As a small business owner, every employee you hire plays an important role in the success or failure of your business. Get one hire wrong, and you could miss out on growth for the year ahead, allowing one of your competitors to pip you to the post. Looking after every member of staff, from your cleaner through to your senior management, is vital for building a business, boosting engagement and performance. We’ve rounded up some of the secrets…
Know your staff
We don’t just mean getting to know your staffers’ names – spend some time working with each of your team to identify their real strengths and weaknesses, and utilise them to the best of your ability. The chances are that you’ll be surprised at what they’re capable of, and you could even introduce a new product or service category based off of their expertise. It can be as simple as a biannual performance review or spending some time shadowing your staff – the more hands-on you are, the more you’re going to get back from your employees.
Inspire your team
If you’re rocking up to work at 11.30 am in your expensive sports car, you’ll struggle to get your employees on side. Inspire them to achieve their true potential and show them how you got to where you are today. Whether you host a monthly conference on leadership and performance, set (realistic) targets and goals, or get involved in a project to prove your worth and experience, there are lots of ways that you can inspire and motivate your workforce.
Make your workplace more engaging
How do your staff feel when they show up at work in the morning? When was the last time you invested in new machinery, equipment or, office space? Working with a company that offers facilities management services such as grounds maintenance and workplace design will allow you to create a more attractive, aesthetically pleasing workplace where people can be inspired to push themselves. Goodbye office cubicles, hello collaborative work lounges!
Reward your staffers
You don’t need to spend thousands on team-building events or bonuses, but you can show your staff you care about their work by rewarding them on a regular basis. It could be something as simple as offering company merchandise, a box of chocolates after they wrap up on a project, or even allowing a “star employee” to become boss for the day, running the business in the way they think is best. Experiment and have some fun – that’s what business is all about. You’ll soon work out which employee recognition schemes work best for you.
Enable high-performance
Finally, enable your staff to be the best that they can be by investing in quality hardware and software, company training, and ongoing personal development programmes. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut and allow your employees to be neglected, but with a little bit of time and imagination, you can enable growth and allow them to become the very best they can be.
Do you have any other tips? Let us know and check back soon for more on our blog.
