Implementing the right strategy for your company may seem like a challenging task. There are seemingly endless ways to improve your corporate culture, so how can you determine which is right for you? Figuring out where to prioritize this development can also be confusing, so it’s no wonder that this critical step ends up at the bottom of your to-do list.
Company leaders are always pressed for time, so there is usually a bias toward short-term gains over the long-term benefits. Think about it. Is it better to sacrifice the needs of your workers in the long term? The people of your company are your great assets, and you should also give priority for their personal and professional growth. Here are five ways to increase your employee’s loyalty, engagement and performance in the long term.
1. Professional Training
When you have new employees at your company, training is required to get them off their feet and ready to go. Ongoing training for your current employees is often overlooked. Who can blame you, they’ve already got the tools they needed when they were first hired. For example, if your accountant would like to get a CPA license, you should encourage him. Let him know that you support his decision and would like to give him some paid time for learning. Besides, you can pay for a preparation course but use these promo-codes to save some money.
Don’t just leave your employees wondering how to best work for you. Instead, have a qualified training network that specializes in the subject. It’s not a good idea to have your other employees train new employees because often their bad habits will pass on. If you have an exclusive employee to look after training, this is less likely to happen.
2. Coaching and Mentoring
Simply telling your employees what to do doesn’t cut it anymore. In the present corporate culture, no one likes to be micromanaged in any way. A better approach is to lead your employees in the right direction by coaching and mentoring them. Instead of saying “Do this task this specific way”, ask your employees questions like:
- What’s an action you can take next week, month, year to improve your performance?
- What do you want to learn, and how do you think this will improve your skills?
- What are the obstacles you’re facing, and how can we help you?
If the company leaders take steps to improve the relationship with each individual employee, this will reflect in their working style and productivity. Your employee will reflect on their work, instead of feeling as if they’re in trouble for doing something wrong. Everyone makes mistakes; it’s part of learning.
3. Cross-Departmental Training
Think of your business like an ecosystem. Each part functions together as a whole to create a harmonious nature. However, if some part of the ecosystem is lacking, it could create a dog-eat-dog mentality. If an employee feels like they’re getting the short end of the stick, rivalries will form among employees.
Cross-departmental training doesn’t mean your employee will make a shift necessarily, but it can help them know what happens in different departments. This allows them to understand the impact each team makes so that they can appreciate everyone’s efforts.
4. Soft Skills Development
In many corporate environments, soft skills often take a backseat. This is unfortunate because soft skills like emotional intelligence, self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and social skills play an essential role in the work environment. This is especially true when the employees are in leadership positions, like a manager or team lead.
You need not have someone on staff to develop these skills. Instead, you can bring an outside expert or trainer to teach your team about soft skills and communication skills. A team that likes each other is more likely to get things done, than a team that is constantly at odds.
5. Personal Development
Your employees are human beings first and workers second. If you wish for them to evolve into a well-balanced employee, you need to focus on them as individual talents, rather than a collective whole.
Emotional growth, intellectual growth, and your employee’s overall physical health will certainly influence how they function at work. Make sure that your employees can take off the work if needed, and that seminars that don’t specifically focus on work-related topics are included.
For example, a seminar that focuses on their personal finances, relationships, or their achievements can go a long way in helping the morale of your company. The same may apply to books. You can help your employees by recommending them to read a particular book or a story of successful people. On Foundr, you can find a compilation of business books that the most successful entrepreneurs out there read. Usually, such books are motivational and will help your employees to grow personally and professionally.