The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make With Your Employees and How to Avoid Them

Employees are the heart and soul of your business. They work for you to grow your business, so you need to treat them fairly and with respect. Unfortunately, too many workplaces are not fair or nice to their employees and suffer from a high turnover and even legal issues.

Employees attend work for the majority of their life. They need to be able to show up at their place of work and know that they are going to be safe and secure, their well-being is going to be considered, and they are going to be fully equipped with the skills, knowledge and equipment to do their job to a high standard. If this is not the case, then you risk employees who:

• Are not happy and will make a complaint
• Risk being injured or hurt
• Have increased stress and mental health related struggles
• Will leave your business and give you a bad reputation
• Not be motivated to work productively for you or your business and therefore, decrease profits, customer satisfaction and employee morale

And much more.

Employees need to be looked after. You need to consider them as individuals and how you can grow them into passionate and committed individuals to work for your business. When your interests align, your business will grow to new heights.

While there are many things that you can do, there are also many things that you could be doing wrong. These are just as impactful, if not worse. They will not outweigh the good that you try to do. It is therefore important that you consider what mistakes you might be making, so you can rectify any issues and improve the way you treat your employees. This will help them stay motivated to work hard for you and ensure you have a strong team that will help your business grow.

To help you get started, here are some important business mistakes that you can make with your employees, and that you should avoid at all costs.

1 Not Training or Progressing Employees

A big mistake employers make is not taking an interest in their employees. You must consider all of your employees. If there are too many, then you delegate these tasks to their line manager. If your employees are happy and progressing, then so is your business. If they feel like you care, you value them and you want them to grow, you will see a huge difference in their performance. Employees need to know they are not in a dead-end job and instead, have a clear path of progression. Have a conversation with your employees to see what they enjoy doing, where their skills lie and what they want to learn. Make a plan of action to ensure they can progress in the direction they want, and one that works for your business. Whether employees want to progress in their careers or stick to their roles, you should train them regularly to help them improve different areas, whether it is safety, security, systems, morale, communication and more.

2 Not Paying Employees What They Are Worth

Pay is a really important part of what will keep employees with you and working hard. While money isn’t everything, your employees must be paid what they are worth. If you don’t, employees are not going to be happy or motivated to work hard. But it goes beyond that. Employees are there to grow your business, they are also there to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. Many will have commitments, financial needs and even a family to look after. They need to be paid fairly, and in line with the growing cost of living, or else they will have a lot of stress on their plate. They may then be more distracted at work, look for another job, or work a second job. Make sure you take care of your employees and pay them what they are worth. This will ensure they are motivated to work for you and to work hard, to produce high-quality work and grow your revenue. Remember you can also add benefits and packages to your employee’s salary, like bonuses, healthcare, childcare schemes, and more.

3 Giving Employees Too Many Responsibilities

While many employees are paid fairly for the job they are supposed to be doing, employers make the mistake of adding more responsibilities to their duties. This can be a tricky situation. There are occasions when this is good, as you give employees a little more to help them grow and progress, where their jobs will be reviewed and their pay will increase in line with this. Or they might just be temporarily helping out or doing volunteer work to learn a new skill. But it doesn’t always go this way. What tends to happen is that employees will take on more work than they have been asked to do, because companies don’t have the money or the time to hire someone new, or the process is delayed. Or, someone has left and no one has been rehired. This leaves employees unhappy and unmotivated, as well as increases stress and risk of mistake or injury. It is really important that extra duties are monitored carefully, and employees are only doing things they are okay doing, are within their capacity and what they will be paid for. Make sure their job role is clear, and any changes are reflected in their job title and pay.

4  Playing Favourites

Naturally, as a business owner, there will be people you get along with better than others. This is normal. However, as a business owner, playing and showing favourites is a huge mistake and can cost you some good employees. It is your responsibility to put any bias aside and treat your employees fairly and with respect. If you are friends with anyone, then keep it out of the workplace. Employees must see you as an authority figure and earn your respect, and vice versa. There needs to be cooperation, collaboration and communication that is consistent across your business. Try not to play favourites, as this can make employees feel uncomfortable and make them feel like things can be unfair, especially if there are bonuses or promotions involved.

5 Not Equipping Employees

A costly mistake businesses make is not equipping their employees correctly. This might be without the correct standard of PPE equipment, or even enough PPE equipment. It could also be the software that needs to be used, any hardware or tools and methods of communication. This could be a lack of these things or a lack of good quality equipment. Outdated, slow or broken equipment can be very costly for businesses. Not only will it slow down the rate your employees can work, but it can also increase errors, risks and frustrate your employees. Speak to your employees regularly to find out what is working, what is not and what they need to be able to do their jobs to a high standard. You can also consider what your competitors are doing, so you can ensure you are at the forefront of your industry when it comes to tools, resources, technology and equipment.

6 Not Giving Employees Breaks or Space Away From Their Workstation

It is a legal requirement that employees get a certain number of breaks in a working day. It is a big mistake, and against the law, to not provide these. You could go above and beyond and provide employees with more breaks, and even a break-out space. This might sound counterproductive at first, but it can help your employees work harder and more efficiently. When they can take themselves away from their desk or workstations, they can take a mental and physical break from their work and come back feeling refreshed. You can provide a dedicated area for them to relax, where they each have a staff locker, a place to eat their food and sit down.

7 Micromanaging Employees

Micromanaging employees is a very negative thing to do. While there may be employees who can benefit from different management styles, a more hands-on approach or more support, micromanaging isn’t the way to do this. Unfortunately, many business owners make the mistake of not being able to let go of control of their business and various activities. You must put your trust in the people that you have hired. Of course, closely work with them at first to train them in your ways and ensure they are doing the job correctly and to a high standard, but there comes a point where you need to step back and just be there for support when they need it. This can be hard to do at first, but it is very important that your employees feel trusted and valued.

There are many mistakes business owners make when it comes to their business. Follow this advice to avoid as many as you can, and create a great place to work and increase profits!