An Open Letter

Dear Bosses:

I am going to just jump right in and get to the soul of why I am writing you all.

I challenge you ALL to really get to know your employees. Genuinely be interested in them. Teach them, guide them, help them and nurture them into better employees, better people, and better professionals. Listen to their suggestions, trust their judgement and ideas, encourage their development and implementation of strategy, and most of all, appreciate their efforts. Show them they are valued, recognize their hard work, and let others know you have the best staff working for you.

Create a work environment that people will WANT to come to every day. Create an atmosphere that encourages a pleasant demeanor when your employees get home to their families after work. Be lenient, because if they are getting their work done, meeting deadlines, and driving results, then what is the harm if they work from home one day, or take a 2 hour lunch, or want to get some air? And for the love of all things good, let them laugh! Let them socialize! Let them ENJOY their time under your watch. Trust me, when you feel like you aren't allowed to laugh, or talk, or even appear as if you are having fun, it makes for a very long and exhausting work day.

Treat your employees with the same respect you would want. You are the leader. You are the role model. You are setting the example. Just remember that when they start mirroring nasty facial expressions, bad attitudes, and a cold demeanor. Take them to lunch, throw a random surprise party for no reason. Have a "bring your family for lunch" day. Pull pranks, tell jokes, leave small gag gifts on random people's desk. Encourage workplace morale. Hell, a simple handwritten card saying "thank you for being you" means more than you'll ever realize.

Be stern, but understanding. Be frank, but kind. Have boundaries, but let everyone know your door is always open. Touch base with your employees on a personal level. When you ask them how they are doing, mean it! When you ask if there is anything you can do for them, follow through! If their is a family emergency, it is not an inconvenience. It is not the time to make your employee feel bad about having to leave. Demand them to go because family comes first. Step up and fill in as needed. Call after hours to see if everything is okay with that employee's family. BE A HUMAN.

Challenge them to be better. Take them seriously. BELIEVE IN THEM! You are a team. No one is benched. Every player has a part, and every part is important enough to be valued.

Face confrontation in the workplace with poise, never avoid it. If there is tension in the workplace, don't just hope it blows over. Face it, fix it, then follow up to make sure your employees feel it has been fixed as well. Don't wait until the last minute to deliver bad news. Reassure your team that you are there for them. Watch you body language, for it speaks the loudest. Know your limits and practice tolerance.

Bottom line: make them want to stick around. Make them want to go above and beyond. Make them feel the sky is the limit. Make sure they are proud of their accomplishments, it will motivate them to maximize productivity. TAKE CARE OF THEM. After all, without your employees, you would fail. They keep you afloat, so busting their balloons will bring you down, too.

You were once there. It is your job to show them that it just keeps getting better.

Sincerely,
Beth