It only follows that when your employees aren’t engaged and productive, all of the above falls apart. If you want your employees to do their best for your business, you have to treat them with the utmost respect, care, and authenticity.

Businesses are dependent on employees for success

A business can’t live up to its potential without dedicated, high-performing employees. As mentioned above, they have a hand in everything a company does, from creating products and services to caring for customers to turning a consistent profit.

When a business doesn’t have solid workers to lean on, it hurts the entire operation. Results are slow if there are any at all. The workflow has holes. The company lacks a positive culture that fosters growth.

The bottom line is that your business needs its employees to thrive.

How to treat your employees better

Because your business’s success relies on your employees, you need to treat them well and ensure they feel valued and appreciated daily. Here’s how to recognise your employees positively — starting from the moment they’re hired onto the team.

Create a supportive onboarding process

Creating a supportive onboarding process is an excellent first step in treating your employees better. Employees may leave a company prematurely because they didn’t get the support they needed during their early days of employment. If you can onboard employees in a way that leaves them feeling like they matter and have everything they need to succeed, they’re more likely to do well and forge a long-lasting relationship with your company.

Create a comprehensive onboarding process for new hires. Help them absorb the company culture, learn about your business’s history, and connect with everyone in your organisation. Your onboarding process should also provide the training and guidance a new hire would need to perform well in their role. If you truly care about your employees, show them from day one.

Prioritise training and development

One of the best ways to treat your employees better is to prioritise training and development — that way, they have the skills they need to continually improve in their roles and take proper care of your customers. Further, when you demonstrate that you’re willing to invest in employees' continual growth, they become even more dedicated to excelling within your company.

Move your employees' training up on your priority list. Employees who don’t feel purpose in their work may feel compelled to leave. No matter how long someone has been with your company, they should be involved in an ongoing training and development program. There are always ways to identify a toxic work environment and turn it around.

For example, you could provide job-specific online and in-person training courses that help employees develop skills essential to their position. You could also help employees find more meaning in their work by giving them additional responsibilities in an area they’re interested in.

Furthermore, assist your employees in growing their soft skills. Get them trained to work with varying personalities, find their voice, and communicate effectively. Your employees will appreciate how you genuinely care about their personal and professional growth when you prioritise training and development opportunities.

Pay a thriving wage

This one may seem obvious, but it’s worth hammering home. Your employees will feel better about where they stand with your company when you’re willing to pay them more than what’s fair. They’ll be more committed to their roles, too.

Pay your employees handsomely whenever possible. Their compensation should be enough to live comfortably rather than simply survive.

Also, it’s important not to attach overwhelming responsibility to this thriving wage. Instead, define reasonable duties for each employee so that they are paid well and can enjoy that pay outside of work. This will also help ensure that personal financial stress isn’t a contributor to any unhappiness or poor performance at work.

Allow flexible schedules

A huge part of treating your employees better is learning to trust them. Instead of micromanaging their every move and making everyone adhere to a 9-to-5 schedule, give your employees the space to choose a working arrangement that supports who they are and what they need to have a healthy work-life balance.

Offer various flexible scheduling options. For instance, you could offer remote, in-office, and hybrid schedules and allow your employees to adjust their schedules when needed. You could also allow employees to choose their hours and work responsibilities.

There are many ways that flexible work options can benefit both employees and their employees. Give your employees the freedom to choose how, when, and where they work, and their engagement and productivity will follow.

Offer extensive benefits

Employee benefits are incredibly important if you want your team to feel wholly supported and valued. Thank your employees for caring for you by giving them what they need to continue caring for themselves.

Consider going above and beyond with your benefits with the following:

  • Parental leave
  • Employee assistance programs
  • Access to free childcare
  • Stipends for work-related tools
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Free therapy and counselling
  • Paid time off for volunteer work
  • Mentorship opportunities
  • Free gym memberships and personal training
  • Access to a nutritionist
  • Employee resource groups.

Benefits beyond the basics are critical in your efforts to treat your employees better. Think creatively about what you can offer your workforce to enhance their well-being in and out of the office.

Your employees make everything in your business happen. You won’t have the level of success you want without them being happy, engaged, and productive. Treat them well, and they’re more likely to grow alongside your company in a healthy, efficient way.