How do you know if you are a good employer? What qualities demonstrate this?

Employers all have their own leadership styles but only some work. It can be difficult to know whether your employees consider you to be a good leader unless you ask them which is not always comfortable to do, for either side. If you have these qualities then it’s a positive sign that you are doing well so far…

Honesty

One reason why employees leave their jobs is due to feeling undervalued. By being honest with your employees, you are building a rapport with them and demonstrating that you value them. This also creates more of a community and positive atmosphere in the workplace.

Leadership style

A leader should be able to take control of situations appropriately while respecting their team. Include your employees in decisions and take their ideas into consideration. While there will be times when the employer will need to take charge, it is important that for the most part, that you guide your employees in a respectful manner.

Trust your team

An employer should trust their team to do the role that they were hired to do. Where they feel any guidance is needed, they should provide that but avoid taking too much control. An employer being unnecessarily overbearing can undermine the employee and make them feel incompetent and stressed. Therefore, they are more likely to leave the workplace in the near future.

Empathy

While employees are there to do a job, it is important to remember that they are individuals outside of work. Ensuring that you are able to recognise when an employees behaviour changes is a key skill to have. Let them know that you are willing to talk and listen if they need it. While you should keep your professionalism, it is important to ensure your employees well-being. Not only is it the correct and kind thing to do, you will find that employees respond positively to this and work more efficiently when they are content.

Provide opportunities

Employers want to retain a good employee and aside from the above, providing opportunities for the employee to excel is a great way to do so. Employees often leave their job if they feel that there is little or no room for progression. Speak with your employees about their goals and aspirations and make a plan with them on how they can get achieve this in the business. This helps you retain good employees as well as showing them that they are a valued part of the team.

Monitoring progress

Have meetings with your employee where you discuss their recent work and ask how they feel in the role so far. See if there is anything you feel that they can improve on as well as what you, as the employer, can do to assist them if they are struggling with anything. Be sure to reward great work to encourage them and demonstrate that the business cares and appreciates their hard work. For anything that you feel they should improve on, give guidance on how to do so in a way which is constructive and helpful rather than negative and critical.