No one can run a big business alone. Every great contractor has a good team of employees standing beside them. Do you feel the same way about yours? There is a common misconception amongst businessmen that the employees only care about themselves and not the business as a whole; if you too had this in mind then it will somehow reflect in your attitude towards keeping the team intact, hence affecting the business negatively.
While everyone is driven by the motive of self-growth, your employees are also smart enough to understand that it is not possible to achieve without the growth of the organization. Creating a space of understanding and clear communication between the hierarchy induces mutual growth, helping everyone involved.
Employees, like other assets, should be taken care of so that they are motivated to fulfill job expectations & generate great results. Here are a few tips to keep them happy and productive.
Relate To Them & Their Problems
Do not be bossy around them thinking only about the work and overexploiting your team. Instead, be a leader. Understand them on a personal level, show empathy, and talk about vulnerabilities when required; it will eventually turn people working under you into working with you. They will trust you more as a person, which will make them trust your decisions with much ease than before.
Be alert to draw a clear professional line; do not end up being their close friend too! There is a fine line which you will have to figure out with time.
Opportunities To Grow
Provide your employees with new opportunities. Train them regularly and note their progress; after a certain time, give them the chance to earn a promotion.
This keeps the employees hungry for more as they see the chance of future success with you, should they remain loyal and keep producing quality work.
Recognition
What many people crave is to be recognized and appreciated for their hard work. Keep an eye on the members of your staff who go above & beyond their call of duty and reward them.
Getting the acknowledgment they earned motivates people to push more since they know someone is actually noticing. This habit also helps you pick out people who are underperforming.
Added Benefits
In this day and age, employees look for direct and indirect benefits at work.
Have well-researched yet practical lists of benefits that you could provide your employees without inflating your budget. Equipping them with insurance and a retirement plan is a good place to start; more options include corporate discounts, performance bonuses, paid vacations, etc.
Back Them Up
All businesses have bad client experiences. Such clients might undermine your employees or question their knowledge. Be sure to stand by your team. Let them and the others know that you have full faith in them.
This will further earn their admiration and make them put in more efforts to grow with you.
Keeping your employees happy doesn’t always have to be as costly as huge bonuses or big corporate parties. They are human beings like you and many times giving them the basic dignity and respect as a fellow professional is what makes the difference. Another common mistake you might be committing is relying too much on subcontractors. Click here to know what’s better for you, subcontracting or direct employment.
Stay tuned for more business-related tips. Here at CustomFin, we also provide new business opportunities to home improvement contractors like you by allowing you to finance your clients and expand services.
