Eight Ways to Build an Excellent Relationship With Your Employees

Business LoungeJune 28, 2019

Employees keep your business going. If you want good people to work for you, to give their best and be loyal to the company, you have to put some effort into it! The fist thing you have to realize is that your employees are not robots. They need attention and room to grow in order to thrive and deliver best results they can. Here’s what gives the best results if you want to have happy employees.

Spend quality time with them

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If your employees see you only at meetings, or while you are giving them tasks, you will be pretty one-dimensional in their minds. They will not be aware of the fact that you have a softer side. In time, they will develop the opinion of you as a dictator. From time to time be there for them. Make sure their birthdays are, if not a big deal, at least noticed – a cake, a small surprise.

Organize team building – once a month schedule a trip, throw some meat on the barbecue, laugh and talk to them. It will not only make them like you more, but it will also grow firmer bonds among employees themselves.

Be fair

Nothing will make people more discontent than blatant favoritism towards certain employees, or, even worse, relatives. We know you can’t like everyone equally, but, you have to treat them as if you do. Rules apply to everyone equally. Reward hard work, exceeded expectations and an unexpected success the same way for every employee.

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Through thick and thin – encourage them and be honest

Is your company in trouble? Do you have a tough task in front of you? Order food, gather your employees and eat with them as you talk to them. Explain the nature of the difficulty and tell them what you need from them in order to overcome it. They will appreciate the fact that you included them, as well as your candor, and they will ‘pull harder’ in order to help you get the job done.

Be accessible

Have an open door policy, and be present. You employees must be able to see you. Otherwise, they will feel like something is wrong. Also, if your doors are always open, you employees will be more likely to come to you with new ideas, concerns, or even complaints – which will make them feel as if they can count on you. And that is a basis for a strong relationship.

Share the revenue

Make a part of your employees’ wages tied to the company’s performance. Give them a base pay and on top of it, offer a part of company’s revenue as a performance bonus. This is not only a tool to make them more motivated to work hard, but it is also a way to make their interests align with the company’s profit and revenue goals. This will also encourage them to stay with the company as it grows. By doing this, you might attract highly talented people without investing too much.

Time for relaxing

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If you drive people into the ground with the amount of work and give them no time for sick days, vacations, weddings, new babies, etc.from the work, their productivity will start falling. No one can remain motivated and energetic if they don’t rest. Be generous with time off. It’s ok to have people working overtime if the need is real, but don’t do it on principle. Also, once they go home, do not send them new assignments, wait for the next work day. You need to let people separate their private life from work.

Show them respect

Employees want to know that their work is respected. If you treat their contributions lightly or fail to acknowledge them because you are too busy with your own concerns, they will probably start feeling dissatisfied and start looking for a place where they will get the respect they are hoping for. You don’t need to pander them, but an occasional nod, a “good job” will make them feel noticed.

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Show that you are not above them

You run this company, so, you need to know what needs to be done, and how. Show your employees your dedication by working next to them. Every once in a while, get out of your office, and work next to them. In the beginning, you will seem a bit silly, but within a few hours, you will be discussing how to improve things, and how they would like to help. This experience will be unforgettable, both for you and your employees.