5 Traits of a great employer

Maybe you’re just starting out and hiring your first employees. Maybe you’ve been an employer for years and want to know how you can improve. One thing is for sure, being a good employer will increase productivity. If your employees feel comfortable and motivated, you can rely on them to produce excellent work. So, how do you make sure you’re a great employer? Here are some traits from the best.

Offer Flexibility

The world doesn’t run on 9 to 5 hours anymore. People want more flexibility to fit in with family life. Allowing employees to have flexible schedules will mean they’re more likely to be able to concentrate on their work, rather than worry about outside of the workplace. There are often times when an employee may have to leave work earlier than normal. A good employer would allow the employee to make up the hours on a different day.

Fun at Work

The workplace doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, the more exciting, the better. Encourage your employees to build relationships with each other and you. A workplace that has laughter coming from the break room will certainly thrive. Outside of work activities like paintballing and laser tag are also fantastic for building bonds and boosting team spirit.

Invest in Workers

Great employers know that loyalty works both ways. Employees that have been with you for a long time may start to feel like they’re stuck in the mud. Creating opportunities will mean your employees get a new challenge and you get more responsibility taken off your hands. There are also courses that would suit up and coming employees, like AACSB accredited online mba programs. It may not cost much more than advertising for a new employee. Where possible it’s always better to promote an existing employee that has already built relationships.

Don’t Tolerate Bad Behaviour

There’s a difference between being flexible and easy going, and letting your employees walk all over you. There will come times when you need to discipline an employee. It may be because they’re constantly turning up late for work or because they’re distracting others from working. Whatever the issue, you need to make sure you establish authority. If the worst comes to the worst, you may need to find out how to dismiss an employee fairly.

Listen

It’s not uncommon for employers to think they know more than their employees. A good employer will always listen to complaints and suggestions from employees and make use of them. The employees are often much closer to clients than employers are. That being said, is it really surprising that they may have some good insights into how the business can improve? Even if your employees don’t approach you with suggestions, it’s important to listen to as much of what is going on as possible. If you spot an employee with creative ways of solving problems in the business, use it to your advantage. Spotting talents among employees could ensure you’re in business for a long time to come.

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