photo credit: Pardesi*
Being an employee, whether it is for a small company or a large one, can be stressful at times, especially in today’s economy with record high lay offs and unemployment. An employee often feels uncomfortable at work around their higher up co-workers and boss, wondering what they can say and not say, what they can do and not do. As the boss, it is your responsibility to break up this silence and tension between employees to make for a better work environment. Try these ideas to help break up your work silence, posted recently on Entrepreneur.com.
- Always start with reviewing the problem and whether it is just with a few employees or if it is a cultural problem. If there are several employees who’s income is the only income in their household, then it may just be a cultural problem. Knowing the severity of it will make it easier for you to address.
- Encourage your employees to give input on new ideas, office politics, equipment, customers and more. Reward the employees somehow with something small to show you appreciate their great input and welcome it.
- Make sure your company has a feeling of community amongst it’s employees. People will feel better and work better when they have the feeling that EVERYONE is in it together.
Finally, don’t lose confidence in employees who seem to be holding back lately. They’re still very smart, talented employees–the economy just has them running scared. Let your team know that it’s okay to stop running, sit down and put their thoughts on the table.