Truth, Trust and Teamwork: Getting The Best Out of Your Employees

If you’re an entrepreneur there is a strong chance that you will soon be looking to hire employees to work for you. Whether you have already started recruiting or you already have staff in place, you need to know that the people in your business are one of the most important assets to your company. They are loyal, hardworking and motivated, which means it is extremely important to gain their trust and for you to be able to depend on them completely. You will soon be running a slicker and smoother operation as long as your employees are happy, so take this advice on board as soon as you start looking to recruit.

Advanced Agreements

When you first take on a new employee it is highly important to come to a mutual understanding about their rights and duties whilst they’re working for you. It is important for them to sign an employment contract, which highlights the rules and regulations of their new job, including working hours and salary. Many businesses lose sight of the importance of protecting their business idea and brand; it is so easy to assume every employee will be loyal to you, but sometimes non-compete agreements are essential. This will prevent them from starting up a competing business during or after their employment contract. This type of agreement is especially important if you’re trialling an innovative idea in the market.

Complete Communication

Your employees want to feel involved in important decisions in the workplace and it is vital that you listen to their opinions and ideas. Using effective communication skills you can keep your employees in the loop with every tweak and change to the daily running of your business. Hold regular informal meetings and give everybody the chance to express their ideas to you. Make sure you keep an open mind; you mind even find some of their thoughts really useful. Workers often have their feelings overlooked, so make a conscious effort to talk to them. Learn about each individual on a one-to-one basis and you will soon find out how each person needs to be treated in order to get the best out of them.

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Innovative Incentives

Hard work and dedication from your staff should never go ignored so make sure you’re giving them the recognition they deserve. During busy periods motivation can often plummet so it is really important to keep their spirits up. Offer small but effective incentives to keep their enthusiasm up. For example, allow them to leave early on a Friday if they have completed their tasks for the day. Every little helps when it comes to recognising positive behaviour from your staff; they will feel appreciated and acknowledged as a result of your encouraging reinforcement.

Even if you aren’t quite ready to hire people to work for you yet, there is a lot you can learn for when the time comes around. Employees need to be listened to and respected; as long as you show them that you care your business will be set up for success.