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8 THINGS EMPLOYEES LOOK FOR IN THEIR EMPLOYERS

by Josh Biggs in Tips on 23rd April 2020

Employers constantly emphasize employee requirements and expectations. Unfortunately, not nearly the same emphasis is put on an employer’s commitment to his or her employees.

We’re not even talking about paychecks or traditional benefits here — just various attributes and options that employees want to see from their employers.

If you’re looking to get a leg up on your competitors and build a culture that allows you to attract top talent to your organization, here are eight things you’re going to want to provide!

1. Flexibility

Without the internet being popularized or without the technology to allow people to work remotely, there are few duties that could have been performed outside an office or facility environment 30 – 40 years ago.

Today, however, so many tools exist to help employees reach peak productivity while working from home. While you, as an employer, might not see the benefit of giving employees the option to work from home, consider the following:

  • Working from home might allow parents to be present for their younger children
  • Working from home might allow employees to better nurse an injury or treat an illness
  • Working from home might give employees a much-needed break from mundane office routine

Similarly, employers or team leaders who want employees to eat, breathe, and sleep work aren’t likely to hang on to their employees for very long. Work-life balance is important to today’s workers.

Not to mention, it actually increases productivity at work! One study shows that companies start to see diminishing returns after 49 hours worked (per week).

2. Understanding

Emergencies happen. Mistakes happen. While employees don’t expect their bosses to let failure go unaddressed, they do expect a level of understanding — particularly when it comes to issues that are largely outside their control.

Take, for example, a death in the family, a DMV visit, or a doctor’s appointment. The last thing employees want is for their job security to feel jeopardized because of these things, or for employers to grow disgruntled or frustrated by an absence.

3. Respect

It should go without saying that talking badly about employees, belittling them, or downplaying their abilities or achievements is one of the quickest ways to get them to move on.

Be careful when talking to or about your employees. This includes conversations with other staff members. Remember, things spread quickly within a close-knit office environment.

4. Recognition

Even if it’s not financially viable for you to be handing out pay increases every few months, there are plenty of ways to recognize employees for their hard work and achievements.

Personal reviews, team meetings, company dinners, and social events all go a long way in rewarding great performance and motivating team members to keep working hard.

5. Trust

Employees don’t want employers always looking over their shoulder. Don’t assume that this is because an employee is doing poor work, but rather, because it points to a lack of trust on behalf of the employer.

When employees don’t feel as though they are being trusted to perform, they grow increasingly unhappy in their work environments.

Not to mention, performance is impacted. One study found that people at high-trust companies experienced 50% higher productivity and 106% more energy at work.

6. Communication

It’s never wise to keep your employees in the dark. Even when all of the information isn’t yet available to you or if you’re not certain of a specific outcome, it’s still important to provide frequent updates on circumstances.

Springing new information on workers with little notice may not seem like much of a big deal to you; but in the employee’s mind, it speaks to a lack of concern for how it may impact him or her.

Plus, with so many different methods of communication available, there is really no reason why you can’t be in touch with your team whenever you need to be!

7. Goals

Employers aren’t the only ones who are invested in their companies.

Think about all of the time that employees invest — whether it’s all of the work that is put in during office hours, or the moments in the early mornings or late evenings when they put in extra time or communicate with fellow team members.

Employees want to know that this investment is yielding returns — not only in individual accomplishments but also company growth and success.

Of course, this is largely measured in setting clear goals, achieving them, and then reporting those successes to all stakeholders. So, make sure you emphasize goals on all levels — individual, team, and company-wide.

8. Opportunities

On more of an individual level, employees want to see their own career paths develop as a result of partnering long-term with a company. These opportunities can range from training to education to job advancements and more.

What’s more is that these types of opportunities actually pay dividends in the long run. Especially if an employee sticks with your company for a significant period, you’re going to benefit from all of the employee’s additional training, work experience, and advancements within your organization!

Categories: Tips

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