4 Things Your Employees Really Want From You

Happy, healthy, motivated, employees can push your business into a level of success that you could never hope to achieve without their dedication.  They keep your company running smoothly and efficiently.  They keep your customers happy.  And when your customers are happy, they refer other customers to you, and they come back to you again in the future.

So how do you keep your employees satisfied with their job?  By giving them what want, of course!  So let’s take a lot at what your employees really want from you and how you can give it to them…

They Want A mentor

They want to feel like they have someone that cares about their success and is motivated to help them succeed.  While you can’t mentor every employee personally, you can connect them with other people – like managers, senior employees, or department heads – that can.

Make this a formal program at your company so that mentors and trainees both know exactly what is expected of them.  Your employees will be happier, and they will become productive additions to your company a lot faster.

Here are some additional resources you can use to help get started on this route:

• National Survey on the success of mentorship programs: http://businessfinancemag.com/hr/it-s-not-your-father-s-mentoring-program
• 10 ways to be a better mentor from the Drucker Institute: http://www.druckerinstitute.com/monday/mentoring/
• Creating a mentor program from SHRM: http://www.shrm.org/communities/studentprograms/pages/mentorprogram.aspx

They want transparency

Nobody performs well in an environment of doubt and fear.  If they are always looking over their shoulder afraid of being fired, or demoted, or turned down for a promotion, they won’t do their best work.  They will focus on playing it safe.  And your company will lose out on their creativity and innovation.

Likewise, when they more comfortable talking with you, they will feel more comfortable talking to each other as well.  When your team feels more comfortable as a team – they will work together better.  With that level of teamwork and transparency, they will move faster towards business goals, work harder to satisfy clients, and help you find new ways you may never have thought of to expand your business even further.

Here are some more resources you can check out to learn more:

• 4 Ways transparency can boost your business: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/4-ways-transparency-can-boost-your-business/
• Embrace transparency for more success: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242061
•  Why being transparency will get you the best employees: http://authenticityrules.co.uk/transparency-in-business/why-being-transparent-will-get-you-the-best-employees/4

They want to feel appreciated

Nobody likes to work in a thankless job.  We all like to think that what we do is important to somebody, somewhere.  Your employees aren’t any different.  They put in a lot of time, and a lot of dedication into doing the best job they can for you so your company succeeds and they succeed.  Most of them spend time working for you than they do at home with their families.  So it’s not surprising that a little appreciation can go a long way.

You don’t have to necessarily spend a lot of money to do that either.  You can give them a promotion, or a raise, or a surprise bonus.  You could give some extra time off, or let them go home early unexpectedly.   Even giving them greater responsibilities shows that you have faith in their abilities and appreciate the work they’ve done for you.

Here are some additional resources on employee appreciation:

• 11 Creative ways to show employee appreciation: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8152-employee-appreciation-tips.html
• 101 Ways to reward employees without giving them cash: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/a-101-ways-to-reward-employees-without-giving-them-cash/

They want to be given a voice

Your employees are not mindless automatons.  If they were, you likely wouldn’t have hired them.  Just like they want to be appreciated and in-the-know at the company, they also want to a say in what’s going on.  They want to give their input on projects or give suggestions for directions the company should or shouldn’t take.

It’s important that you take the time to listen to them, but even more importantly, you need to take the time to reach out to them.  Even if it’s just seemingly simple things like “What do you think we can do to make our customers happier?” it can have a big impact on morale.  And you might just get some really great ideas you can implement to get ahead even more.

Here are some additional resources on listening to employees:

• 6 Ways to listen to your employees: http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/06/13/six-ways-to-listen-to-your-employees/
•  The importance of listening to your employees: http://www.inc.com/entrepreneurs-organization/the-importance-of-listening-to-your-employees.html