Daddy Does Business: What Do Employees Expect From You, Their Boss?

Being a dad will always be the most important role in your life. Still, building a successful business remains crucial for any entrepreneur. Utilising all assets to their maximum capabilities is top of the agenda. There is no doubt that employees are the greatest weapon in the arsenal.   

If you truly wish to see them provide optimum levels of performance, it’s imperative that you become the boss that they deserve. Focus on the 10 points below, and you should see positive outcomes in no time.

 #1. The Safety Provider

Safety comes first in all aspects of life but is especially crucial in business. The shortcoming in this aspect of the operation can lead to financial problems and lost trust from the customers. More importantly, though, it could put your staff at risk. Even if the worst situations don’t occur, this will inevitably prevent them from working to their optimum performance levels.

Personal injuries are the last thing you want to encounter. This guide to keeping their personal data secure is a great starting point. When combined with CCTV and other protective features, they can work with greater confidence. Should they work with dangerous machinery, investing in safety goggles and suitable outfits are vital?

An employee that is distracted by the thoughts of danger will never provide the goods. Besides, if you can’t keep them safe, they’ll never respect you as a boss.

#2. A Greeter   

Every entrepreneur should know that hiring the best candidates sets a winning foundation for the company to thrive. Sourcing employees with the talent and the character traits to shine should give you the best shot at maximised productivity. Furthermore, seeing that the team is getting stronger can inspire existing staff members to up their games too.

Perhaps more crucially, employees need to hit the ground running. Making them feel as though they are a part of the family from day one is a key responsibility. The best way to do this is to pay extra attention to the onboarding process. Simple ideas like having their name tags and working spaces ready shows that they are already respected.

Most employees start a new job with high hopes of proving themselves early on. Give them the tools and the support needed to do this, and they will repay your faith.

#3. An Example

Whether you like it or not, employees are a reflection of their boss. While it’s great to have staff members with that boast the natural motivation to thrive, they will lose interest if the employer sets a poor example. After all, why should they push themselves to the limit to earn you more money if you’re not prepared to do the same?

As such, leading by example must cover a host of factors. From being organised in the workplace to always giving it your all, those attributes will serve you well. Most importantly, though, you must conduct yourself with a winning attitude at all times. Positivity is infectious, especially when it comes from an employer. Do not forget it.

Apart from benefitting the staff, upgrades in your personal performance can drive you to better outcomes. Perfect.

#4. Great Communicator

While employees may provide the driving force behind the business, it’s your job to direct them. Keeping them on the right track is consequently one of your greatest ongoing challenges. Good communication should sit at the heart of it all. Without it, the likelihood of reduced productivity and potential mistakes becomes far greater. Furthermore, it’ll lead to inconsistent customer experiences.

Good communication doesn’t necessarily mean dedicating huge amounts of time to those tasks. Learn to run your team meetings like Google by keeping them short, sweet, and to the point. Otherwise, it could all get a little confusing. Besides, modern tech devices, cloud computing, and team messaging Apps can be used for ongoing talks and direction.

Most importantly, you need to be approachable. You’ve presumably hired those employees for their advanced skills. Sadly, you’ll never get to appreciate those unless they feel confident enough to take their initiative and make suggestions.

#5. An Empathetic Employer

Employees are your most valuable business asset, but it’s important to remember that they are only human too. A little human empathy goes a long way in business, especially when it comes from the top. Investing in a few simple staff room luxuries, such as coffee machines and water coolers instantly shows a greater sense of care. On a similar note, gym memberships and other staff perks can make a big statement, even if individuals choose not to take them.

As you know from your personal experiences, work falls second to parenting duties. Being empathetic when an employee brings a new child into the world is crucial. This maternity and paternity leave guide will point you in the right direction, and that support will be repaid in the long run. After all, staff members don’t forget when you’ve shown a sense of understanding.

With this in mind, letting them work from home when the kids are sick, or booking time off when a friend or relative dies should be on the agenda. Forcing them to work when their mind is somewhere else will result in reduced productivity anyway.

#6.  The Educator

A small percentage of your employees will be happy to settle for what they have. However, the vast majority have aspirations of climbing the career ladder. Using their motivation to your advantage can make all the difference in business, and investing in their development is the best way to do it.   

Regular staff training is a great way for them to gain new skills. However, they’ll also look to you for inspiration. Become their tutor by sharing your knowledge and experience to guide them in the right direction. This can help prepare them for a career further up the internal company ladder. This will ultimately provide you with senior staff members that have a better understanding of the company.

Seeing their colleagues gain promotions and pay rises can provide huge motivation for other employees. So, the benefits for the venture are huge.

#7. A Disciplinary   

Establishing a positive employer-employee bond is great. However, the reality is that most of their interactions will be amongst each other. Therefore, knowing that colleagues get along with each other is essential. It would be very naïve to think that problems within the team won’t ever surface, so learning how to stop them escalating into something worse is crucial.

It’s not always easy to know something is wrong, especially if the business hires a lot of people or is spread out over several locations. However, this guide to spotting workplace bullying should give you a great sense of insight. Meanwhile, knowing that your team leaders and senior staff are on the ball can make a telling difference

All staff members deserve a fair chance to explain their side of the story. Nonetheless, you should have no hesitation in punishing the perpetrators. After all, the harmony levels are at stake.

#8. An Honest Leader

As already mentioned, motivational skills are an attribute that all employers need to develop. While speaking in an inspired manner is naturally very important, it counts for little if you don’t work with transparency. Employees need to know where they stand at all times. Otherwise, their minds will always be preoccupied with possible concerns.

The significance of feedback in business should not be overlooked for a second. Regular staff appraisals and analysis are essential features if you want employees to keep improving. Besides, this gives you an even better chance to sculpt them into the staff members that you wish them to become. For your sake as well as theirs, working with honesty is vital.

This is why you must also inform them of any changes to the business, especially those that can directly affect them. If they hear that information from other sources, all trust in the business will be lost.

#9. The Equal

There’s no escaping the sense of hierarchy within the company. As such, commanding a little respect with an authoritative approach will serve you well. Nonetheless, employees should not be made to feel less worthy than you. Showing that you are a team player makes it far easier for them to relate, and this will result in better performance levels.

 

After all, you are nothing without a successful team behind you, so showing that gratitude in the way you conduct yourself is vital. Of course, you must also learn to handle difficult staff members that aren’t team players too. Find the right balance to establish the winning group mentality, however, and success is assured.

Fail to do this, and some members of the staff may start to resent you. That friction can cause major problems going forward.

#10. A Consistent Boss

Above all else, employees need you to show a sense of consistency. Without it, they’ll never know what to do, which will lead to problems for the business. While you can still grow and evolve as a boss, maintaining that fair and stable persona is pivotal.

Thanks for reading.

---

This is a collaborative post sourced for TheYorkshireDad.com