I know it sounds like a silly question.
Who cares – right; employees aren’t friends or family. We are all adults and work in a professional environment. It’s tough enough to play nice at home keeping the peace.
Still, so often employee dissatisfaction roots within tiny little details. Production tumbles, motivation is out the window and loyalty are gone. Your organization is no longer in the “swing”; a term used in rowing when all in the team perform in sync near perfection.
Never push a loyal employee to a place where he or she doesn’t care about the organization.
How to create a healthy employer-employee relationship.
Gratitude and appreciation go a long way. Talk to your employees and follow up on things you discussed. The lack of communication will be one of the largest obstacles to overcome creating a healthy work relationship. Good bosses are always attentive. Ask yourself, what do I know about my staff that is meaningful to them?
It takes effort keeping an employer/employee relationship alive.
Your employee desires nurturing and support. Being attentive, saying “good morning” and “goodbye” when you arrive or leave the workplace. In many cases you spend more awake time with your coworkers than with your family. As in all relationships it takes time and most days it’s just too much to ask for. So, try something easy. Find one positive thing per week about your employee and share it with them.
Communications, communications, communications…
Did I mention communications?
Disconnect is a loyalty killer. Talk to your staff about upcoming projects and keep them in the loop. Being part of the solution will keep your employee attentive and he or she has something at stake concerning the outcome of projects. Never forget, your employees make everything you possible. I can speak out of experience. How often did I sit in a meeting and learn from somebody outside the organization information about my organization that’s new to me. Again, things slip through the cracks, though please make an effort. Your employees will pay you back in loyalty (and don’t look stupid in front of others).
No more policies and staff meetings.
One last word. Don’t add more meaningless staff meetings. It’s a fine art mastering the balance between showing meaningful interactions and forced niceness.
a|hirsch