Many companies spend thousands on public advertisement, this is good as it raises product/service awareness and in turn profits. There is however a form of advertising ignored by companies, i.e. employee relations.
There is a saying “happy employees’ equals happy clients”, employees are your word of mouth, the face of your brand, and they are your customer relations. Should anyone visit your company not knowing anything about it, they will form reputation based on the services they get from your employees.
The law of reciprocity strongly applies in employee relations. If your staff is agitated and not happy about their work, that’s the service they’ll offer to clients.
Should they enjoy their workplace they will offer professional services. Because employees are clients that services clients, it’s wise to have continuous advertisement specifically dedicated to them.
Continuous employee relation programmes will guarantee you a buy-in from your staff. They will understand the role they play and have a positive impact on the company.
1. Communicate
Design a communications structure that defines the flow of communication. You need communication channels that are understood and accessible to all.
Channels like emails, meetings, newsletter, intranet, instant mEssaging etc. are ideal for employee communication.
Ensure that everybody is informed about the channels available and their functionality. Choose channels that are industry suitable, offer training where there is a need. Put utilisation guidelines in place to avoid misuse. For example meetings can be a platform to negotiate, whilst the noticeboards disseminates information.
When communicating be careful not to talk down, treat your employees as adults they are. Communicate with employees in ways they will understand, i.e. talk to doctors as doctors not engineers.
Don’t assume that the information is understood, test it. Should there be a need communicate information through different channels in ways suitable to that particular channels, use flyers, videos, podcasts etc. Your communications should be planned, timely and relevant.
2. Create good working atmosphere
This relates to both physical and emotional atmosphere. Have clean working space, and resources to perform work, i.e. internet, telephone-line, stationary, etc. Know the kind of people that work for you and the environment that maximises their productivity.
Corporate culture also plays a role in employee satisfaction. Create a friendly culture that induce productivity. Policies like communication, language, dress code, etc. have to be implemented. Happy employee identify with the company they work for.
3. Motivate
Time and again for various reasons your employees will feel demotivated. Whether it’s personal, office politics or burnout.
Demotivated employees normally under-perform compared to their usual performance.
It is your role to keep a good spirit and motivate them. You can send motivational email, video, personal message or verbally addressing them. Be sensitive and show understanding, offer assistance when possible.
4. Remunerate
Show your team that you appreciate their efforts, reward them with performance certificate, awards, corporate gifts, lunches, vacations etc. Communicate the selection criteria, so they know how to achieve rewards, who qualifies or not. Create categories suitable for your company.
5. Create personal, yet professional relationships
Did someone recently have a birthday, wedding, death in their family or are they celebrating religious ceremonies? Know such things and take part.
You don’t have to contribute financially, send massages personally signed by you or pay visits. Should you run to that employee on the corridor mention this or give gestures that you know and care about their situation. Your team will know that you don’t only care about their job performance but their wellbeing also.