Establishing and maintaining healthy working relationships is the key to having a positive workplace. Effective businesses are the ones which encourage the development of positive relationships between employers and employees as well as amongst colleagues. How do we start doing this? Here are some tips for everyone:
Have a clear and concise company mission statement.
This is essential and should be made known to both managers and employees. Why? The mission statement would outline the purpose of a business. Managers should discuss how the mission statement fits with each employee’s personal values and roles in the business. Regular staff meetings are important because they highlight recent company activities, and they also give the chance to discuss how employees are working towards the business’ mission.
Encourage teamwork via activities.
A company-oriented outing is always a good idea. Simple activities such as swimming, bowling, or playing mini-golf – anything that will involve the employees and managers to work as a team – will do. Good relationships in the workplace succeed when individuals feel that they belong to a team and when they are comfortable with their teammates. Respect and trust amongst colleagues and between supervisors and staff members lead to greater innovation, efficiency and collaboration in the workplace.
Communicate openly and regularly.
Communication is the key to any successful relationship. Managers should be able to set high performance expectations and each employee’s roles should be emphasized. Two-way communication is always better, and instructions should be given in a clear and precise way at all times. Individuals need to feel respected and they also need to feel that they are contributing to the company.
Have clear and measurable goals for individual staff members.
Employees must know what to do and how to do it well. They should also be given a person that they can run to when they need help. This is why it is essential to provide detailed job descriptions as well as training with feedback from supervisors. Employees should also be told how their performance will be measured.
Great work should be rewarded as quickly as possible.
When your employees exceed performance expectations, it is essential to make them know you are acknowledging it. Giving them additional but reasonable incentives is not spoiling them – it is merely rewarding them for a job well done. When there are problems or concerns, it is also important to address them immediately. You can also encourage those good performers to provide assistance to their colleagues who are not doing well as they are.
