It's very important that you have open lines of communication with your employees. In the past we've talked about various employee retention strategies click here or here to review. Today we're going to talk more about the importance of keeping the lines of communication open in other ways. Often we think we are communicating effectively. We make a conscious effort to share our vision for the future of the company, we solicit feedback from our employees. We're confident that we are creating a collaborative environment where our employees can thrive. That may be true, but there can be some other hidden issues hindering our success.
Do your employees feel comfortable asking for time off? If you create a culture where it is accepted that illness or a death in the family are the only acceptable excuses for missing work you may find your staff unexpectedly plagued by epidemics. This may often occur surrounding big (and not so big) holidays and other events that encourage people to stay out late on a work night. We don't want to make you suspicious but if multiple people suddenly have the flu the Monday after the Super Bowl or if someone has lost 6 or more grandparents, you might have an issue. You don't have to grant every time off request that you hear, but if you want your employees to be honest with you about why they need to miss work you need to foster an environment where they feel comfortable doing that.
How do you handle employee mistakes? If you focus on being helpful first, and placing blame last your employees are much more likely to come to you when they make mistakes. If they fear retribution or ridicule they are probably going to try to cover up their mistakes or at the very least shift blame so that they don't go down alone. Neither or these strategies benefits your business. Yes, it's frustrating when someone makes a mistake, particularly if it costs your business financially, but working together to fix the problem can only make things better.
Do you seriously consider employee suggestions? It's common to have your own ideas about how things should be, especially within your own company. It's important to listen to your employees and weigh the merits of any suggestions they bring to you. They certainly have a different perspective and might be able to provide valuable insight that could help you make a more informed decision. Even if you ultimately don't take their suggestion, they will feel valued simply because you listened and considered their input.
