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When you were just starting your career, how many times did you think to yourself, “If I could only leave an hour earlier, or come in an hour later than normal it would make today so much better.” Whether it was to leave early to pick your child up from school, catch a game , or come in an hour later to take the morning shift for your wife, who needs a break, an hour would make all the difference to you that day. The disheartening fact is so many employees are afraid to ask for this small reward, and eventually develop a resentment of their job for creating limitations within their personal life. Take advantage of this opportunity. Some employers see this as a cost to their business, but you can actually use this to increase productivity, and boost morale without increasing your overhead.
Listen & relate. Sit down with each of your employees at least once a quarter for a catch up meeting. Then Catch Up on what matters to them, is it their family, a hobby outside of work, sports, personal interests, or vacation? Listen to them and give them your full attention, don’t take calls, don’t read email, what they are telling you will help you motivate them. Give a little get a lot.
Out of what they told you was important to them, find something you can give into on your side, but make it a 2 way street. For example, sit down with the employee and explain that they can come in a hour later but you need an extra case filed each week, or set a certain number of new client appointments each day. Make sure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Realistic and Time-sensitive. Sit back and see what happens. Almost every time, the additional effort will be noticeable immediately. Employees appreciate their employer taking a genuine interest in their quality of life outside of work, but can also respect their employer wanting to see a goal achieved in return. Your turn! Share your ideas with the group. What small rewards have you given your employees?
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