5 ways to show your employees some R.E.S.P.E.C.T and boost staff satisfaction

A survey by the Society for Human Resource Management showed that almost three-quarters (72%) of employees rank “respectful treatment of all employees at all levels” to be the most important factor in staff satisfaction.

If you show your employees some respect, they are more likely to be motivated and productive, and in return, show you some respect.

Here are 5 ways to show your staff you respect them:

1. Listen to their ideas

Asking your employees’ opinions on work-related matters and how the business should be run shows that you respect and value their input. Plus you could end up with some really great ideas that improve your business. Why not have a suggestions box in a common area where staff can submit ideas? Or hold a regular meeting where people can voice their opinions?

2. Trust them to do their job

Respecting staff means trusting them  to do their job properly and not looking over their shoulder every few minutes. Give workers general goals to be achieved over a set period of time and then let them get on with the work, letting them know that you are there in the background, but only if they need support. Don’t be frightened to test workers’ abilities by giving them challenging projects to work on, it’s how you’ll see what they are capable of.

3. Empower staff

You should provide all employees with the tools, resources and training they need to do their job properly. You should also make it clear what career paths there are through your company and what staff have to do to progress to the next step.

4. Give feedback

Your employees will be keen to hear when they’ve done a good job. Make sure you acknowledge any achievements big or small, and let their colleagues know too. Seeing their co-workers earn praise can help inspire other workers to do a good job themselves. If you can reward staff with bonuses or treats that’s great, but a simple thank you goes a long way too.

5. Be supportive not scary

How you interact with your employees says a lot about whether you respect them or not, especially how you interact with them when things go wrong. If a member of staff makes a mistake, speak to them about it calmly and privately – you’re more likely to get to the bottom of what happened that way. Most importantly, don’t embarrass them in front of their colleagues or make them feel stupid. As Henry Ford said, “One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again."

This article was provided by Unum.