Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In some ways the medical industry is a model of others and there is a lot that can be learned from it. It is constantly evolving and changing. The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Lessons You Can Learn From The Medical Industry.
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There are some things that we can learn from the medical industry that you might not have considered. For example, if you don’t take the time to look at this industry, you are not going to realize all the excellent ideas that they can give to other industries. The medical profession can inspire a few different lessons that we should all be taking notice of, and in this article, we are going to talk about a few of them.
Efficiency is what all business owners are striving for. Getting the best out of your business as quick as possible. For example, in the medical industry, they may require medical billing services to ensure that they are getting paid by insurance companies. There are companies who specialize in this area and provide the necessary service to ensure that this gets done. The same thing can be applied to other industries. There should be certain areas of business that are handled by specialists in order to ensure the smooth running of other departments. Without this, the entire system could end up folding in on itself, and this is not what business owners need.
Leaning On New Technology
Have you ever thought about what technology could benefit your business? If not, now is the time to start. Some business owners shy away from new technology as it can cost a lot of money, and it requires training staff to use the new equipment. However, if you look to the medical industry, you will see that they largely lean on new tech to develop their entire profession. This is something that your business should be doing too. You need to allow the change in order to propel your business forward and keep up with everyone else on the market.
Putting The Customer First
Have you ever been to the doctors and felt like they had something more important to think about than your care? No, and that is what your clients should feel like too. Your customers should be the most important thing in your business, as without them, there is no business. You need to remember this and always make sure that the client’s needs are being met before anything else.
Showing your customers that they are valuable to your business is one of the most important aspects of owning a business. You should always ensure that they are being put first, and not being left behind for some other purpose.
Expanding Income
If your business is currently struggling for cash, have you ever thought about getting sponsored from others in your industry? Medical businesses often get sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, and this is something that could benefit you. Find a person or a business who is willing to sponsor you and come to an agreement with them about the terms of the sponsorship.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and understand these four lessons that you can learn from the medical industry. Take this advice, and your business is going to run better than ever!
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. The construction sector is a key aspect of the economy. It is impacted by other sectors and it impacts other sectors. The following contributed post discuss some potential things that can happen in 2019 and is entitled, What Construction Companies Should Know in 2019.
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If you’re in the construction industry, staying up to date with trends that could turn things around is a must. Many industries change year on year, so here we’re going to be talking about what construction companies should know in 2019. Let’s get right into it:
Green Technology Is Becoming More Popular Than Ever In Construction
People are beginning to realize that something has to be done about the planet. We are fast using up resources, so being as eco friendly as possible is essential, especially when the construction industry accounts for about 20% of global emissions.
You will find that more and more buildings and plans are incorporating green technology into the construction process, and this is great because green construction is a way of building projects in an environmentally responsible and resource-efficient way. A focus is being put on environmentally friendly buildings and focusing on the longevity of the building, which can only be a good thing for the future of our planet.
Sustainable construction can include the preservation of the environment, an efficient use of resources, with an eye to social progress and culture. Even making small changes and considerations, such as ensuring the natural light is able to reach the middle of the building, thereby reducing electrical costs can help.
Better Safety Equipment There has been a rise in standards in safety over the last few years, and careless construction working just won’t do. There are a high number of accidents and deaths associated with the construction industry, so a push for better safety equipment has been inevitable. Now, we are finally getting somewhere. There are smart work boots that can connect to Wi-Fi, send their GPS coordinates, and will even tell if users have fallen or are tired. Things like this will eventually be commonplace.
Project Management Solutions Project management solutions are a huge trend this year. Today, you’ll find that there are many more — and better — construction software options than there were a few years ago. You are able to keep all documents related to the project in one location, which can help subcontractors and contractors get paid at the end of a project, amongst other things. You can even pay attention to the more minute details, such as how many pipe clamps you have or need.
Augmented Reality Augmented reality is set to change many industries, including construction, for the better. Just one way it will do this is by providing more accuracy and clarity. Workers will be able to use AR to show the entire project before it even starts, saving a lot of time and money. Details will be finalized before the project has even begun, making for a more more efficient project overall.
Self-healing Concrete Self-healing concrete being used on roads, buildings and homes could become the norm. When self healing concrete comes into contact with air and water, it then produces an outer protective layer. Overall, this will save the construction industry a lot of time and enable them to create safer and more durable buildings for us.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Often times the key to running a successful business is being aware of the details. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, The Surprising Impact Of “Finer Details” On Your Business.
As a business owner, your primary focus will always be on the “big picture” – which is exactly how it should be. Entrepreneurs have to think ahead, consider the future, and establish broad goals and aims for their company to achieve in order to grow and succeed, after all.
However, there is a hidden downside to focusing on the “big picture” – you can miss the finer details of your business.
What are the finer details of a business?
Whatever type of business you run, there are finer details for you to consider:
• If you own an offline retail store, you’ll have to think about which brand of point-of-sale system you use, or the material of the carrier bags you provide • If you run a borehole drilling company, you’ll need to consider inflatable packers on https://www.aardvarkpackers.com/products-list/inflatable-packers/ and decide if they are suitable for your project, or which size of injection cone you always need to have to hand • If you own a medical practice, the finer details might be the type of instruments that you choose to use, or which brand of surgical tape you prefer to use • … and so on.
Simply put, the “finer details” we are referring to are not the be-all and end-all of your company; they are the small decisions, the seemingly-minor choices that have relatively little bearing on the big picture you may feel you should focus on. However, the impact these finer details may have is far mightier than you may initially believe.
Why are these finer details so important?
The reason that finer details are so important is simple: they’re not actually particularly “fine” at all.
While finding the right inflatable packers or deciding on the material of the bags you provide in your store may seem somewhat irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, it only takes a hiccup with one of these supposedly-rather-small details to cause issues for your business. Let’s say that you have decided to provide plastic bags to customers of your retail store; a seemingly-small decision that you make in an instant.
However, what if your customers have been reading the likes of https://www.onegreenplanet.org/whats-so-bad-about-plastic-bags/ and are thus concerned about the impact of plastic bags on the environment? In such a scenario, there’s a chance that that small, seemingly inconsequential decision, could actually cost you customers or harm your business’ reputation.
For every finer detail, there is a potential downside such as the example above; a scenario in which a finer detail could interrupt your business’ productivity, alter your customers’ perceptions of your company, cause a loss of efficiency, or simply make your business’ operations more difficult than they need to be.
So what can you do?
Admittedly, finding time in your schedule to focus on every fine detail in your business is going to be challenging – like most business owners, you likely already feel that you’re constantly short on time as it is.
However, what you can do is review the finer details your business relies on. Every three months, take an afternoon to review all the details of your business, asking your staff for their input in areas that you do not deal with yourself. It’s also worth surveying your customers and asking them to identify any areas of the business they dislike, or problems that they have experience.
If an issue is identified with one of the finer details of your business, you can then make a change before the impact becomes overly damaging.
In conclusion
Focusing on the big picture in business is essential, but every once in a while, it’s also worth focusing on the very small, very fine picture too.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Many people have gotten wealthy by investing in real estate. No matter which niche of real estate investing you get into, a crucial skill is identifying which properties are good investments and which ones are bad investments. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, How to Know if a Property is a Good Investment or Not.
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If you want to buy a property, then there are a lot of different things that you need to think about. You need to think about the location of the property, the condition of it and even the price. Only when you have been able to take all of this into consideration, can you then begin to really make sure that the property is the right one for you.
Know the Numbers
Unless something catastrophic happens between the time your offer is accepted, and when you close, there isn’t a single reason why your loan shouldn’t go through. Before you start searching online, you have to make sure that you speak with a mortgage lender. You also need to make sure that you know what you can qualify for, and even how much you are spending on a monthly basis. When you do this, you can then begin to make good decisions that won’t impact your finances too much.
Location
Sure, it’s great when you can buy a huge family home for a very affordable price. If the location isn’t right however then you shouldn’t even look into it as an option. Location is such a huge factor when you are choosing your property. Remember that you can change almost any aspect of the home, whether it involves adding an extra bedroom or even converting the loft to get extra space, but you can never pick up the home and move it somewhere else. If you can’t seem to find a great location then look into the properties that Drew Fasy has to offer.
When buyers are working hard to try and set up their budget, they remember to account for things such as insurance payments, tax and even their mortgage. You might not remember to account for things like gas, cable or even electric however and this can really impact your budget. You also need to take into account things like landscaping and property maintenance. You can minimise this cost by working hard to find a property that needs very little improvement, therefore saving you some money. That being said, some hidden costs just can’t be avoided. And while there can be aspects of a property that don’t require many changes, this gives you scope to put your stamp on it, either through exterior renovation or curb appeal alterations, or giving the outside of the property a minuscule makeover, you don’t necessarily have to invest much.
If finding the perfect property means going over budget, then you really do need to reconsider. This is especially the case if you can find a property that is near enough exactly what you want for a significantly lower price. Sometimes compromises need to be made because if you don’t then you may end up overspending on something that really isn’t worth that much money. By being smart with your money, you can be sure to really help yourself and you can also do your finances a favour too.
So, there are plenty of ways for you to really make the most out of your investment, and by putting in the work you can be sure to find a property that suits your needs. The internet is a fantastic place for you to start when you doing your property research, so don’t be afraid to compare neighbourhoods online.
Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital world, businesses of all kinds are operated online which involve the mass generation of data and transfer of that data. As such, there’s a need to protect your data. The following contributed post thus entitled, Man or Machine: Which Protects Your Data?
There has been a heavy emphasis on data security across mainstream media platforms for many years. With huge amounts of data being stolen from companies, personal information being more important than ever before, and criminals becoming more sophisticated, it makes sense that people want to keep themselves safe. Of course, though, as a business, it can be hard to know who or what you can rely on to make this happen. To help you out, this post will be exploring the roles of both people and machines in relation to your data security, giving you an idea of where you trust should lie.
Machines
Most people would assume that you can trust computers with anything. They don’t tend to operate without instructions, instead performing the tasks which you’ve told them to. Of course, though, it isn’t impossible for people on the outside to take control. To solve this issue, tools like encryption and firewalls are used, blocking access to data which should only be seen by those within your business. These tools don’t always do their job, opening the doors to data being leaked into the world. Of course, though, this isn’t something which you have to worry about if you have the right people looking after you systems.
People
Data leaks and information dumps are often the result of human error, with people clicking the wrong buttons or ignoring prompts which they should be taking action to solve. Updates, for example, are often handled automatically by operating systems like Windows, but will require a restart before they are in place. If a security update rolls out, but your teams don’t reset their machines, they will be vulnerable to attacks. This sort of issue has plagued some businesses, leaving them to rely on increasingly automated systems to handle their data protection, but this doesn’t always solve the issue.
What To Trust?
In reality, you should never trust either of these areas unless you’ve done the work to secure them. Your computers should be managed and maintained by a professional company, ensuring that you are compliant with local laws, while also keep everything updated to deal with new threats. Along with this, using special data storage recruitment companies to find your employees can be a great idea. By following this route, you will be able to fill your business with people who have already proven their ability to look after data. It’s never worth putting your trust in something which isn’t proven, especially when it comes to protecting data.
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of protecting the data within your business. Most companies struggle with this area, eventually feeling the impact which can come when you lose other people’s data. Of course, though, as time goes on, you will only have to put more effort into it. Criminals haven’t stopped developing their systems, and this means that companies have to remain on their toes, with new threats popping up all the time.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. While it’s great to envisions all of the positives associated with owning a business, it’s important to consider the costs as well as they can come back to bite you. What are some of the unexpected costs of owning a business? The following contributed post is entitled, The Unexpected Costs Of Owning A Business.
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Choosing to start a business is not a simple decision. Although it may seem like it is at the time, there is a lot that you need to consider before you get the ball rolling, from the support of your family to the extra workload. You’ll also need to work out the cost. No matter what others may say, owning a business is very rarely cheap, and there are often many more expenses than you initially realize. With that in mind, here are five unexpected ones that you’ll need to plan for.
1. Research Expenses Before you can launch your new venture, you need to work out exactly what it is. While some people do decide to start a business knowing what they’re going to sell and who they’re going to sell it to, many others have absolutely no idea. If you’re with the latter crowd, you’ll need to conduct market research to give yourself some inspiration. This is something you can do yourself or delegate to a research agency, but, either way, it can end up costing you hundreds.
2. Employee Turnover We all know that recruitment can cost you big, but what few realize is just how expensive losing the employees you recruit can be. As well as having to repeat the costs of hiring someone new, you may also need to pay extra to cover the additional workload in the meantime. For this reason, high employee turnover can wreak havoc on any company. Thankfully, if you offer a welcoming work environment and competitive benefits, new hires shouldn’t want to move on.
3. Product Shipping Businesses who ship products to their customers rarely consider how much this can cost. In addition to packaging and postage, you may also need to invest in your own vehicle to transport goods and cover the costs that this will bring. Being on the road also runs the risk of an accident. That being said, a truck accident lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve in this event. To cut shipping costs further, you can shop around for the best deals.
4. Inventory Shrinkage Any business handling physical products has to face inventory shrinkage at some point. This occurs when your goods are damaged, stolen, or otherwise lost before they can be sold and delivered to customers. Unfortunately, there is no way to eliminate this worry completely, but there are several things that you can do to reduce it. These measures include improving product management and investing in better security, such as security cameras and guards.
5. Equipment Maintenance We all understand we’ll need to invest in certain types of equipment to keep our businesses up and running. Computers, tablets, and other office technology is generally a must, but some enterprises require specialized and expensive tools too. While you’ll know to budget for these investments, you may not have planned for the cost of maintaining them. This helps to keep your equipment running smoothly, and is cheaper than replacing it, but still costly nonetheless.
In the world of business, money is everything, so make sure that you take care of yours by planning for the unexpected expenses listed above.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A lot of people work in the area of ‘contracting’, particularly with government agencies. When working in this sector, it’s important to know how to get repeat business. The following contributed post is thus entitled, 3 Ways For Contractors To Get More Repeat Customers.
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If you’re a contractor, it’s the loyal customers that will sustain your business. If all of your customers are only using you once, you’re not going to have enough regular work to keep you going. But finding repeat customers is often easier said than done. If you find that you’re getting a lot of new customers but you can’t turn any of them into repeat customers, you’re getting something wrong somewhere along the line. These are some of the best ways to get more repeat customers for your contractor business.
This is very important. If you repair something for somebody and it breaks again 6 months down the line, they’re not going to call you again to fix it. In fact, they won’t call you for any other work they need doing either. That’s why it’s important that you do a good job that’s actually going to last. A big part of that is the materials that you use for the job. For example, if you’re doing some plumbing work and you buy cheap pipe and fittings, they’re likely to corrode and leak pretty soon. But if you buy decent quality black iron pipe fittings and copper pipe, the job will last for years to come. As well as good materials, you need to make sure that the workmanship is perfect. Don’t rush jobs to get the next one in and earn more money, it won’t work in the long run. Take your time and make sure that everything is perfect. You also need to be realistic about your own abilities and don’t take on jobs that you’re not really equipped to do. The work will be bad and you’ll lose the customer for good.
Build A Relationship
The work is obviously an important part of it, but you’ve got to remember that the customer is going to have you in their house, so they need to feel comfortable around you. If you don’t have a good relationship with your customers, they’re not likely to ask you back. Always make sure that you’re polite to customers, the way that you represent your company is very important. If you can offer a personalized service to each customer, you’ll build better relationships and they’ll be more likely to call you next time they need work doing.
Follow Up With Customers
If you finish the job and then don’t have any other contact with your customer, you’re missing an important part of the process. The aftercare is just as important as the work itself. You should always call up your customers a week or so after you’ve finished the job to make sure that everything is ok. If there are any small tweaks that need to be made, you should do it for free. By offering good aftercare to your customers, you can show that you’re invested in the work and you care about them. This is what people are looking for in a contractor so it’ll really help you to get repeat customers.
If you use these simple tips to get more repeat customers, your contractor business will thrive.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money. Whether you’re running a business or another class of organization, taking care of your employees is critical. Creating an environment where they feel as though their best interests are being considered will assure their loyalty to management. The following contribute post is therefore entitled, Your Most Valuable Resource: People & How To Take Care Of Them.
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The idea that you can have a successful company with happy customers and not treat your employees well is ridiculous. In fact, the whole systems works on a trickle-down effect, with happy employees supplying the best productivity and service, and so pleasing customers. Something that then leads to better profits. Happily, even if you haven’t thought of your business in these terms before you can significantly improve how you treat your employees with the advice elbow. Read on to find out more.
Leadership
Great leadership can make all the difference in how your employees feel about their work. Such leadership may not always be what you think it is either. In fact, it’s not about striding around the place barking orders or even having the ability to do all the tasks from top to bottom yourself. Instead, it’s about having a strong vision for your company both inside and out.
What this means so that you need to have an accurate idea of how you want your company to run internally and balance this with the successes and profit you make. You need to draw a line in the sand and decide that you will treat your employee with respect no matter what their role, and insist that they treat each other this way as well.
In fact, bullying, intimidation, and unpleasantness is often something that can degrade an employee’s work experience and job satisfaction. To that end, you need to have up to date policies that deal fairly with any instances of this as well. If you want our employees to feel happy and safe at work that is.
Safety
Of course, your employee’s safety is also crucial in terms of the task you are asking them to do. In fact, businesses have a responsibility to those that work for them. What that means is it’s crucial to be aware of any laws and guidelines concerning the type of tasks you need them to do.
In fact, even in an office environment, there is plenty to be aware of such as desk height and ergonomics as well as manual handling training. Where employees are shows how to move boxes correctly, so they don’t end up injuring themselves.
However, in more specific environments there are even more safety issues to be aware of. For example, when working with machinery the risk of employee harm is much higher, but it can be reduced by using items like cable housing and protective carriers. Something that you can visit Dynatect Manufacturing for more information on. A place where you can also find help with others ways that you can improve your machine process to increase its safe use and productivity.
The same is true when your workers are using construction equipment and heavy machinery too because these things have a partially high risk of causing harm or damage if they are not operated properly.
To that end, proper induction training courses for each piece of specialized equipment are needed, as well as regular refreshers at appropriate intervals as well. Clear signage to remind those that are working around such machines of the danger they pose, as well as the safety gear they need to wear are also vital aspects of looking after your employee’s safety in such environments.
Another way that you can show your employees that you care about their well being is by encouraging them to be as healthy and fit at work as possible. In fact, this is something of a new idea that is taking off, with many business offering exercise classes within work time. Some companies are even choosing to offer meditation or power nap breaks that allow people to rest and recuperate, as well, something that is also good for reducing stress levels.
Another way that many businesses can show concern for the physical well being of their employees is to install office furniture that encourages movement while working. This may include a standing desk, treadmills, and even balance ball chairs which are known to be excellent for posture and core strength.
Of course, all of these items do cost money, but what most smart employers realize is that if their workforce is physically more healthy, they are likely to be more productive as well. In fact, integrating such programs in a work environment can significantly reduce sick days and so boost company productivity, and save on cover over the long term as well.
Salary and Wages
People don’t tend to work for free, not unless they are lottery winners or secret millionaires that is, and that is why to show your care about your employees you need to offer them a decent salary and benefits package.
What that means is that the salary you pay needs to be comparable, if not better to your closest competitors in the market. Although, if you can’t match them in terms of cold hard cash, you may wish to consider introducing an excellent employee benefits scheme that includes discounted or free gym membership and other perks. Something that you will be able to purchase as a compare documented price and so will work economically for your business as well as for boosting morale.
Social
Lastly, if you want your employees to enjoy work and feel valued and so stay with you for as long as possible, creating a community atmosphere in the workplace is essential.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you ignore sensible guidelines about appropriate behavior at work, but instead it’s about introducing opportunities for workmates to spend quality time together outside of the office.
Some firms do this with regular social evenings, while others prefer team building activities like adventure weekends away. The idea being that not only does this strengthen bonds between individual employees and help them to communicate and get on better at work, but also allows people to feel more integrated and valued as well.
Something that can contribute to a feeling of belonging, and so help to boost your employees’ overall job satisfaction. It can even reduce your worker attrition rate, and so work out better for your budget as well.
After all, if people are your most essential resource, it’s crucial that you look after them in the best way that you can.
Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital age, many individuals are moving their products using an online store. If you have an online store, it’s important to be able to deliver your products as efficiently as possible. The following contributed post is thus entitled, 3 Important Changes You Need To Make To Your Online Delivery Process.
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A good shipping process is vital for online retailers. Customers have high expectations and they want their products to arrive as quickly as possible. Even if they love your products and the prices are great, they’re not going to come back to you if you make them wait a week for delivery. You’re not going to be able to match the next day or even same day delivery that the big companies are offering because you simply don’t have the resources to do it, but you do need to make sure that you’re getting products out as quickly as possible. You also need to make sure that you’re doing it in a cost-effective way and products aren’t getting broken in transit. It sounds tough, but if you follow these basic tips you can handle your shipping efficiently.
Supply chains are a difficult thing to manage and there are a lot of different steps to consider along the way. You need to get the products from the manufacturer delivered to your warehouse, then you need to pack them all and plan routes for your delivery vehicles. If this is your first business and you’ve never dealt with a supply chain before, you probably haven’t got a clue where to start. That’s why it’s a good idea to consult professional companies like the Moresby Group and get their advice. They’ll have a lot more experience than you and they’ll be able to help you set up and manage an efficient supply chain so you don’t make any costly mistakes.
Route Planning Software
Giving your driver a list of addresses and sending them on the way isn’t the most efficient way to handle your deliveries. Everything will still get there on time but it’ll take longer than it needs to and you’ll be using more fuel. But if you use route planning software, you can create the most efficient routes possible. That saves your drivers time, saves you money and makes your business more eco-friendly because you’re using less fuel.
Barcode Scanners
Picking items from the warehouse is quite a long part of the shipping process, especially if your employees are doing it all manually. You’re wasting so much time if people are searching the warehouse for products every time they need to load a shipment. That’s why you need to invest a bit of money in some inventory software and barcode scanners. Your employees will be so much quicker if they can scan their picking list and find out exactly where the products that they need are stored.
Consider Outsourcing
If you’re selling products on a large scale, it might be more cost-effective to run your own warehouse and shipping process. However, if you’re a relatively new business and you don’t make that many sales yet, you probably don’t have the capital for that. It’s also not necessary at this stage in your business career. Instead, you should consider outsourcing to a courier company. They’ll already have the infrastructure in place and the necessary experience to handle your deliveries in a timely fashion.
If you don’t have a good shipping service in place, you’re never going to get your online retail business off the ground.
The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Whichever kind of organization you’re running, taking care of your employees is key. If you do that, they’ll continue to give maximum effort. The following contributed post is thus entitled, More That a Cog: Show Your Employees That You Care.
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These days, employees want more than a paycheck from their employers; they want to feel like they’re part of something more important, to believe that they’re not just slogging away at a job so that a salary ends up in their bank account each month. Of course, money is a factor – a big factor – but there are others, such as knowing that their boss sees them as more than a cog in their machine. Showing a more caring approach doesn’t just affect your employees, either – it’ll be good for you, too, and the culture of the company. Below, we take a look at a number of ways you can become a more caring boss.
You’ve hired your employee to do a job for you, but that doesn’t mean that all of your interactions have to be solely about business. If they are, then you can’t have any complaints if they think you just see them as an expendable employee. Get to know your staff on a deeper level. No, that doesn’t mean you should spend every Friday night bar-hopping; it just means getting to know what makes them tick, what they want to achieve in life, what their dreams are, things like that. Their chief aim in life isn’t to work for you — but maybe you can help them along on their journey to wherever they want to go.
Give Trust
There are some bosses who really shouldn’t have hired any employees at all, since all they want their employees to do is whatever they’re told to do. They’re micromanaged to death, and when that happens, there’s no amount of personal chit-chat that can make up for what is painfully obvious — that the professional side of the employee’s life is of no importance. As such, one of the best ways to foster a deeper relationship is to give the employee the opportunity to do the job they were hired to do, without looking over their shoulder. It’ll be a big step along their professional journey, and you’ll have been responsible.
Sympathy
In the cold-hearted corporate world, you’re told to park your personal problems at the door when you arrive at work. This might work if the human switched to robot mode once they entered the workplace, but it’s not realistic if that’s not an option. If you’ve got a huge personal problem in your life, then there’s not much you can do about the influence it has on your life, nor should you need to. No-one likes a boss who puts the company’s profits above an employee’s personal problems. Show some sympathy, and do what you can to alleviate any problems that they may have, such as giving them extra time off from work.
Look After Their Health
Employees are working longer hours than ever before, and it’s beginning to take its toll. There’s been a sharp rise in work-related health conditions, especially those connected to mental illness and prolonged periods of sitting. This, of course, does nobody any good — not the employee nor the company. So put making sure your employees are fit and healthy at the heart of your employee wellness programs. If someone’s feeling the mental strain from work, give them a few paid days off. You can also initiate a telemedicine system at the office, so your employees can get their health virtually assessed by a professional. These types of workplace initiatives will, primarily, show that you care about your staff’s wellbeing, but also boost morale and reduce sick days, too.
Take Their Side
If you’re in business for long enough, eventually you’re going to have to deal with a rude or hostile client. Or, to put it another way, your staff may have to deal with such a client. Now, in business, it’s generally recommended to make believe that the customer is always right, but to do this, this may sometimes mean throwing your employee under the bus. Once you side with a client who was rude and in the wrong, you’ll have lost the trust, and most likely respect, of your employee. You do not have to take the side of a customer who is rude and insulting towards your staff — side with your employee, and tell the client that their business is no longer welcome.
Employee Perks
You are, of course, paying your employees a salary, which is hopefully relatively generous in the first place. But just think about how much money they’re making for you; it likely greatly exceeds their salary. While your staff will know that this is part of the deal of a job, a few employee perks that go beyond their pay are always appreciated. Even small things, like buying a few drinks at Friday happy hour, will be a good start. Treat them well, and they’ll treat you well — it’s the same in business as it is in life.
Tell The Truth
An employee will always be skeptical of a boss who says nothing but good things. And why wouldn’t they be? There are problems in every aspect of life, including business. If the boss isn’t mentioning anything contrary at all, then what’s the deal? Get into the habit of telling it to your employees straight. This could be about the health of the company, your expectations for their work, or any mistakes the employee has made. It’ll make the praise all the more believable. And talking of which….
Genuine Praise
Let’s never forget that employees are human, and, like all humans, like praise! So if one of your workers does something praise-worthy, then tell them. And don’t just say “good job” and punch them on the shoulder; tell them specifically what they’re being praised for, including what it was about their work that impressed you.
All In It Together
Finally, work hard to avoid any divisions between you and your employees. You do not exist on a higher plane to your “regular” workers, you’re just the leader of the team. Emphasize that you’re all in it together!
