How to Take Care Of Your Employees In 7 Easy Steps

Who brings the money into the company?

You might think it’s the customer, but that’s only part of the equation.

Another important factor is the employees. They’re the ones who do the work, and they’re the ones facing your customers and clients. Even research shows that happy employees equate to better company performance.

With that logic, shouldn’t it be natural to take care of your employees?

Yes, but that’s not always the case since many businesses don’t see their real value. When you know the value they hold, you’ll be able to treat them better.

Learn how to take care of them by doing these seven things and learn how taking care of employees can benefit you and the company.

1. Be Open for Communication

Take care of your employees by keeping communication lines open.

Encourage them to talk to you or a higher-up if they ever encounter a snag while working on a task. They should not feel afraid to ask for clarification or even to discuss a personal issue.

On your end, you should make time to chat with your employees once in a while. Give them constructive criticism, praise them for a job well done, or have a little mindless chat.

If you make yourself seem too busy, you close yourself off to them. And if you seem unreachable, you lose out on forming a connection with your employees.

Letting them know that they can talk to you and that you’re listening to them will make them feel respected and valued.

2. Appreciate Their Efforts

Like that old saying, “a little goes a long way,” a quick pat on the back or a short email thanking them for their contribution will build lifelong loyalty to you and the company. This lets them know you’ve been paying attention to their efforts.

That said, do pay attention to their achievements. Did an employee close a big sale last week? Is it the end of a hell week or month wherein your employees had to work overtime for days?

A sincere “good job” will suffice, but try to be more specific if you want this to be more effective. Here’s an example:

“We know you’ve been working hard to close the deal for weeks. Good job for finalizing it with the client.”

This will also allow you to keep track of the ones who provide value to your company.

3. Company Benefits

First, give them the basics: paid time off, maternity and paternity leaves, medical insurance, and retirement plans.

Then, add something more, something like gym membership perks, fitness classes, student loans repayment plans, flexible schedules, and more. Financial literacy classes are also welcome. They’ll learn things like how to manage their money and when to collect social security.

These may seem like extra expenses to you, but there’s no better way of retaining talent than investing in them.

The extra perks are especially important when you want to hire and keep millennials. About 89% of this generation cares more about the benefits than pay raises. And 83% would change their jobs for better benefits.

4. Treat Them Like Humans, Not Worker Bees

In professional relationships, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the personal issues of the other party. This explains why you often hear about entitled bosses expecting their employees to dedicate every second of their lives to the company.

When you see them as humans, you’ll realize they have the same problems as you do. They may be struggling to repay loans, a relative might be sick, or they may be trying to find a way to get to their daughter’s ballet recital.

When you realize these, you’ll see that having them work overtime with no pay is unreasonable. You’ll see that contacting your workers about work outside working hours is unwelcome.

You’ll learn how to treat them better, give them some slack over a mistake that didn’t hurt anyone, or give them a day off to let them attend the recital. You might even organize a little party or an activity to cheer an employee up.

5. Create New Learning Opportunities for Them

Having employees who want to improve is a good thing! Those are the valuable ones, and it’s only appropriate to support them.

Send them to classes that can hone their skills or help them learn a new one. Give them a task that they may have an interest in pursuing.

The moment a dedicated employee show interest, talk to them and discuss how they want to move forward. When you offer them opportunities to grow, they will like a valuable asset to the company (and they are!). They’ll feel appreciated, and they’ll also appreciate you for offering them the chance to move up the corporate ladder.

6. Plan Recreational Activities

Recreational activities serve as a great bonding time for you and your employees. You get to know them better, form a relationship with them, and improve the team dynamics.

Holiday parties are always a good idea, in which you can celebrate the year you’ve had as a company. Smaller parties or even activities with only your team are also good ideas so you can reach them better.

Activities like these build trust among team members. It will also allow them to work together better in the future.

7. Have Their Backs

No matter what, an employee should know that you and the company have their backs.

A client is being disrespectful and downright harassing your team? Don’t expect the employees to put up with it. Some bosses have fired clients for treating their employees like they’re less of a human.

If an employee makes a mistake, reprimand them and discuss with them where they went wrong. Allow them to fix their error while you watch on the sidelines.

When your employees know you support them, you allow them to reach new potential. They’ll trust you and be loyal to you.

Take Care of Your Employees and They’ll Take Care of Your Company

Valuing employees will make them value their position in the company more. As you take care of them, they’ll take care of the company and its clients. This is why you should take care of your employees first before your clients and customers.

Looking for more tips? You can learn more about having a successful business by reading our other guides here!