Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. No matter what kind of business you’re operating, your employees working effectively with each other is critical. It thus falls on you the business owner to maintain a healthy work environment for your entire staff. The following guest post is entitled, Your Business’ Success Depends on the Willingness of Your Employees to Help Each Other.
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When was the last time you saw your employees laugh and bond with each other? When was the last time someone volunteered to help an intern or a new hire? Because we live in a hyper-competitive world, volunteering to help lift each other is not high in our list of priorities. But if you’re an office manager or a business owner, this is one of the things that you should focus on.
More than 35% of Americans feel overwhelmed because of their workload. Understandably, facilitative coaching is not on top of their minds. But research suggests that workplaces whose people are helpful and welcoming are more productive. They are also more cost-efficient and can increase sales effectively.
Create a Buddy System
Yes, your world is competitive. Your employees are trying to impress you. They want to be promoted on their merits and their accomplishments on the job. But this does not mean that they cannot help each other. Creating a buddy system will make them responsible for new hires and interns. Although you should facilitate an effective onboarding process, a buddy system is a great way to make the new hires and interns feel welcome. They will also have an easier time grasping the concepts of the job and what their jobs entail.
Host Office Parties
It wouldn’t kill you to treat your staff to coffee and pastries or whatever would make them happy. Why not surprise them with an afternoon of simply having snacks and bonding with each other? Your employees need a break. They will be better workers when they know that you care about their well-being.
If you see them hanging with each other and bonding over a cup of coffee, don’t try to break that apart. Your organization will stand to benefit from this camaraderie. Your people are going to help each other without you needing to push them. As a result, you’ll have a more efficient workforce.
Appreciate Everyone
No one will try to go after everyone’s throat if you can just throw little compliments here and there. When your employees know that you do not have a preference among them, they will all feel equal and safe. They won’t need to fight against each other for your attention. They will learn to share the spotlight and even help each other to make the company better. You should never be threatened by the camaraderie among your employees.
Take Ownership When Someone Fails
For a change, it would be nice for your employees to know that you have their backs if they fail in a task or assignment. Do you really need to shout at them? Do you need them to point fingers? You are only going to break their teamwork. Instead of letting your employees blame each other, take ownership for not facilitating the completion of the project more successfully.
Finding the time to help your employees takes a lot of humility. As a leader, this will help create a positive environment in the workplace. When your employees see how you treat them, they will be better colleagues, too. And what will benefit when your employees are contented, happy, and working well together? Your business, of course.
