Are you a needy employer?
I am. My employees rock. They are the heart and soul of our business. They work darn hard and as a former employee and now editor of a top business magazine once said to me, "if you work for Marketing Eye, you really work".
It's certainly no holiday. Clients are everything. This is drilled into every single person who works for Marketing Eye over and over again.
But today, I am once again reminded, that without the talents of the people who make up Marketing Eye, the business is nothing. It doesn't exist.
Employees are like having a relationship. They are fantastic when they are "on" and not so, when they are "off". They have needs, just like you or me. They want to be loved and appreciated and in return they will show you loyalty and respect.
They want you to be better than them at some things so they can look up to you, while they are happy to be better than you at what they do.
They hate it when you tell them that what they have done is not what you were wanting done, but who doesn't?
Most aspire to work, life balance but rarely reach it so its the employers job to work out how they can install this philosophy in their businesses.
Employees have the same ups and downs in their personal lives as their employers so sometimes they need some space, and other times, they want to celebrate just how good life really is.
Pay day is a day to be rejoiced, but don't forget to show them appreciation in their pay packets from time to time.
AND when you most need their support, if you voice it, they will give it to you.
IN RETURN, when they need you most, you need to be there for them too. Just like any relationship. It's a two-way street.
Tomorrow, if you have a spare hour, write an email to all of your staff and tell them just what they mean to you. How they make your life better and how together you can work on achieving their career goals.
5 Ways To Help Your Employees Be Less Stressed
If you are in professional services, then I am tipping that your job from time to time is quite stressful. How as a leader can you improve the office moral and your employees health, without sacrificing the business outcomes you are looking for? Or as an employee, how can you change what you do to improve your overall health and well being?
1. Take time out: That means that if you have an hour for lunch - take it! Make sure you leave the office and have some time to yourself. Sometimes by having an hour or half an hour to just breathe fresh air or walk in the park, you are allowing your body to change its deposition and open up to relaxation.
2. Drink lots of water: It's hard if you are like me and don't really like water, but I know that when I wake up in the morning and have a glass of water and then drink a litre or two during the day, my head is somewhat clear and I feel better.
3. Take up yoga in your lunch hour or if yoga isn't for you, go to the gym. A 40 minute workout or yoga session may be all you need to be revigorated for an afternoon of high performance.
4. Reads loads of books on how to change your life for the better.
5. Have fun, learn to laugh with your peers and appreciate the differences you have with people in the office as a positive influence in your life, or a way of better understanding them and what cards life may be throwing them right now. Share insights into how happiness is paramount to everyone's well being. Learn how to be happy and learn how to make others smile.
I am certainly no expert at providing the best environment for my team, but it is a work in progress and every day I learn something new about what I am doing wrong or what I am doing right. As long as you are trying to be a better employer or leader, your team will always cut you some slack. I know!
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comment ( 1 )
Anthony Calfapietra
14 Mar 2012Great to see an article like this.
ReplyVery much like Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Mellisssah you sound like a great employer and the way you treat your employees is great.