There’s often a rift that develops between management and employees that can be difficult to rectify.

Often, it’s up to the manager or business owner to take the first steps in building a rapport with his or her subordinates.

6 ways to build positive relationships with your employees

While some people are naturally gifted with leadership skills, others may need guidance for where to begin.

Be courteous

It is important to be courteous to show your employees you respect them.

However, this is also a way to instill better behavior among your employees. If they see that you’re making the effort to respect them, they’re more likely to treat each other with more respect.

Using words like “please” and “thank you” may seem like unnecessary niceties when you’re the boss, but that’s when those gestures mean the most.

Learn personal details

Your employees will assume they’re just a number to you.

A body to perform tasks in your business. By showing them that they mean more to you than that, they’re more likely to become personally invested in the success of the business.

They’ll also feel more valued as a member of a team.

It can be as simple as learning the names of your employees and their interests.

Make yourself available

This doesn’t mean you should be catering to the whims of your employees.

However, you should be making regular appearances. Let your employees know your door is open if they need your input.

Even taking the time to make an appearance at events can help your employees feel like they’re part of a larger family.

Planning getaways and corporate events can help your employees feel like they know you better as well.

Tour the business and speak with your employees to get a better handle on the day-to-day operations.

You’ll be able to evaluate employee performances more accurately and identify problems with efficiency.

Offer feedback

Another way to build a strong rapport with your employees is by offering feedback on their job performance.

Even if you already perform quarterly evaluations, a word of encouragement here and there can still do wonders.

In addition to building a better bridge between management and your employees, it will also boost overall morale.

Your employees will feel valued in their positions, which means they’ll strive to improve their performance and efficiency will ultimately receive a boost.

Try to lead instead of merely supervising

By getting down in the trenches with your subordinates, you can foster greater respect from your employees.

Often, workers feel that their supervisors don’t really understand the complexities of their day to day tasks.

By taking the time to occasionally participate, or even by just asking questions, you can show your employees that you do have an interest and understanding of their duties.

Abide by your own rules

From getting to work on time to wearing protective equipment on the production floor, you can set the atmosphere in the workplace and show that no one is exempt from the rules.

You’ll earn greater respect from your employees, when they see that you will abide by the same requirements that you have placed on them.

This will help to build more trust among your subordinates, because they’ll see that you don’t set yourself to a higher standard.

Additionally, this will make it a little easier to discipline employees for breaking the rules. If management obeys the same rules, that negates any excuses they may have for breaking the rules themselves.

Afterword

It becomes easier to communicate with employees when you have a strong relationship with them.

This takes time and effort on your part, but in the long run, it will be worth it.

By working to make employees feel valued and respected, you can ensure they’ll become more invested in doing their jobs.

In the end, happy employees means greater efficiency and productivity.

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