Plain and Simple: Bright Business Insights Summer 2017 | Page 3

BUSINESSES THRIVE WHEN EMPLOYEES THRIVE How to Create a Positive Work Environment If you want to build a high-quality business, you need to employ high-quality people. After all, without a team of all- star employees, your business would be hard-pressed to sustain itself and add value to your customer. But creating a thriving work environment can be challenging, particularly if you don’t fully understand what it is that motivates your employees to succeed in the first place. Here is a list of ways you can help facilitate a positive work environment in your company. Embrace Change Your employees are always changing. After all, that’s what people do. Circumstances create opportunities for growth, and your most valuable employees will embrace these changes as they present themselves. Rather than suppressing growth or throwing obstacles in the way of personal and professional advancement, create an environment in which your employees feel supported, and you will be handsomely rewarded through increased engagement, improved retention and greater commitment to your company and brand. Broaden Horizons Your employees have a lot of really great interests and talents that can be utilized in many different ways throughout the business. To maximize their strengths, encourage a culture where questions are celebrated and curiosity is rewarded. Not only will embracing this stance promote the continued professional growth of your employees, it helps facilitate greater understanding of how their work impacts the business as a whole. This understanding can result in better efficiency and greater cooperation throughout your organization. Encourage Growth If you really want to move the needle in your business, don’t set your company’s goals and objectives at the top and expect your employees fall in line. Instead, get your team involved in the goal-setting process early on. Encourage them to make their own goals and to come to the table with their own ideas for by: Dustin Raber CPA, CMP, Principal 545 N. Market St. Wooster, OH 44691 [phone] [email protected] driving results. When you include your employees in the goal- setting exercise, you are sure to receive greater buy-in which, in turn, will help you finish your year out strong. Maximize Value Your employees are worth much more than the dollars and cents they saved or earned over a period of time. Stop looking at your employees as line items on your budget sheet and begin to realize the true value they bring in all aspects of the business. Happy employees are more willing to stay with the employer that views them as more than a number on a spreadsheet. They are more likely to go above and beyond the call of duty without being prompted and they are more apt to deliver excellent customer service, take fewer sick days and be more engaged in the work when they are on the clock. All of these are vital qualities to running a successful business, even though the return on investment may be a little harder to calculate. Need help avoiding the hurdles that are preventing you from having a thriving business? Give me a call to talk about how you might go about improving your business’s existing culture.