Congratulations on your newly opened business. Making it to that point is an exceptional achievement, given all the challenges and hard work that must come with opening a business. Your doors have now opened to the public, but it doesn’t mean the effort ends there. There’s now one facet you have to work on: staff relations.
You see, the success and efficiency of your business’s daily operations also highly depend on your staff. Because your business is just starting, expect your staff to adjust with each other. It’s up to you, as their boss, to make way for activities and strategies to help foster better staff relations. Those can range from tried-and-tested techniques and even new and out-of-this-world, unusual indoor team-building activities.
To help you get started, this article gives you four straightforward ideas on how you can foster strong staff relations right from the outset.
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Encourage Staff Members To Interact With Each Other
Your first few weeks of operation are crucial, so you must be present almost daily to supervise your staff. A part of that supervision should include encouraging your staff to interact with each other.
Set this tone from the beginning such that your staff doesn’t feel shy about sharing their ideas with coworkers. Make it a non-judgment workplace, so there isn’t any animosity between your staff. The more people talk, the more comfortable they become with each other. Give your staff space to work with each other, and frequently intervene only in situations when you see conflict brewing up.
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Increase Positive Feedback Vs. Negative Feedback
Those first few days of your new business are a time for learning and transition. Mistakes are bound to happen, given how every staff member is still getting the ropes of your business.
With that, you may want to increase positive feedback versus the negative feedback you’ll be giving. No staff is perfect, but if you see anything negative, be as constructive as possible. Remember that your staff members are also still adjusting. If you bombard them with more negative feedback than positive, they may be terrified to report to work more than they are excited.
Henceforth, it helps to be generous with positive feedback during those first days of operation. Even a simple appreciation for a job done well can significantly motivate your staff members to keep going.
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Foster Communication
Businesses today have the advantage of access to technology. Make the most of it and use it for your business by having a unified communication channel for all staff members.
The best way to do this is to choose an app or software every staff member should download. Then, create a group chat with your team members. Use that group chat to send announcements, reminders, or even to have important discussions. That way, no single staff member will feel left out.
Like in any organization, communication is essential to your business. You can’t forego this; otherwise, you’ll see the dire results of your business suffering the impact of miscommunication.
Along this line, be conscious of the messages and reminders you send on your group chat. If such is for a specific team member, message them privately instead of bringing up your concern on your group chat. With this, the particular team member concerned won’t feel shy or conscious that their attention has been called, with everyone else being aware of the matter.
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Avoid Micromanaging
Micromanaging is the enemy of almost every staff member. Because your business is still in its infancy of operations, you’re expected to be checking up on your employees often. You may be physically present on most days to help guide your entire team.
However, as you do that, be sure not to cross the line of micromanagement. No one wants to feel like they’re being micromanaged, which sends the message that they may not be trustworthy. Give your whole team room to grow on their own, as doing so will also foster independence, critical thinking, and even good management skills.
If you micromanage your team, chances are their employee morale will suffer. This can cause a big blow in their staff relations as well. It can be like a domino effect wherein one disgruntled team member lashes out on another, and the next thing you know, there’s so much chaos in your newly established team.
The Bottom Line
Employee relations refer to the interaction between every member of your staff. Don’t be too hard on them. Your business has just gotten off the floor, so you have to give your staff that adjustment period to get to know each other. As the business owner, you have a big role in fostering good professional relations among your staff members, starting with taking a proactive approach. Consider applying the tried-and-tested strategies above to help your business be on a good start.