When running your own business, you are often encouraged to operate within a customer-centric frame of mind. After all, you need to keep your customers happy if you want to succeed. However, studies show that companies who place more of an emphasis on the employee experience tend to reap a range of benefits that improve the customer experience also. For example, when employees feel respected and cared for, their productivity and efficiency increase significantly.
With that in mind, you must find as many ways as possible to be a better employer. Not only will this help improve the quality of the services you offer, but it will also improve your employee retention rates and bring in higher-quality candidates whenever you have a job opening.
Here are some tips to get you started.
- Focus on improving your onboarding process. This is a great way to welcome a new employees into the company and ensure they have everything they need on hand to hit the ground running in their new position.
- Ensure that you follow all health and safety standards in the workplace, reducing the risk of accident or injury. You should also make sure that all employees receive appropriate training before they begin working, especially if they will be using any kind of machinery.
- Find ways to add more comfort and positivity to the workplace, as this will make the experience of heading into work each day as stress-free as possible. For example, by finding a way to allow for open and honest communication throughout the workspace, employees will feel empowered to use their voices more often. This could lead to excellent opportunities in idea/service development and creative collaboration that will allow your business to soar.
- If you notice a drop in productivity, do not immediately blame the employee or criticize their efforts. Instead, try to find the root of the issue. For example, poor productivity can be caused by multiple factors, such as a lack of delegation and teamwork or poor planning. Finding the cause of the problem (instead of attacking the symptom) is the easiest way to get things back up and running. You should also Make These 3 Changes for Your Company to Guarantee Productivity.
- While employee retention is important if you want your business to grow and develop, you must understand that your employees may not want to stay at your company forever. In fact, they may have dreams of running their own business one day. As a result, you must provide them with plenty of opportunities for growth and development both within and outside of your company. This could include paying for an industry-specific training course or supporting them to develop transferable skills. You could also run a mentorship scheme.
- Ensure that your employee benefits are up to scratch and that they are fairly compensated for their time and efforts. While you may not be able to offer the highest salary in the world, you need to ensure that your employees are well looked after and receive fair pay.