Becoming your own boss and establishing a professional but caring role as leader within your company is something that will require the correct balance, and ensuring you properly care for employees is a key factor.
Creating your dream team will require time and patience as you gather together all the ideal candidates within your business, each taking on a different but essential role. Ensuring you look after your staff accordingly will be important if you want your employees to feel valued and appreciated.
Strategies to properly care for employees
So here are some suggestions to make sure you are looking after the welfare of your employees.
Create a happy work environment
First of all, to ensure you have a happy team, the working environment in which they work needs to be good. So if they rely on technology to help them through a particular task, you want to make sure that it is all working well and everything is up to date. If they require certain materials or products then ensuring stocks are in good supply will help them to carry out their jobs.
It is also important to make sure they have a designated area with working facilities so that lunch breaks can be taken accordingly. This will help your employees get through the working day effectively by being able to take necessary breaks and eat well.
Maintain a good rapport
Communication is an important aspect so asking your employees directly how they are doing and reassuring them that you are available when they need to talk is important. Providing reassurance on their role within your business and how their contribution is necessary within the working day provides them with a sense of value too.
Demonstrate leadership
At times it will be necessary to implement your leadership skills. This is particularly relevant when you need to tackle any bullying issues within the workplace. You will need to demonstrate authority but fairness and care for employees in these sorts of situations and will want to make sure that none of your employees are suffering due to maltreatment from other colleagues.
Treat staff fairly
Although you are the boss and need to demonstrate leadership, at the same time you do not want to give the impression that you are above them and treat them in an inferior manner. They will begin to resent you if you feel you are superior to them and do not treat them with respect.
Look after theirmental health welfare
Ideally you should have resources within your business that allows your employees to get in contact with someone who can provide guidance on any mental welfare issues. Given that the pandemic has been particularly stressful for many, it is more important than ever before to care for employees and ensure that your employees are not suffering silently and know that they are able to reach out for support when needed.
Provide incentives
To encourage productivity it can be fun to create a bit of fun rivalry between employees by offering a reward to the team that achieves the most sales or makes the most products that day. It will spur your staff to work harder whilst at the same time allowing them to win a special treat.
Online meetups
To change things up a bit from the usual zoom meeting, which a lot of people have become accustomed to this last year, you could do a virtual team building exercise instead. It would allow you and your staff to get involved in fun activities as opposed to just discussing work issues. It is also a good bonding experience for those who have not fully returned to working in the office and are still working from home.
Social events
It can be nice to have meet ups outside of a work setting, so going for a meal together or arranging a group activity such as bowling, ice skating or paintballing provides the ideal opportunity to socialize outside of work as an engaging way to care for employees. It enables everyone to get to know each other a bit better and strengthen friendship bonds.
Summary
Overall it is ideal to strike a good balance between being authoritative so that your employees work efficiently whilst also demonstrating a caring and fun attitude. The happier your employees are the more they will enjoy coming into work and getting through the working day which is certainly in your benefit as productivity will be at its peak and all the necessary tasks will be completed.
