How To Support Your Employees Better

As a business owner, employing people might be a step you have to take in order to grow your business, and if that is the case, it’s important to ensure you take good care of your workforce. Although you might be the boss, it’s your team that drives the business, and a mutual relationship of respect is vital if you want to get things done and push the business forward. That’s why it’s so important to support your employees as much as possible; not only is it the right thing to do because you’re all human beings, and everyone needs to be treated well, but it’s also something that will benefit your business. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to support your employees better.

Offer Open Communication 

One thing that’s always going to be a truly supportive measure is to offer your team members open communication about anything and everything. The more you can keep them in the loop about what’s happening in your business, the more they’ll feel like a part of the team, so that’s a great place to start. As soon as you contact an IRS EIN filing service to get the ball rolling to become an employer, you need to start communicating with your team, and that communication shouldn’t ever stop.

Although not every team member needs to know all the ins and outs of the business (there are still some things only management needs to be aware of, for example), if you can keep them informed and not only that, listen to any feedback or questions they might have (and deal with that feedback and answer those questions) then that’s even better. 

Be Flexible 

In the past, people tended to work set office hours (unless they worked shifts), and those hours were traditionally 9am until 5pm. However, although that’s something that was done for decades (thanks to Henry Ford, in fact), it’s now known that it’s not the ideal way to work for the most productivity. The truth is that people are productive at different times of the day, and some are better workers first thing in the morning, whereas others need to work later in the day to get things done.

If you can be flexible, you’ll get the best out of your team, and you’ll also show that you understand them and are supportive of their ideal working patterns. And it’s not just their work that will get better when you’re able to be more flexible; their lives will as well. When there’s a good work-life balance, people will be happier, they’ll work harder, they’ll be more loyal, and they’ll have a great personal life to enjoy when they’re not working. Flexibility is the key to all of this, and that’s an excellent way to support your workers. 

Invest In Training

Another excellent way to support your employees better is to train them well. When you hire someone, they’ll have certain skills that you were looking for, but they’re not going to know everything - no one does - and they’re not going to know how to do things in your specific business. That’s where training comes in.

Offer training to all new recruits so they can feel like part of the team, and they’ll know how you want to get things done. Then offer regular top-up training to them and everyone else; skills can get rusty and memories can get hazy, so by ensuring everyone goes through regular training, you can keep their skills sharp. This means the work your team does will be first-class, and they’ll feel supported because you’re looking out for them.

It might also be a good idea to let your employees know you’re willing to help them further their careers with additional training and qualifications. You can set aside a budget for this each year so that if an employee notices a training course that would help them (and therefore help you), you can offer to fund it or partially fund it. This really is an investment, not an expense, so it’s well worth considering. 

Reward Achievements

If someone does something particularly good and noteworthy in your company, a supportive employer will recognize that and reward it. Not only does it show you’re paying attention to what’s happening (a good reminder for employees who might forget), but it’s also a great incentive for everyone in your team to keep working hard, as they know they’re going to get rewarded when they do particularly well.

The rewards themselves can be whatever you feel is right, and whatever your budget can afford, of course. Some ideas include extra vacation days, vouchers for a restaurant, an employee of the month plaque, or even a raise if the work warrants it. By supporting your team and rewarding their good work, that good work will continue.