Why invest in your employees in the new year
Nearly 85% of workers are unhappy at work.
Unhappiness often leads to reduced productivity, increased absences and less staff retention. The most common cause of unhappiness is a lack of the use of best practices in the workplace, causing employees to become resentful and disengaged.
As we approach the new year, it’s the perfect opportunity to make employee engagement your top resolution. Each new year brings with it new learning and development trends. One of the key trends for 2021 is investing more in employees. But what exactly does that mean and why should you invest in your employees in the new year?
Investing in communication and transparency
In a collaborative environment, communication and transparency is vital to keep your employees inspired. More than that though, it’s critical for providing your staff with the tools they need to do their job effectively. If you don’t share data, plans or concerns with your employees, they can’t do their job well. Communication and transparency means that your employees can make the best choices for their area of responsibility.
Investing in training and development
There will always be a reason for staff training and professional development to be pushed to the bottom of the to do list. But with rapid changes in the workplace, the shelf-life of skills is on a diminishing scale. The need for ongoing learning and development is greater than at any previous point in history. Moreover, staff that feel the company they work for are invested in their careers tend to remain longer and work harder.
Investing in trust
A popular error many leaders make is micromanaging. It’s demoralising and counter-intuitive as the impulse to control generates more issues. The problem is though, most micromanagers don’t even know they’re micromanaging. To uncover if you’re a micromanager or not, ask yourself if you trust your staff. If the answer is no, and as a result you always ‘check in’ on employees, then you might be a micromanager. Learn to let go and trust your people. You never know, they might surprise you.
Investing in time
As a leader, there are many demands on your time. Sometimes it’s hard to know which fire is the biggest and should be put out first. With so much going on it’s difficult to take the time to invest in others. Nevertheless, this is an important detail that you shouldn’t neglect. Investing time in employees may seem less important than some of the other things. But it is imperative to staff satisfaction, and the payoff will be well worth it.
Getting through the day is the main aim of most employees, along with taking home their pay. Both employees and employers suffer when employee ambitions don’t evolve beyond these two objectives.
If you focus on employee growth and development, you show you care about their careers and want them to have a future on your team. This, in turn, helps employees to see their jobs as more than just a steady pay cheque, but a place for growth.
Enhance your professional development and computer skills with courses at Odyssey Training. Odyssey Training delivers short courses for frontline staff and is dedicated to providing you with the skills you need to enhance your competitiveness.