You will probably have heard horror stories from the past about uncaring bosses and employers who would not listen to or be mindful of their employees. Instead, they would focus on their own goals and trample over anyone in their way, even if those people worked for them. Perhaps you’ve even had a boss like this in the past; this might have been the reason you decided to go it alone and start your own business.
Things have, for the most part, at least, changed now. Today, there are many more work opportunities, and a lot of people understand that if their boss is not someone they want to work for, they can look elsewhere for work. They can even start their own businesses. Because of this, bosses need to work differently; they need to take care of their employees and show that they are caring people. It’s crucial to look after anyone who works for you for all kinds of reasons from financial ones (it’s more cost-effective to retain staff than to find new workers) to moral ones (as a human being, it’s good to be kind to other humans). Read on to see how you can be the caring boss you need to be for your business to run smoothly
Communicate
Employees need to know what is expected of them on a daily basis, and they need to know that if they have a problem or a query, they have someone to turn to. Since you are their boss, you are the one they’ll need to talk with to clear up any issues and to get the answers they need to do their work in the most efficient and productive way. Therefore, you need to be able to communicate with your employees, and you need to be able to reassure them that you are approachable.
This doesn’t mean you have to necessarily act as their friend – in many cases, it’s best to remain at least a little distant when you are the boss, as you need to maintain control and authority. However, it does mean that you need to listen when an employee asks a question, makes a request, or has any feedback, and your response must be a positive one. If it is negative all the time, people will soon stop coming to you for help, and mistakes can be made. You don’t need to (and shouldn’t) implement all ideas or requests that are made, but you do need to consider each one carefully.
It’s also essential that you give detailed plans to each worker and that you involve them – as far as possible – in decision-making. Let them know what the ultimate goal of the business is so they can have something to work towards.
Environment
Some jobs are done on a worksite, some in office buildings, some in other kinds of buildings, and some can be done from home. No matter where you and your workers are, you need to provide them with a safe environment to work in. Gaining a qualification in IOSH health and safety will help you understand the processes involved in giving your workers a safe place to not only work but rest too.
Even if your workers are remote, you still need to ensure they are working in the right way, a way that is conducive to their health and safety. This might mean providing them with ergonomic furniture or ensuring they take regular breaks, or even having communication software available so they can stay in touch with their colleagues.
Offer the Right Benefits
A caring boss will want to ensure their staff is happy and productive. This doesn’t mean giving too much away and making the work less important, but it does mean looking into the various benefits that might be useful to your team and implementing them if it makes sense for your business. If you can do this, it certainly sends out a message that you care about them and want to make their working lives easier.
Benefits could include contributions to a pension fund, fair overtime rates (and fair wages in general), health insurance, a company vehicle, enough vacation days, and so on. You might even consider flexible working for those who want and need it.
By investigating the different benefits that you could offer your employees, you might discover that you can help your entire business by making some relatively small changes. In this way, your team will be happy to work for you, and your staff retention levels (and your company’s reputation) will improve.
