6 Things to Do to Win The Hearts of Your Employees

To stay ahead, businesses need to adopt an employee-centric approach to talent management. 

In my early days at ProofHub, I’ve had that feeling of being a ‘bad manager’.

I was disturbed by the unusual state of self-doubt — “Am I falling into the category of doing things that describes a bad manager?”

Are you one of those bad manager we all dread?

“Yes”, I hear you say.

While they head out of the office, they talk about you in the windowless basement of the building. You sit back in your cabin, and it’s common your team will gossip. Your team is not as engaged as they should be. If these are the common signs - you might be becoming a bad manager.

Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me. — Michael Scott, The Office

I know it happens everywhere. But as a manager, you’re responsible to keep your team in good spirits. You’d want to see your employees thrive. You’d probably want to become a manager your people love! And as employees, they’d want to be guided and trusted. It’s a must.

But how do you do that? There are a few things you should do to bring joy to your workers whether they are working from home or in the office. Here are six steps that should help you win the heart of your employees. 

1. Make Their Day Brighter & Productive

It’s a bad sign if your employees are going through dull days. They’ll definitely be happy with you if you’re not encouraging their happiness. That’s how things work out here at ProofHub. At ProofHub, our top priority is to have an amazing culture so the people are grateful to be working here. It not only makes them love coming to work every day but also make them love us (managers) more.

2. Cut off Drama

Of course, nobody wants to be called a “drama king or queen”. A bad manager will always be dramatic, trying to show control on all of the team. You’re not doing your job right if your team sways from one crisis to another. Choose a no-drama approach for your people.

3. Acknowledge Positive Work

Positivity breeds productivity. Being a smart manager, you know you need to see the positives in your team and their work. Don’t be one of those who always seem to point out why the ideas are not working, who only sees what’s missing rather than what’s been accomplished. Let them know the positive things you notice and acknowledge the good work they do.

4. Treat Employees Equally

Employees hate being treated unfairly. They’ll hate you if you ask them to juggle multiple responsibilities under extreme time and work pressure. The best managers value their employees as individuals. Don’t exploit them to work on weekends or more than normal 8 hours until it’s really urgent. Measure results instead of time.

5. Understand The Uniqueness of Your Workers

Every employee has a unique style of working. They have different needs and value different things. When employees feel aligned with the mission, vision, and values of the company, they’ll work with more enthusiasm. Make them realize without them your company would be worse off. You understand them they’ll understand you.

6. Provide Creative Perks For Your Employees

Give away perks! Inexpensive ones are good to go if given away smartly. Give them something they feel would be helpful to them. It won’t take your large budget but just a little creativity like on-site perks, travel perks, fitness and health, entertainment perks and so on. Such perks promote a sense of loyalty and attachment. You’ll probably have a super happy workforce loving you at the most.

Net-net, I believe this list is by no means exhaustive. It will take you to where you want to go. Good things come to those who do their bid! All the best for your journey!