As entrepreneurs, you should know how to treat your employees well. This is an emphatic that determines the productivity of a business. Employers may be the eye and brain of their businesses; on the other hand, employees are the backbone of your business. They give the necessary supports needed to improve the business.
Strangely enough, many employers and business owners see their employees as second-class citizens. As such, they treat these employees in ways akin to the manners slave-masters treated slaves. This is a very wrong business mentality as shown in the historical documentary The Men who built America. In the documentary, Dale Carnegie, one of the most powerful businessmen in America during the Late 19th Century, adopted this slavery-mentality in treating his steel-company employees. He employed a task-master who demanded more work time, more efforts, with delayed pay, no incentives nor welfare, in an unconducive and inauspicious work environment. Consequently, that barbaric action nearly brought an end to his illustrious empire; poor treatments of employees have generated more bad results than good.
Although Employers or business owners see their employees as mere workers or subordinates; they are actually partners. Employees offer their skills, knowledge, expertise in form of service, while you pay for these services; thats essentially a form of partnership. For this reason, entrepreneurs should adopt a symbiotic relationship with their employees, yet maintaining the standards and discipline of the workplace. Both parties are actually working for the benefits of each other. Without these employees, the hours, skills and every effort they channel into your business, your business wont grow as you expect.
You must realize the value of your employees and do many positive things to keep employees engaged. Therefore, below are ways to treat your employees and ‘resultantly’ increasing productivity in your business?
- Communicate effectively and openly with them, get into their heads by developing a good rapport with them. Create an open access so they can come to you whether they have questions, problems or suggestions, let them know you are always ready to hear what they have to say. Encourage them and get them to trust you.
- Build a comfortable and easy-working environment for them, invest in technology, and promote their creativity. Engage them in the companys vision, policies and bylaws. Have a good welfare system or package for them.
- Build upward career paths for them. Provide work related trainings and workshops, engage them in tasks that would develop them skillfully and mentally. Build values into them
- Acknowledge their efforts. Reward your employees and incentives based on their performances periodically. Use various performance elements such as punctuality, customer service, sales or completed tasks as yardstick. Give everyone an equal chance of winning.
As a matter of fact, people want to feel loved and appreciated; investing in your employees and having their wellbeing at heart would give them a sense of belonging. Once you treat your employees well, they become happy; when you have happy employees, it makes things so much easier because they are motivated to work better.
By showing your support, maintaining an open communication, being empathetic, acknowledging their efforts and showing your appreciations, you can be sure of winning their hearts and getting the best out of them. The simplest things could actually mean a lot; so treat your employees well and be sure of increased productivity.