To create a solid and constructive relationship with its employees, it is first necessary to transmit the necessary trust to them. Being in the field in the first person, leaving aside superfluous formalism, is essential
How many times have we heard that it is the people who make a successful business? Many times, for sure. In fact, it is the employees who determine most of the destiny of our company, given that they are the figure with which our customers relate, sometimes they are those who make our products, sometimes they fall into both cases. For our company the employees are really important and implement a proper management of staff can lead us to increase their happiness and their involvement, with beneficial effects on their performance in the company.
Spending some time on implementing virtuous employee management can sometimes seem like a low-value activity or even a waste of time. Instead, human resource organization activities often prove to be the fastest way to simplify the work of the entrepreneur.
How? Everything revolves around the concept of trust: if we trust our collaborators, they will trust us. In this way a virtuous circle will be activated which will soon lead to working serenely together, keeping open channels of dialogue important to anticipate problems, and maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in the company.
If this kind of human resource management may seem like a difficult goal to achieve, we will be surprised to find out how much we can do to improve our relationship with employees starting from eight simple steps.
Do not show yourself superior
The differences in company roles exist, they know well employees, managers and entrepreneurs; therefore it makes no sense to underline them again by putting in place behaviors to underline their authority. Making people who work with us feel inferior will not help them feel esteemed and appreciated within the company.
Pay attention to clothing
As you postulate to the previous point, remember that clothing can also be an indicator of your status.
Surely there can be a uniform or a certain type of clothing appropriate to the various types of companies, such as tasks; in any case, a good rule can be to dress like their employees, avoiding the most possible jacket and tie when they are not necessary. Formal clothing can build a real barrier between us and our staff.
Do the same tasks
Sometimes we should leave our desk and immerse ourselves in the routine of employees and “get our hands dirty”, facing the same tasks.
We will be amazed at how valuable this decision could be, because by coming into contact with the work we can find out how the typical day of our employees is held, what challenges they face and what are the margins for improvement available.
Respond to emails
Some might argue that it is constantly submerged by emails, of all kinds: commercial, internal, work, personal, etc.
In this continuous flow, we are sometimes led to think that communications from employees can wait, or even be ignored. Responding to every email that comes to us from employees is important to make them listen, to stop any gossip and to explain to them what is important.
Get on the field
Another way to improve the relationship with its employees is to spend time where the real work is put in place, whether it is a craft workshop, a construction site or the company warehouse.
Showing our presence in the field is fundamental, it means being there, being visible and close at hand, and it is useful to know the employees and to listen to the doubts they might have.
Be honest
Hiding details, or having secrets, could be part of an entrepreneurial strategy, but it will certainly not improve the relationship with our employees.
Talking with them about our business goals, and any important decisions to make, is useful for building a relationship of trust.
There are only three types of secrets that can be admitted …
- Personal and confidential information,
- Those relating to employee health,
- Commercial agreements still in the confidential phase.
Support employees in any way possible
When one of our employees is faced with a personal crisis, we can commit ourselves to doing everything possible to support him and give him assistance when he needs it.
Demonstrating “human” and attentive to the psycho-physical health of our employees increases the relationship of trust between the two parties.
To rely on employees
Making our employees accountable and letting them know that we believe them to be reliable collaborators gives incredible results from the point of view of achieving company goals. If everyone is held responsible for achieving the goals, he will work more carefully to bring them to fruition.
These are just eight ideas to approach the employees of our company without weighing on them our authority, or load them with stress, showing us even open to dialogue, listening and constant improvement.
There can be many other small precautions that allow employees to feel valued and involved in the company’s future, and all of them go through building mutual trust and not being perceived as aliens.