The office is a very special place for you. It’s a physical manifestation of all your hard work. When you see your employees working, it’s like your guarantee that your business is moving. It’s a happy scenario.
But let’s face the fact that the office might not be viewed the same way by all your employees. It may be a place that they see as very stressful, or worse, a traumatic place. They have their own reasons for thinking that way – financial woes or family problems maybe, but we sure don’t want their work to be the cause of their agony. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to make the workplace productive and healthy at all times. Don’t freak out. You’re not going to be an instant guidance counselor. You just need to assume more humane roles aside from being the boss.
Be a listener- Sometimes, there’s a tendency that you do all the talking, and you decide based on your own perspective. This is not healthy for the office nor for your employees. They might feel less valued, or they might lose their confidence in their ideas or in themselves. You should be a listener to them. You hired them because of their competencies, so you might as well hear out their thoughts on business matters. When you listen to them, they become more engaged to their work and treat the business as their own.
Be a teacher- You shouldn’t only be there as a supervisor who scolds at them every time they do something wrong. Otherwise, they’d fear you. This feeling can develop other negative feelings towards you. Instead, be there to coach them. Point out their mistakes objectively. Make them feel that you’re training them. How? You should give them constructive criticisms, not attacking them personally, but aiming to develop better employees in them.
Be a fun boss- Things don’t always have to be so serious in the office. There should be a room for a little fun. Hold employee gatherings once in a while. Or, you can simply engage in light conversations with them. Laugh with them. If there’s an opportunity, joke around with them. I don’t mean that you go to work one day with frying pans on your head. When doing all these, there still has to be that image of authority that you need to project. We just want to have that light and fun feeling in the workplace.