Any good business owner knows that their team is their greatest asset. It’s not just due to the labor that they provide, but also the brains they bring as well. Aside from having good ideas of their own, they are also going to be closer to their work than you are so they are more likely to have more insight into it, including how it can be changed. To ensure that your team feels cared for and like they have an important place in your team, it’s important to make sure that they feel heard.
Here are some ways you can do that:
Have an open-door policy. An open-door policy is a very effective way of making sure that employees have the space they need to offer any feedback or seek any help. It’s a simple concept: it’s about making yourself available to them throughout the workday rather than just at specific times such as during meetings.
Of course, you may have your own boundaries to set, such as times you cannot be interrupted. But ways to better foster that open-door policy is to open the doors of communication yourself.
Check up on the office every now and then (without micromanaging) call in a team member who had an interesting point during a meeting to talk further on it, and make the offer known to your team that they can come to talk to you.
Implement tools to make giving feedback easier. Employees are often as comfortable at offering feedback as their last workplace has allowed them to be. Even with an open-door policy, don’t be surprised to find people hesitant to speak their minds fully.
Some of them may not know how to put their ideas into words just yet but still want the opportunity to be able to offer input on the course of the business. As such, surveying tools like conjoint analysis can offer them the ability to offer feedback in slightly more controlled ways. Rather than leaving a blank box for them to write their answers into in full, give them options to select from and the opportunity to expand on them, if they are comfortable.
Create the appropriate channels for addressing serious issues. When it comes to serious matters, such as accusations of inappropriate or illegal behavior in the office, you have to make sure that your team feels comfortable and safe in getting the help that they need and bringing attention to their concerns.
Employees can feel like they are taking a risk that could put their job or even sometimes their safety at risk. As such, it’s worth working with a team of HR consultants to set up a process by which your team can alert the appropriate people without feeling like they are putting themselves at risk.
Even if you’re not going to use every drop of feedback your team offers, giving them the chance to be heard is important. It’s just one of the ways you can nourish their mental health, so consider investing some time and care into it.
