For those working professionals cursed with helicopter managers and micromanaging supervisors, underestimating the power of a tight-knit bond between supervisor and supervisee may come as second nature. However, upon closer inspection, nurturing synergies within the corporate food chain can promote productive employer-employee relationships and help supervisors avert common workplace issues, i.e., high tensions, missed deadlines, etc. By simply building a good rapport with your employees, reaching company goals will be easier than ever before.
Remember, your employees are responsible for driving your business vision and mission. Without them, your business has no chance of survival. Therefore, it’s essential to dedicate time and effort to ensure you are on the same page with them. Here are some of the benefits of healthy employer-employee relationships:
- Employee motivation
- Increase in work productivity
- Employee loyalty
- Positive work environment
Humans are complex beings, making it hard to satisfy their wants. You need to invest a lot of effort to achieve a good relationship with your employees. Here are some of the ways you can accomplish just that.
Recognize the impact of employee gifting
Most of the time, we give corporate gifts to customers and target audiences only. After all, thoughtful gifting is a time-tested marketing and brand strategy. Though employee satisfaction may come first on your priority list, internal gifts are also significant.
Baked goods, customized items, tickets to a favorite show, or free trips are common gifts you can provide for your workers. Are you in the market for creative corporate gift ideas, sure to be a hit? Dip into the benefits of gift certificates. Unlike gift cards or checks, gift certificates like those from PFR Corporate Gifts don’t have to filter through the company’s payroll.
Before you make plans to reward your clients or prospects, ensure your employees are the first beneficiaries. You can gift them on special days such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Career milestones are also an avenue to practice gift-giving. You can also consider celebrating them when they complete a professional course, reach a career milestone, or a business target. Employee gifting has a lot of positive impact on your business, including the following benefits.
Employee motivation
Giving your employees gifts is a simple gesture that serves as a symbol of your appreciation. Your employees are motivated and willing to do more when they realize that their hard work is being noticed and appreciated.
Employee retention
One of the priceless resources a business can have are employees that are highly-highly committed to their jobs. Employee retention helps contribute to business success.
There is no time wasted searching for talents qualified for vacated roles. Employee gifting makes employees feel like they belong to a corporate family and are loyal to the cause.
Effectively communicate
Communication has a tremendous impact on employee-employer relationships. Therefore, establishing an open-door communication system could be the difference between disgruntled, resentful employees and star players who will support the company’s vision for the long haul. While it’s easy to find yourself tangled in the chaos of managerial responsibilities, ensure your employees understand the mission and goals of the business.
Enlighten them on the current project and how much work is needed to complete a task. Knowing the business’s core values and being a part of the bigger picture will naturally give employees a sense of belonging.
By reassuring employees that they’re an essential part of the business, performance and productivity is bound to skyrocket. When your team members realize how their work delivery affects the entire business in the long run, they’ll feel less inclined to slack off, cut corners, or shrug off careless slip-ups.
Another way of communicating is giving and receiving feedback? Give feedback on their performance. Make corrections if necessary and adopt constructive criticism. Though, this feedback channel should be a two-way street.
Your employees should not always be at the receiving end. Create an open communication system where your employees are free to make suggestions and feedback. In the end, you’ll build long-lasting work relationships that will stand the test of time.
It is easy to deprioritize physical communication in a digital world, especially with work emails and phone conversations slowly replacing physical meetings. While WFH structures have rightfully claimed their “new norm” promotion, allot time to talk one-on-one with your employees.
Implement employee development programs
As a manager, one of the most precious gifts you can give is knowledge (After all, knowledge is power in the corporate landscape). With this sentiment in mind, research their work performance and create opportunities to expand their skillsets.
Additionally, play an active part in your employees’ development, positively influencing their work productivity. This team-player mentality assures skeptics and burnt-out employees that they’re in an environment where they can thrive.
Improve your people skills
If your people skills fall on the “dissatisfactory” side of the spectrum, it’s time to take a long, hard look in the mirror and analyze how your antisocial tendencies interfere with company goals. As a supervisor, it’s your responsibility to show the utmost respect to your employees.
To do so, examine your discipline, patience, honesty, kindness, integrity, and empathy with a magnifying glass. If you identify with the above terms, you’ve likely gained an office-wide reputation as a “pleasure to work with.” Ultimately, skills make it easier for people to work with you and reciprocate the same qualities.
Create a conducive work environment
Make the comfortability of your employees a priority by supplying your team with comfortable offices and furniture. Despite popular misconceptions running rampant, you can do more than cultivate a cohesive physical environment. Implement adequate work policies such as standard working hours, bonuses, and good pay. You will get good results in turn, which makes the initial costs incurred worthwhile.
Parting shot
Every employer must do their due diligence to ensure business success and employee satisfaction. If your employees have yet to take center stage on your priority list, it may be time to do some rearranging–given that these are the individuals propelling your mission and vision forward. Once you’ve given the relationships with your employees a second look, you’ll be one step closer to guaranteeing business excellence.
