Listening and Communication
This is a two-way street between yourself and your staff. Everyone needs to be able to listen and communicate in equal measure.
Whether you’re in a meeting, at desks, or talking to clients, both you and your employees should always have an ear out for each other.
And expectations around communication should be set from the get-go. What do employees need to report on a regular basis? And if something hasn’t gone quite to plan, when do they need to let you know?
Make sure everyone is aware of the best platform to use as well, to keep messages as central and easily accessible as possible.
Being Paid on Time
It’s one of the most basic things you can do, as the business owner, to make sure your employees feel respected.
Being paid on time really isn’t a difficult thing to expect, but it’s one many bosses fail to meet, whether someone is on the payroll or working on a freelance contract.
Always make sure you have proper payroll control within the workplace, and if there’s no one managing it right now, look into payroll services that could do it for you.
With the right team and software in place, your staff will be paid on time, every time, and that will set the bar for a healthy working relationship.
Not Overstepping Boundaries
This can be as simple as shutting the door to your office and, in doing so, asking your staff to knock before coming in. But sometimes, respecting boundaries takes a bit more mindfulness.
For example, if you need to talk to an employee but they’re off the clock, you’ll need to accept that there’s a boundary there. If they’re not at work, they cannot work.
It’s a good rule of life to avoid ‘shop talk’ outside of work hours – and some people take this very seriously. If you overstep the mark here, expect your employees to do less than their best work for you.
The basics of a respectful employer/employee relationship are really this simple. However, it’s still easy to get things wrong – even if you don’t mean to. Be aware of how you listen and communicate, look out for boundaries, and pay on time.