Ideas That Will Add Value to Your Employee Relationships

A company’s culture is a vibrant expression of its people. So, how do you build a culture where your employees feel valued? You start by making sure they feel supported and cared for. Employees who are allowed to contribute to their company’s mission will work harder and provide a better service than those who are ignored or denied opportunities to help. Researching ideas that will add value to your employee relationships will give you some great insight into how best to show your appreciation for your workforce.

Whether you’re a manager or an employee, here are 5 ways that you and your colleagues can improve your relationship:

There are many steps you can take to help make employees feel valued. The key is to not wait for a small injustice that your team has suffered, or until happy hour on Friday night, to ask what’s on their minds. If you want to develop stronger employee relationships from the moment you hire someone, read through these tips, and put them into action immediately.

1. Ask for Feedback Regularly

Employees need regular opportunities to provide feedback about their employee experience. Simpplr is a platform that can aid conversations between team members. Most importantly, they want bosses who listen when they speak up. A simple, quick way to do this is to ask your team members at least once a week, “What’s up?”.

2. Create a Clear Vision of What They Need

Employee feedback will be useless if you don’t know what you’re looking for, so start by outlining your ideas and goals. Here are some questions to help guide your conversations:

• What are the company values?
• What problem are you trying to solve?
• How would the employees feel if the work environment was more engaging or efficient?
• Who needs to see what changes for that work environment to be improved?

3. Understand How They Express Themselves

People will often talk about how they feel, but this may not be the most effective way to learn what they’re experiencing. When you ask them directly, “How are things going?” instead of waiting for a problem to surface and then offering solutions, you can hear from their perspective.

4. Give Them a Voice at Meetings

When employees aren’t included in strategic discussions or decision-making processes, it’s hard for them to see that their opinions are valued or that their concerns are being heard. Holding weekly meetings and inviting your team members to participate in your decision-making process is one way to make them feel heard.

5. Spend Time with Them Outside the Office

Your employees can’t be expected to express their concerns as soon as they pop up, so don’t wait until there are issues at hand. This is especially true for safety concerns, which are often too big for people to bring up during a typical staff meeting—but it may be the only chance you have to do something about it in time. Invite employees out for casual lunches, or if money is tight, invite them over for a potluck at your house or organize a quarterly outing with an activity such as bowling jerseys or paintball.

While you may want to skip the office happy hour and go straight home, it’s important to meet with your employees outside of work. The best way to stay on top of what’s happening in the workplace is by showing interest in your employees as people. By making sure that your team members are involved in conversations about company values and meeting with them regularly, you can build stronger employee relationships that will make all your employees feel valued.