While it can be quite tricky to earn, employee loyalty is one of the most valuable commodities for the future of your business. But loyalty is a rather general term that can vary in definition from one manager to another.
So what does loyalty mean to you and how do you plan on cultivating it? For instance, most business owners/managers see loyalty as a form of trust and dedication. Also, loyal employees are less likely to jump ship when things get tough. On the other hand, your employees should be able to freely express their thoughts and wants when it comes to work-related issues.
Overall, employee loyalty can be developed in time, if both parties are willing to cooperate and help each other grow. Still, the employer must be the one to create a favorable environment and make the first steps.
Moving forward, we’ll list some actionable steps you can take, as a business manager or owner, to show you care about employees’ well-being and comfort in the workplace.
A Flexible Work Schedule
Nowadays, many companies have to deal with the aftermath of the Great Resignation, after a significant number of employees decided to look for better opportunities. One of the main complaints coming from those who decided to leave was the lack of a flexible work schedule that allowed for remote work.
As younger generations take over the workforce, work-from-home or remote work is quickly becoming the norm for industries where this is possible. So the best way you can prove your company is ready to support the growth and mental health of its employees is to offer flexible schedule options.
Of course, this means shifting the company mindset on goals achieved and quality of work rather than on hours spent in the office or hours worked on a project.
Give Out Service Awards at Specific Employee Milestones
How do you praise your employees? Praise is an important part of people’s professional lives and when it comes from a respected superior it is incredibly satisfying. It shows the employee being praised that their efforts are being acknowledged and seen as valuable, and it shows everyone else that good work is rewarded.
While there are several different ways to honor your best workers, an employee service award system may be the best choice. When you put together an award program, you decide the milestones for each type of reward and establish the timeline an employee needs to follow to hit each milestone. Plus, it’s easy to maintain and adjust as things go by.
Communicate at a Human Level
Good communication skills are part of a good leader’s toolkit, but you also need to know when to drop the boss persona and just be human with your employees. Yes, you are all there to do a job, but you can’t uplift a person whose work performance is affected by personal problems using leadership techniques.
There are times when you have to understand another person’s situation at a human level and see if there’s anything you can do to help. In fact, as long as both parties act from a place of honesty and compassion, this sort of situation creates powerful bonds between employee and employer.
Key Takeaway
In today’s day and age, companies that offer a flexible work schedule, are open to communication, and celebrate their employees’ achievements have a better chance of creating long-term connections with their workers.
Overall, both the workers and the workplace are undergoing a period of change that was long in the making. Recent events just boosted things up a bit, but it’s clear that people want better work conditions that are designed to treat them as human beings and not machines.
