When people start businesses, they think about how much money they want to make, how much growth they want to see, and how big their brand is going to get; very few entrepreneurs start out thinking about how good they’ll be as an employer. Maybe they should.
Being a great employer is not only a good thing to do for goodness sake, but it is also good for business. Your employees are one of your most important assets, and if you’re good to them, they’ll be more loyal, more productive, and more likely to add value to your company.
Okay, but how do you become a truly great employer? Here are a few ways to start:
Treat everyone equally
Everyone hates those bosses who lord it over everyone, walking around with their noses in their air thinking they’re better than their underlings just because they own the company. Don’t be like them. Treat everyone in your company as you would treat a respected peer and you’ll receive much more than respect back, You’ll get loyalty, hard work, and maybe even friendship.
Do the right thing
If you want to be a truly great employer, you need to always strive to do the right things by your employees. Be like Passavant Memorial Homes who increased the wages of their employees when there was a shortfall in a federal government hazard pay program. Don’t be like the many bosses who ride their employees hard, squeeze them of every extra dollar they can and exploit health and safety regulations when it suits their bottom line. You can make money and do the right thing, so that is exactly what you should do.
Make wellbeing a priority
Great bosses are bosses who take their employees’ well-being seriously. They offer subsidized gym memberships and run lunchtime yoga classes; they enable employees to take paid mental health days and they’re always available to listen to employees who are going through a tough time.
Listen to employees
In fact, great employers are always willing to listen to their employees’ concerns about everything from working practices to personal problems, and I mean they really listen, and they act upon what they hear.
They care about personal development
Great employers are always looking for ways to improve themselves and their employees, They are willing to invest in training programs and they love to nurture talent when they see it. They know that no humans are ‘finished’ – there is always more work to be done, and they facilitate the kind of growth that makes us all better.
They love diversity
Gret employers love diversity. They know that having people from different cultural backgrounds with different physical and mental abilities is a great way to encourage creativity and innovation. They know that everyone has something to bring to the table, so they aren’t afraid to hire a diverse staff, in fact, they prefer it.
Think you can be a great employer? Start with the above, make as many changes as you can, and maybe one day you will get there.