Your employees are the backbone of your company- it might have been you who came up with the idea for your business but they are the ones that make it run. It’s every entrepreneurs plan to eventually run their business from the top and reap the rewards of profits without piles of work on their desk each day- but to reach this stage you need the right people. You need staff that are hardworking, reliable and care about the success of your business- but to get that you need to treat them right. Here’s how to go about it.

Offer good rates of pay and employee benefits

As a business owner, you will be looking to keep costs down as much as possible. However, one place where it really makes no sense to make cutbacks is with your employees wages. If you pay minimum wage then likely you will receive a minimum wage effort. Instead, it’s much more fair to pay based on experience. Offer good employee benefits too such as medical, dental, retirement or disability plans. These things can help your workers feel secure in their role, and not want to simply jump ship and go and work for one of your competitors instead. When an employee understands and appreciates their role, what they’re being paid and what they could lose then they will work harder for your business.

Improve your office space

As humans we’re hugely influenced by our surroundings, and in the workplace especially environment plays a huge role. A space that feels dark, dingy and unwelcoming can lower mood and therefore productivity. You don’t need to spend thousands on a luxury office with floor to ceiling windows, however you should be making the most of what you do have and can afford. Give everywhere a fresh coat of paint, a light shade will help the light to bounce around and it will feel more airy and spacious. Improve the lighting, not only should you be making the most of the natural light (which is a mood booster) with the layout and window treatments you choose, but you should also ensure everywhere is well lit. Daylight bulbs are preferable to things like overly harsh fluorescents which can cause eye strain or migraine. Invest in decent office furniture, and new computers which are fast and reliable. When your staff have a good office space to work from, mood will be improved and therefore productivity.

Make sure they feel heard

Being an overly tough boss won’t help at all when it comes to running a business. Research has shown that all this does is increase employee stress. Instead you need to be approachable, if an issue comes up they need to be able to speak to you and resolve things. Otherwise, resentment for you and your company could grow resulting in reduced workflow and a high staff turnover rate. Whether there’s a problem within the business that’s not obvious to you (as is often the case when you’re running things from the top) or cases of workplace bullying are occuring, the quicker you’re told the quicker you can put things right.