Your employees are your company’s most important investment. But how can you tell if you’re getting the maximum return?
The key to getting the most from employees is creating a staff that’s engaged, motivated and interested in helping your company achieve its business goals.
These four strategies will create motivated employees who are more productive and less likely to jump ship:
- Focus on relationships (not incentives). Simply offering huge salaries, generous bonuses and other perks will no doubt create a staff of entitled employees. What’s worse? These workers will be ready to bolt at a moment’s notice when another company dangles a more attractive offer. Fostering strong relationships with your employees creates a more rewarding work experience for them.
- Create a question culture. Regularly soliciting feedback from your staff will help make them feel that their opinions are valued and their work is important. This will also raise performance expectations, because workers will always have to explain their decisions should a question arise.
- Let conflict reign. What would you rather have: a utopia in which employees never have problems, or an office working together to reach its maximum potential? Conflict is a necessary part of growing relationships — and business.
- Honest feedback. Constantly giving employees feedback — even negative feedback — is imperative in getting the most out of your workers. A candid assessment of an employer’s performance ensures that he or she doesn’t pick up bad habits and continues to grow and improve.
