Creating strong relationships with employees can improve company culture. Employees who have great relationships with company leaders are more engaged and work harder. It takes a lot of effort for managers to build great relationships with employees. Here are three ways company leaders can create next level employee relationships.
Encourage Communication
Dialogue and communication are essential in a teamwork environment. Encouraging open dialogue among employees has many benefits. By finding effective ways to communicate with your employees and encourage them to communicate with each other can create closeness and trust. It also helps to avoid confusion and decrease friction between employees. Employees will be less stressed and have a better understanding of the expectations when they communicate with each other and management teams.
Provide an effective way for employees to express their grievances. Whether it is an open door policy that allows employees to speak freely with someone in upper management or an open forum where employees can talk to each other about the issues at hand, having a place to discuss grievances helps employees find relief and resolve conflicts.
Employees should also be able to ask questions and clarify expectations. They should be able to share their ideas and gain support for initiating them. Be sure that things like new policies, procedures, or expectations, including project expectations, are communicated clearly. Keep in mind that people absorb information in different ways. It helps to present any company policy changes both verbally and in a written format.
Employees who are encouraged to communicate with their managers gain a sense of belonging, trust, and feelings of value. Communication can help employees to feel closer to each other and their supervisors while also being happier at work.
Show Appreciation
An appreciated employee is a loyal employee. Business owners often struggle to build a team of employees that they can always count on. How do employers help employees see their value and strengthen company loyalty? Simple, they say “thank you.” Saying “thank you” goes a long way when it comes to building a strong relationship with employees.
Employees want to know that their supervisors believe in them. By showing appreciation, company leaders put into perspective just how important an employee’s work is to the bigger picture. Being thanked and rewarded for their contributions helps employees to know that they are a valued part of the company and in turn, they begin to value the company with the same level of appreciation.
Maintaining a friendly and cohesive atmosphere is integral to building a healthy workplace environment. A workplace culture that shows appreciation thrive as retention numbers rise and employee attitudes change. When employees feel like they can be friends with their supervisors, the relationship dynamic changes. Employee appreciation has the potential to turn unsure employees into lifelong friends. The relationship between management and staff members is one of trust, loyalty, and an eagerness to help each other succeed.
Be Genuine
Relationship building is meaningless unless trust and honesty are at the forefront of the relationship. Employees expect company leaders to be transparent and open about the things they are doing right and wrong. Employees also respect a genuine leader.
Different people show their authenticity in different ways. For some, it’s accepting their weaknesses and asking for help to improve the things that are struggles. For others, it’s staying positive and showing appreciation for even the little things. Other ways company managers might indicate that they are genuine is to share goals with employees and encourage new ideas. Here are a few tips on being authentic in the workplace:
- Transparency and honesty are part of being genuine. Being a leader is about being able to share the bad news and the good. Share news in a timely fashion and be sure to deliver all news professionally.
- Explain decision making and ensure that employees understand why the decision is what is best. Answer questions and be honest about the direction the company is taking.
- Take initiative to help complete projects and reach goals. Employees don’t view supervisors who sit back and as faithful members of the team. Employees can build feelings of resentment and distaste for a manager who is not an active participant in the work.
- Give recognition when employees do something deserving but do not go overboard. Employees love rewards. It can be tempting to win their approval by showering them with praise. However, if the recognition is not delivered genuinely and respectfully, things can start to feel a little put on. Employees should be recognized often, but authentic leaders use recognition as an opportunity to strengthen positive relationships, not create the stigma that “everyone gets a trophy.”
Relationships in the workplace can pose several challenges, especially when it comes to the relationships managers and company leaders share with their employees. Next level work relationships are those where both the supervisor and employee demonstrate open communication, appreciation, and are genuine in the things they say and do.