Why Start-ups Needs to Ensure Employee Satisfaction

I would say that many start-ups fail because the boss doesn’t ensure his employees’ satisfaction. I can understand why, as you’ve got a lot of plates in the air and meetings to go to, and excel sheets to sort, and papers to file, and recruitment to do, and sales to get, and the list goes on. In my mind, keeping your employees satisfied is the most important thing. There’s a saying I heard once: keep your employees happy and they’ll keep your clients happy. There is nothing more company destroying than unengaged staff who have the power to drag your company down to the ground and grind the rubble of your shattered dreams to dust. Time to do something about it.

Firm but Fair

I can guarantee that the teachers you remember at school were the ones that knew how to have a laugh and a joke but were ready to slam the hammer down as soon as the line was crossed. These people make for the best teachers and as it turns out the best bosses. A boss that’s too friendly doesn’t command respect and can’t get their staff to get the work done, but one who is too harsh and plays by the rule book to the letter just demotivates people and collects more resignation letters than a philatelist collects stamps.

Consistency and Equality            

From my own personal experience, there is nothing worse than a boss that isn’t consistent. One minute they will let a minor slip up go with a chuckle and the next minute you’re getting brought in for a verbal warning. It makes staff uneasy and tense and can cause people to look for greener pastures. I understand, however, that personal issues can affect the way you treat your staff, but you have to try and keep work separate from your personal life. You might be going through an awful divorce, well then just get yourself down to LawTrek or some other local law firm and sort the problem out. Or maybe your kid has started shoplifting; it doesn’t mean you can suspend a member of staff over a minor infraction. You get the point. Get it sorted so you can get back to running your company and making you and your employees money.

Equality is connected to consistency. I’ve been in a situation before where I will have constantly suggested a better process in the workplace for it to be ignored time and again and then for someone else more respected to suggest the exact same thing and for it to be celebrated and taken on board. It’s one of the most soul destroying things to happen in the workplace. Don’t be a boss that does it.

Rewards

One of the worse mistakes a boss can make is to think that the employees’ salary is a reward for work. The salary is why they come to work because they need to buy food and shelter. As a boss you need to provide as many incentives as you think is fair: nights out to a fancy restaurant or a day of team building at a paintball arena. It gives staff something to look forward to means they are more likely to stick around through loyalty to you and not because you’re providing a pay cheque each month. This way your company will go to strength to strength and the bank will be happier every time you swing through the doors.