4 Ways You Should Care for Employees Within a Small Business

January 28 2020 - No matter the size of your business, all employees should be cared for. However, within small businesses, there are different ways you can do this, compared to the higher pressures of full scale companies with a stricter way of doing things.

If you're looking for simple ways the employees within your small business can feel more cared for, let the following 4 points help you.

1. Give Feedback and Praise

If you have a small business with a very small team of employees, you're more likely to have stronger relationships formed within the team, compared to a very large company with several departments which may lose communication between people somewhere along the line. It's very important to maintain these relationships within a small team, because it can be much easier for an employee to take it to heart if they haven't received a one-to-one feedback review or been praised - especially if the manager is seated in the same room or close by.

Be sure to implement regular reviews and praise hard work. Especially because small teams often have everybody chipping in and contributing outside their specific job role, praise should be issued when earned.

2. Provide Adequate Training

Proper training is essential in any sized business, but when you have fewer team members within a small business, the right training is even more imperative, as you may need each individual team member to be sufficiently skilled without the opportunity to train more than one person in a specific area.

Don't neglect any training needs your business has, whether it's first aid training, management training or job-specific training, such as confined space training. First Your team members should have the opportunity to constantly develop, and be trained for any health and safety requirements.

3. Be Flexible

The perks of working within a small business mean you can be more flexible with your working schedule. Employees will react more positively if you offer flexitime, or at the very least flexibility with any personal appointments they might have, such as the doctors or the dentist. You may even want to encourage remote or home working on certain days of the week, which can boost employee productivity and eliminate any excess commuting or office utility bills.

4. Make the Workspace More Comfortable

Small businesses might not have a huge budget to spend on furnishing a workplace, but it does mean you don't have to worry about fitting out a large team of people. It means you can make better investments for the specific needs of your team members when you have a small workforce. Health and safety is a must for work equipment, such as supportive chairs and a properly set up desk. As small businesses can oftentimes have a more relaxed atmosphere, you have more freedom to make the working space more comfortable for everybody, and ask for direct input and feedback.

When you are running a small business with a smaller team, it's essential to make sure the team feels properly cared for. Not only for health and safety and legal reasons, but for workplace dedication and for a team who are less likely to seek new employment because they don't feel adequately looked after.

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