Leveraging Employee Connection in the Workplace

It is important to ensure that employees are always excited about the prospect of a new project or challenge. Give them the opportunity to express their thoughts, ideas, and also contributing to the growth of your business. Employee connection is one of the most important ways of improving job performance and increasing productivity in the workplace. Below we look at 9 proven ways of improving your business by creating connections that further engage your employees.

Create a safe working environment

Many companies across the globe are often associated with controversies resulting from issues of bullying, threats, sexual harassment amongst other things. All these are characteristic of an unsafe working environment which eventually results in slow or even stagnant business development. This also results in a massive disconnect between employee and employer. It is necessary that employers provide their staff a safe haven to enable them to come forward with ideas regardless of what it may sound like.

Measure results rather than input

It is often suggested that the most important metric for judging the performance of an employee is their output and not the amount of energy put into work. It does not matter how much time or energy an employee invests in a project. The key is they are able to deliver within the stipulated time and meet the standards. Becoming more output-oriented puts more emphasis on results rather than the process. Focusing on output will improve your business efficiency by ensuring that employees can focus on other important aspects of business whilst also producing maximum results.

Prioritize Recognition and Rewards

Recognition is one of the proven forms of employee connection and is known to have yielded positive results in many instances. Rewards and recognition are known to generally affect and motivate employees in a positive manner. Despite this, research shows that only a few employers actually take the time to reward their employees for a job well done.

Fewer employees report having received remuneration in the form of rewards or recognition at work. As small business owners, I recommend that you appreciate your employees for their effort even in minute ways. A written or verbal thank-you would go a long way to show gratitude for effort. Also, supplementing employee wages with several benefit plans is another form of rewarding employees for their good works.

Establishing a company culture that promotes growth

Often times, the interest of small business owners lies in maximizing profit whilst minimizing expenses, and also ensuring that customers derive the most satisfaction from dealing with the enterprise. Providing stocks and monetary remuneration is one of the few ways that team leaders or employers show ownership in the workplace.

I often recommend that employers provide their staff with real challenges and authority that impact their job and the team as a whole. It is one the few employee connection principles that I have applied in the past and has produced mind-blowing results. Most employees appreciate the trust given them that goes with increased involvement. The more you do this, the better the employee output and the better the business.

Spend time with Employees

I often advise employers to spend time with employees, as it is one the few ways to ensure that they are constantly giving their best to ensure maximum output in the workplace. Spending quality time with employees helps reduce the issue of disconnect in the office. Team leaders and team members should be in constant communication with each other. Unsurprisingly, Google in 2016 confirmed that one of the leading indicators of a team’s high performance is a genuine connection between a leader and his/her team members.

Be mindful of communication patterns

There is no one-size-fits-all style of communicating with employees. You have to tailor your communication styles to suit each employee. I always recommend that you have a one on one conversation with each employee. This way you can truly learn the way they love to be communicated and then you apply it. Adapting your pattern to your employees desired communication style will help get the best out of them.

It helps you connect with them better, improve understanding in the workplace and create a healthy environment. In order to create a personalized experience for each employee, it is very important to find out how they like to learn. Then you can structure their work experience to suit their style.

The triple treat

The triple treat is an important human resource recipe with proven a huge success in getting employees engaged in different aspects of a business. First, provide employees with the tools required to do their job well. Be a manager who cares about his staff and also communicating effectively with them as discussed above. There is no greater way of getting the best out of your employees other than providing the triple treat.

Investing in your employees

I have always said that work relationships are very much similar to other forms of relationships we have. It involves a bit of give and take. It might seem a bit excessive, but it is important to continuously invest in your employee’s personal and professional development. You can do this by training and providing them with the latest learning and development tools. When employees apply their new skills to your business, you are almost certain to reap the benefits of your investment. Engaging employees by training them in new business tools also enables your business to keep afloat new trends and provides you with the advantage to survive in a highly competitive business environment.

Cultivate a good business culture

How do I motivate my employees? How do I keep my employees connected at all times? There are some important questions that often plague the mind of entrepreneurs and small business owners. One important way of connecting with your employees in the best way possible is to create a courageous culture in the working environment and also to implement some employee retention strategies.

You can never overemphasize the importance of establishing deep employee connection. It has the potential to deliver outstanding results for your staff and business. Setting a business vision, creating expectations and effective communication are some of the ways you can create the right culture for your enterprise.