7 Things Your Employees Aren’t Telling You (But Want You to Know!)

Being a good boss means more than making important decisions for your company. You will need to be able to listen to input from your staff.

Tension between executives and employees happens when you’re managing a business. Sometimes the conversations can be uncomfortable, but it ultimately pays off to listen to your staff to be the best boss you can be.

If you want to learn how to be a better boss and improve your bottom line, it may be time to start listening to your employees.

As an employer, you want to cultivate an environment of trust and understanding. Communication is vital.

• Must Read – How Continuing Education for Employees Improves Workplace Performance

Here are 7 things your staff wants you to know but aren’t telling you…

1. What is the Goal Here?

Your staff has just as much interest in your business’s success as you do. It is their livelihood too, after all.

You can’t expect your team to be a herd of sheep that follow the leader blindly. If you have a specific goal in mind, be sure to share it–communication is key.

You need to be able to cultivate a culture of trust between the staff and the executives. If you cannot do this, your employees are much more likely to disconnect and become unmotivated.

If you can’t communicate your goals to your team, they are likely to believe that you’re trying to hide something.

Gossiping is integral to human society. Rumors can spread quickly in the workplace, and often they’re not good.

If you listen, though, you can improve.

2. We’re Afraid to Give Honest Feedback

Remember that there’s already tension between the executives and the staff. Being a good boss is not about being domineering.

You must be open to receiving feedback from your employees, even if the conversations are tough and leave you feeling down. Try not to take the tough criticisms to heart.

Criticism should be a point of potential growth. A good leader will take criticism with an open mind and be able to use it to the company’s advantage.

• Read – 10 Ways to Ensure Your Employees Feel Appreciated

3. This is Just a Job

As an entrepreneur, it can be shocking when your staff doesn’t share the same enthusiasm. The truth is, your staff doesn’t.

In all honesty, you don’t want a staff full of bosses. There’s a reason your employees decided not to become entrepreneurs.

You can’t–and shouldn’t–force this mindset on them. When you hire people, take into consideration their talents and capabilities. Respect that each person has a different outlook.

4. Sometimes It’s Not About the Money

Not to imply that we should all become communists, but it was integral to Karl Marx’s theories that people want to do fulfilling work.

Have conversations about what your workers find fulfilling. Is there anything that they would be willing to do if money wasn’t a problem?

Money is only a minimum requirement that an employee expects. On top of that, everyone wants to feel like the work they are doing is important.

Share the fruits of labor with your staff. It’s often more important that an employee is recognized for a job well done. We are all concerned with feeling a sense of recognition, right?

5. Maybe the Employees Know Best

From the management perspective, it can be easy to get accustomed to making decisions without consulting your staff. But you should always make an effort to consult your team before making any big decisions, especially if they affect everyone.

Your team has a more intimate understanding of your product or service than you do, believe it or not. They’re working more closely to it.

Don’t undermine the opinion of your team. Sometimes they may be able to offer a solution that you may overlook. It’s okay not to know everything!

• Also Read – Is Procrastination a Threat to Your Productivity?

6. Respect the Work-Life Balance

Technology has changed the workplace in many ways over the past few decades. While an employee may be reachable at all times, remember that they are a human with a life to live.

In order to maximize the productivity and contentment levels of your staff, respect their downtime. A healthy work-life balance is essential for everyone.

Try not to make your team feel obligated to work 24/7. This could lead to unhappy, overworked workers and lower productivity. Kind in mind that your team members have a life outside of work that’s important to them.

If they don’t feel fulfilled, they’ll be time clock-watching and that’s never a good thing. It can lead to too much downtime or even human errors. Discover more about streamlining your time clock process.

7. Don’t Live in a Bubble

It can be nice to live in a little cocoon of ignorance. That is until it starts to burst at the seams.

If you’re not hearing feedback from your staff, it could be that you’re doing everything right and there are no concerns.

It’s also possible that you’re not fostering an environment that allows your staff to share their ideas with you. The good news is the truth will always reveal itself.

So, if you’re living in a blissful bubble, it may soon pop.

It’s better to take the steps toward creating a more trusting environment. This ensures that your team is comfortable speaking openly about their ideas.

Building Trust with Your Staff

If you are in a management position, it’s your responsibility to work with your employees. Don’t work against them.

Although the tensions between the staff and executives is a given, there are steps you can take to mitigate this. In order to be a better boss, you need to be able to treat your staff with dignity and respect.

Although the conversations can be difficult, it will pay off in the end to keep an open ear and mind. If you can cultivate trust, the fruits will be sweet!

Remember, it’s okay to need help. If you’re interested in finding out more ways to improve your business, check out our blog.