7 Ways To Make Your Employee’s Lives Easier

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7 Ways To Make Your Employee’s Lives Easier

By Business Desk

Friday, March 15, 2019.

There’s been a big shift in the working world in recent years, a shift that’s moved the world in a more positive direction. Employers are beginning to care more about their employees. While the upward turn may only be subtle, it shouldn’t be downplayed — for virtually all of human history, workers have been treated, more or less, as expendable drone bees. There wasn’t all that much consideration for their physical or mental well-being, if any at all. Now, though, bosses are softening their attitude to their staff somewhat. They’re showing more consideration.

This shift doesn’t just improve a significant aspect — the working side — of the employee’s life. It also enhances the business. Study after study has shown that the more than a worker enjoys their position and feels valued, the harder they work. Their productivity goes up. So when a worker’s life is made that little bit easier, everyone wins. But do you do this? We take a look at nine ways below.

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Employees First

You need to grow your business. It’s not going to stay still for too long; you’ll need to adapt, make cuts in one area, pump more money into another. It’s going to evolve. And of course, any changes you make aren’t just going to affect that one specific area — they’re going to have ripple effects that spread to other areas of your business too. They’ll affect your employees. To make sure that the vision for your business doesn’t compromise your staff’s happiness or ability to do their job, make sure you look at each business decision through the lens of your staff, and speak to them — and take their opinions on board — before making any changes. You also need to make sure they have all of the tools and software required to do their job, as well as fixing any issues they face, such as a flickering issue with their Mac or problems they have with computer speed.

Paid Well

It’s not easy out there. Rents are going up all the time, as is the general cost of living. These increases have made it more difficult to live for the vast majority of people, who have seen costs rising, but haven’t seen their salaries rise at the same time. As such, one of the best and most directly effective ways you can help your staff is to simply pay them well. Everyone’s more relaxed and able to deliver their best work if they’re not worrying about making ends meet. If its been some time since your staff received a raise, give it to them — you don’t have to wait for them to ask. If your business is doing well, it’s because of them: reward them.

Work/Life Balance

Sometime back in the 1930s, there were serious discussions taking place in the US about what the future will hold once technology has infiltrated society. They assumed that because tech would make our lives so much better, we’d all be working four hour weeks. Of course, that didn’t happen, not even dimly — once you factor in the commute and permanent connectivity to the internet, we’re all putting in longer hours than ever. This can make it extra difficult to work on individual passion projects, see friends and family, and to have the time to focus on being the best version of themselves.

And try as you might to avoid that fact, the reason they can’t do those things is because of the hours you tell them to work. So why not look at mixing things up? Studies have shown that productivity doesn’t decrease if an employee switches to a four day week or works from home — it stays the same. You’ll get the same level of work from your staff, yet will make their life immeasurably easier. What’s to lose?

Looking After Their Health

There are many benefits to living in the modern world. We have convenience, we have fun, we have more possibilities than ever. However, there is a downside — stress and other mental health conditions are on the rise (indeed, it’s something of a global health concern). Work-related illnesses are also a big problem. And of course, this makes sense — people are neglecting their health because they want to do well at work, or because they don’t have the time to visit the doctor. You can change this by initiating a telemedicine system at your workplace. Your staff will then be able to have a virtual chat with a nurse or doctor, and improve their physical and mental wellness. Aside from making your employee’s life easier, you’ll also be showing your care — and in this day and age, that’s a highly valued quality for employers to have.

A Supportive Working Environment

Yes, you have deadlines to meet, standards to upkeep, and so on, but there’s a way to go about keeping your company running at full capacity without making your employees suffer. Essentially, it’s about avoiding transferring any pressure you feel directly onto your workers. Just because you’re feeling stressed, that doesn’t mean everyone else in the office should. Indeed, part of being a leader is your ability to take that weight on your shoulders. Your employees don’t necessarily work better or harder if you mistreat them — it just contributes to a miserable environment. Keep things supportive.

Open Dialogue

You’ll also want to work hard to create a space where your employees feel comfortable opening up and talking about whatever’s on their mind. This means being receptive to hearing criticisms and mistakes, as well as the good points. Nothing good comes from a workforce that is afraid to talk to their boss for fear of being on the end of an outburst.

Match their Ambitions

If you’ve hired correctly, you’re not going to have a team of workers who are content to just spend long hours in the office, for years and years. They’re going to have hopes and dreams of their own. But of course, as everyone knows, making those hopes and dreams come true is a struggle. You need to have people to help you. So why not be that person? If your employee is able to develop and grow as a professional, then that’s only going to have a positive impact on your business.