It ALMOST goes without saying - a company is only as good as its employees. We want to make sure to say it anyway, and maybe in multiple ways even, because it is so important. Business owners across the nation know that hiring great employees can be really tough. It takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. But hiring is only a small part of the battle. Keeping employees happy and productive over the long haul is an even more challenging endeavor.
Let’s talk about 3 key strategies that will keep your staff happy, healthy, and on your team.
1. Invest in training
Training key positions effectively should be a high priority.
As an example, when materials are delivered, it is critical that your receiving team knows how to spot problems and address them quickly. If materials that are damaged or the wrong size are accepted at delivery, the cost to replace them could fall on you instead of the distributor. Expensive mistakes like that can be avoided when employees are adequately trained and know what to watch out for.
When your employees have these additional resources and specialized training at their fingertips, they naturally feel more competent in their jobs and perform better too. These types of investments are not only good for your company but also for the morale of your employees.
Since some of your staff has to deal with inclement weather, it is particularly important that they are trained to deal with the wet, cold, and potentially icy conditions in a safe manner. Safety should be your biggest priority. It is the most powerful ways to ensure that your team is healthy and productive. Read our recent blog on improving the safety of your employees.
2. Keep the lines of communication open
Management often gets so tied up in the everyday happenings of the company that they fail to share important information with employees. Your employees need to be informed about new products that are in the pipeline for the future, challenges that the company might be facing and other similar news that will likely directly affect them and their jobs. Take steps to make sure your crew is in the loop.
3. Listen to your employees
Providing information only improves communication to a point - you also need to consider the information your employees can provide.
Your employees are out there in the thick of it every day. They know which ideas are working to make their jobs easier and which ones are making it difficult to keep up.
Engaging in regular conversations about those methods and techniques that are working well for your employees – while closely examining those that don't – adds to their job satisfaction. Implementing changes based on their observations will likely lead to a rise in production as well as increased happiness.
At Boyd Metals, we have made changes to help our team in a few specific areas:
- Scrutinize your paperwork. Does it ask the right questions? Is your team spending time finding information that doesn't make a real impact? Streamlining this part of your process can resolve a lot of frustration help your team to be productive.
- Make sure your team has the information they use most often at their fingertips.
For our team, we created the Pipe Size Guide and Decimal to Fraction Conversion Charts. - Minimize the effort needed to complete simple-repeat tasks. A few radios in the receiving bay can save a lot of transit time when someone needs to talk to someone who is on the other side of the building.
Providing your employees with a sense of ownership in your company in the way of really listening to them and valuing them sends a clear message. They are important to you and the health of your business.
Looking for more ways to improve your management techniques or boost your team's morale? Check out the rest of our blogs and consider subscribing to stay up-to-date with the latest article from Boyd Metals. Thanks for reading!
