As a business owner, you already know that the key to managing a successful business is to employ high-quality people. After all, without a team of all-star employees, your business would be hard-pressed to sustain itself and add value to the customer. But creating a thriving work environment can be challenging, particularly if you don’t fully understand what it is that motivates your employees to succeed in the first place. What follows is a list of ways business owners help facilitate a positive work environment in their own companies. Is there anything you could be doing better in your own business?
Read Also: The Secrets To Developing Engaged Workers
Embrace Change
Your employees are always changing. After all, that’s what people do. Circumstances create opportunities for growth and your most valuable employees will embrace these changes as they present themselves. Rather than suppressing growth or throwing obstacles in the way of personal and professional advancement, businesses that create an environment in which their employees feel supported will be handsomely rewarded through increased engagement, improved retention and greater commitment to your company and brand.
Broaden Horizons
Your employees have a lot of really great interests and talents that can be utilized in many different ways throughout the business. To maximize their strengths, encourage a culture where questions are celebrated and curiosity is rewarded. Not only will embracing this stance promote the continued professional growth of your employees, it helps facilitate greater understanding of their how their work impacts the business as a whole. This understanding can result in better efficiency and greater cooperation throughout your organization.
Encourage Growth
If you really want to move the needle in your business, don’t set your company’s goals and objectives at the top and expect your employees fall in line. Instead, get your team involved in the goal-setting process early on. Encourage them to make their own goals and to come to the table with their own ideas for driving results. When you include your employees in the goal-setting exercise, you are sure to receive greater buy-in which, in turn, will help you finish your year out strong.
Maximize Value
Your employees are worth much more than the dollars and cents they saved or earned over a period of time. Stop looking at your employees as line items on your budget sheet and begin to realize the true value they bring in all aspects of the business. Happy employees are more willing to stay with the employer that views them as more than a number on a spreadsheet. They are more likely to go above and beyond the call of duty without being prompted and they are more apt to deliver excellent customer service, take fewer sick days and be more engaged in the work when they are on the clock. All of these are vital qualities to running a successful business, even though the return on investment may be a little harder to calculate.
Need help avoiding the hurdles that are preventing you from having a thriving business? Email the business consultants at Rea & Associates to learn how you can improve your company’s culture.
By Renee West, SHRM-CP, PHR (New Philadelphia office)