An organization stands on the pillars of trust shown by its employees. As a team leader, you will always have to make sure that your employees feel like an integral part of the team. Valuing employees not only increases work efficiency but also creates a superb environment for them to work. It is also great quality for a true leader.
Why is valuing employees is really important for an organization?
American Psychological Association had conducted a survey that showed that valuing employees at the workplace contributes in a number of ways. It improves an employee’s physical and mental health. This condition makes one worker engage himself/herself more in the work. This will also facilitate job satisfaction as well as self-motivation. Such an attitude builds a work culture where people can be retained, attracted and can develop meaningful relationships. This will ultimately increase productivity and performance.
5 ways to value your employees:
Following 5 ways can be followed to make your employees feel valued:
1. Listen to them:
This is one of the most important qualities a true leader possesses. You have to be a very good listener to be a good leader. And while listening, it is advised not to just hear what they’re talking about but to make them feel their words are given proper value and respect. There are certain tactics you can take to listen to the employees’ opinions. You can create online polls or suggestion boxes where the employees can vote for their opinions without revealing their identities. You should allow your employees to have confidential discussions with various team leaders. Informal discussions with the leaders can also be very beneficial, as in an informal setting, employees can open up more. You must be open-minded so that an employee can make honest confessions.
2. Reward them:
Giving proper recognition and rewards is a rational way to value your employee. But, you should make the recognition and reward properly arranged and timed. You should choose the correct recognition and rewarding platform so that employees can access it quite easily. For high performers, you should pay attention to the kind of rewards they want to receive. Giving gift cards is a good option as a reward. Apart from that, you can award them with reward points too. Besides good performers, reward those employees who show tremendous passion for their work.
3. Communicate frequently:
Valuing employees involve frequent communication between employees and leaders. The more frequently you will communicate, the more your employees will feel free to give their valuable opinions and suggestions. Always ask for the perspectives they have for the development of the organization.
4. Get constructive feedback:
Employees’ feedback regarding different aspects of a working organization really matters. Always ask for any constructive feedback they can offer so that you may have to change or alter certain things in your organization.
5. Provide challenging work:
This may sound quite weird, but it isn’t. If you provide tougher tasks for your employees and that through a proper way of communication, they will take up the challenge to prove their worth. As a team leader, it is your responsibility to make the best out of your employees. So, valuing employees is a must-do for any organization to prosper.
