Create a “Work” Family in a “Happy Home”

It’s true for many of us that we often spend more time with our employees and co-workers than we do at home. When things are happy at home, we can often concentrate harder at work and vice versa! Am I right?

One of the biggest aspects I always convey to my team is that, we are, in fact, a family. I refer to my employees as my family because there are several very important aspects to the dynamics of a family that we experience. In order to work to the best of our ability we must have strong communication and openness in our workplace, especially on the hard days. These are some of the most important tools that I have found work in building a happy home and work environment for employees:

Be a mentor. In order for your employees to be successful you must teach them what is expected in their given roles. Especially with entry-level employees, you do not want to through them into the fire and hope for the best. By mentoring them, helping them prioritize their work, help them hone their written and organizational skills, you will create very successful workers. They will appreciate the effort you put in to help them

Give Your Team A Way to Shine. It is important to make your employees feel like they have a purpose. By giving employees the spotlight to shine and show their specialties, they will be grateful for the responsibility. With these special projects, they will go above and beyond to show their talent.

Encourage Open Communication. This is one of the most important aspects of creating a successful work environment and a healthy home. You always want your team to feel if they have a problem they can address it without ridicule. By creating an environment in which each member feels their opinion matters, you will create a team that can collaborate and brainstorm together.

Always Keep Your Team Updated. I know I used to hate it when my parents would spring last minute plans on me or keep me out of the loop when it came to family vacation planning. I felt the same when I used to feel my bosses never cared about my opinion. For those reasons, I feel it’s important to always keep your team involved when it comes to making plans. Also, keep your team updated with what’s happening with potential leads and upcoming events. This will keep the team excited and eager to work

Give Praise. Always remember to give appreciation when it is needed. Remind your team of how grateful you are to have them and be sure they know their hard work is being noticed. Positivity creates more trust between you and your team. It also creates more enthusiasm for dealing with the day-to-day stuff that isn’t always fun.

by  Nicole Rodrigues
Photo by iofoto | Shutterstock