Caring for employees is more than a responsibility or something that ‘you are required to do’. Instead, it is an art that should ooze out from within your essence without forcing. That can be hard, especially if you are busy and simply result-oriented. It is easier to have a natural inclination to obsess with work and outcome without regarding the source of labour. Such a state of affairs might work against the productivity of employees. It will suffocate the little motivation and incentive for employees’ work which will work against the company’s productivity. To prevent that, you must begin a caring journey with your employees. That journey starts with asking yourself why you need to care about your employees’ welfare.
This article further discusses some of the ways you can care for the needs of your employees.
Always ask questions about your Employees’ Needs.
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You must provide solutions to the needs that matter. What you think are the problems ailing your employees might not be them. So, ask as many questions as possible concerning the employees’ welfare. You could play an undercover boss if that were not too much of a tall order. Please work with the employees at any level as you interact with them casually. The simple set-up plus your presence at the worksite will give you a perspective of what is going on. You will understand more of their needs than if a third party had reported you.
If possible, try getting a hand in most of the groundwork. After feeling the pain and breaking the sweat, you will be convinced of some of the changes that should be made in specific areas. That will deeply imprint a sense of urgency with the reforms you will need to enforce. Mostly, if your company deals with the handling of hazardous materials, you may have to check the health status of your employees occasionally. That might necessitate partnering with a medical facility to check blood and drugs consumed samples for excess impurities of hazardous substances. Check for a drug screening near me facility that might suit your needs best online.
Know your employees personally
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Do you even know the names and faces of your employees? If you don’t, how then will you understand them on a personal level? It is not mandatory nor a requirement to keep ‘poking’ your nose into your employees’ private affairs, so it could be easier to know them personally during your natural interactions. Develop an interest that is not too prying on your individual employee’s strengths and weaknesses. That will even assist you in your commissioning and work delegation. You could arrange something like a stand-up meeting every week and at the start of the week to facilitate a lightning round sharing of the nitty-gritty of the weekend and the expectations of the week ahead.
Be transparent and open with your employees.
Transparency and accountability breed trust. Employees need to trust you even to let you know them closer. When an employee has confidence in you as a leader, they will go over and beyond to deliver a good quality job. Remember that the employees are also as intelligent as you are. They can detect toxic traits of hiding weaknesses using intimidation and blackmail. Therefore, always be honest with them, especially when they ask questions according to the limit you are supposed to disclose information. If the answer is classified, be frank and candid by telling them so.
Create new spaces for experiences and opportunities
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As pointed out earlier, you need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your employees. That will help you know the experiences and opportunities you will expose them to. Essentially, most employees must develop new skills and grow their skillet abilities. If you don’t open up those opportunities for them, they will lack motivation and register poor performances. Lack of growth among individual employees sums up to be the stagnant growth of the overall organization or company. Employees at any department or level must be talented and skilled to output a company’s quality of its own, be it in the service or product industry.
Do not set too high or too low expectations.
There is a specific limit beyond which an employee cannot surpass. If you set too high expectations, your employees might reach a breaking point and lose morale. On the other hand, if you set low expectations, your employees will lose the incentive and drive to challenge themselves. Your employees need to believe that you view each of them as a “person” instead of some “machine” meant to achieve some specific goals in the company. Therefore, always strive to make your goals as realistic and practical as possible.
Final Thought
Strive to be a better leader today by following the tips above on how to care for your employees’ needs. That will help you in life in many areas, such as earning meaningful promotions and securing high profits and work outcomes. In summary, you need to do the following to ensure your employees are well taken care of; continually asking questions about the needs of your employees, having personal knowledge of your employees, exercising transparency and openness, creating new experiences and opportunities for growth, and setting realistic goals.
Links:
https://www.livingasaleader.com/Resources/Leadership-Blog/The-Art-of-Caring-About-Your-Employees.htm
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/taking-care-of-your-employees
https://www.15five.com/blog/employees-whole-self-to-work/
https://www.broomfield.org/2252/Employee-Onsite-Blood-Draws
