express a hint of their personality in their appearance is a great way to keep them motivated.
This doesn’t have to mean you do away with a uniform and a professional appearance, however, and it’s not a worrying thought either.
Simply injecting a little amount of difference in each person can help 100%. This can be done via lanyards, which can be personalized in color and design.
Visit the home page of custom lanyard sites to find personalized spreads, and take polls on what your employees would like wearing to get an idea from everyone. They can also have things stuck or pinned to them, such as badges or stickers, which once again can be regulated from the top.
If you have employees with their own workspaces or desks, having some pictures of family or pets can help them to feel more comfortable at work.
Train All Your Employees No Matter Their Position
Training is incredibly important. A lot of people go into jobs fresh faced and ready for challenges, however, they have little training in what they do and therefore sometimes do not complete a job up to standards. This isn’t their fault, however, so help them in their learning journey.
Avoid mistakes by training them on the first days and make sure they know exactly what they need to do. Set boundaries from the beginning for fewer mistakes and any unguided stipulations will be adhered to. It also allows you to get to know your new employee and their skills, and therefore the kind of positions they can be promoted to make them more effective in the workplace.
Training can also be delegated and is a great way to elevate hard working employees. By having someone in place to bring in new recruits and show them the ropes, you’ll have a more productive cycle. It also allows you a second on the shop floor when you aren’t around that isn’t in a traditional managerial position.
Managers have a lot of responsibilities anyway and won’t be aware of everything that goes on. Using this strategy will make responsibility easier to accomplish.
Training can also be used to improve upon a person’s skillset they have already. By having staff training days or weekend activities, they can improve upon any employability skills they already have.
Know What Works For Each Person Who Works For You
Respect goes both ways after all. Considering what works for each person in your workforce is the best way to retain loyalty and decrease employee turnover.
Be careful with your strategies however as everybody responds differently to the usual practice of compliments and rewards.
Sometimes praise is appreciated and sometimes it isn’t. You can get to know these preferences by working with your employees on a daily basis, so this won’t take too much time out of you daily schedule either.
Having weekly meetings makes this task a more personable achievement, as you’ll be able to talk in a formal setting about plans and limitations to do with the business that is still on a personal scale. It also gives your employees a better chance to speak up about their concerns and acts as a space to make you aware of their schedules.
Finding an opportunity to book a holiday may have gone missed otherwise.
Have Fun Days At Work
Just because you’re in work doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. However, it’s finding ways to maximise productivity through these fun occasions that stop many employers from having a good day at the workplace. As a small business, you’ll be more able to incorporate ‘special’ days into the schedule.
Having a casual Friday won’t interfere with business operations, and shows both your customers and employees that you don’t take yourself too seriously.
It’s once again a great way to consider your employees and build customer reputation at the same time. Even bringing in buffet lunches on a certain day at the office can mean your employees are more likely to stick around and be able to work through their time. Blow away those Monday Blues by having earlier closing times or themed days.
These work wonders in the holiday periods, with Santa and his elves coming out at Christmas and the Easter Bunny on that tricky bank holidays in Spring.
Listen to your employees. They’re integral to your business model, and having a revolving door of new recruits isn’t cost effective nor productive.
Use their skills and talents to your advantage, and give them allowances they deserve in the workplace.
You’ll build a better reputation with your customer base as a result, and will be less likely to get hit by recession activities.