“Roast pork and vegetables” said Heather, “curry chicken and rice” chirped Ken after a moment’s thought, “chicken wraps and salad” Katrina stated, whilst Michele greeted me with “leftover pulled pork” from her daughter’s wedding party she hosted…. these were answers to my “good morning, what did you have for dinner?” greeting to each team member. This has become part of my day and I find puts a bit of personalisation and team bonding to the mundane “good morning”…. and hey, I have also been getting some great dinner ideas and inspiration!

Richard Branson once famously said, “Take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your business”. Put simply, the key to engaging your customers is to engage your workforce.

Employees are often the most valuable and crucial element to your business, so need to be looked after and not taken for granted. Employees can be hard to find, costly and time consuming to train and difficult to retain.

The pandemic has seen many people re-evaluate their life and work choices. Many are now working more hours from home, spending more time with their family, and avoiding the daily commute. Health has never been so high on many people’s priorities; this includes in the workplace. As the labour market tightens, people pay more attention to their ideas about what could be, alternative ways of working and better jobs they could find. So, as an employer, it will be critical to keep abreast of workplace experiments so as to not be left behind.

The below is by all means not an all-inclusive list of points for employers to consider, but as a start:

• Provide a safe and clean workplace
• Communicate and encourage employees to talk
• Support career growth
• Recognise hard work
• Offer competitive benefits
• Arrange social events
• Demonstrate your trust
• Offer your help and assistance
• Be transparent
• Get to know your employees
• Pay fairly
• Stand by your employees

Employees are unique, but it is imperative to bond with them and have them on your side. For some it will be about career growth or flexibility while for others it may be a simple as asking, “what did you have for dinner last night”?

If you have any questions about how you could improve your relationship with your team, give us a shout out, we’re here to help you grow your business.