Some leaders may find it tricky to navigate relationships with their employees; the role of an employer may leave you feeling alienated from your employees, or else in a position of strictness or distance, but that shouldn’t be the case. You can still connect with your employees and take care of them while maintaining your post as a firm leader.
1. Connect with Them on a Personal Level
Take the time to understand your employees on an individual basis. Get to know why they want to work for you, what motivates them, what they have going on in their personal lives (to an extent appropriate for the business, such as families they have to take care of) and make them feel valued as a person and not just a worker.
Employees who feel more of a connection with their employer and feel valued for their individual strengths will be more likely to work harder for you.
2. Produce Clear Contracts
Employees will feel more secure and informed if you develop a contract for their employment, which outlines the details of the role and their allowances, such as vacation days. It can help to develop cohesion between you as an employer and your team when you’re all working off the same page (literally) in regards to an outlined contract.
This can make it easier for employees to understand their position better, and let them know that you’ve taken the time to draw up a contract for them. If you need any advice regarding legal points to include within a contract, it’s important to get the professional help so you know your rights. This is particularly important when it comes to workplace accident cases and you should seek assistance from accident at work solicitors such as Aston Knight Solicitors who can help in that area.
3. Be Approachable
While it’s good to have a certain amount of respect and awe as a leader and employer, it’s also important to connect with your employees on a personal level. To get the best out of your employees and encourage the best for the business, you need to be secure in the knowledge that your employees feel comfortable talking with you about any issues. Showing your employees that you relate to them and that you’re open to being approached by them, means communication will improve, and employees will feel more comfortable being around you.
4. Be on Their Side
There are always going to be difficult clients in business, and it may be that one of them makes a complaint about an employee. If your employee has taken every measure correctly within their role and the problem is on the side of the client, be sure to support your employees and not throw them under the bus in favour of your clients. While it’s important to maintain positive client relationships, a sense of solidarity and support within your business is more important. Otherwise, you may risk losing both.
5. Be Honest with Them
Taking care of your employees doesn’t mean tiptoeing around them and only letting them hear positive feedback. Offering constructive criticism can often be just as important as dealing out compliments. Your employees need to know where they can improve or if they are doing something wrong – and it’s your responsibility to tell them in a supportive way. Guide them to be better by being fully transparent at all times.
