Do You Know What Your Employees are Thinking?

I ask this question all the time.  Do you really know what your employees are thinking?  I’m always surprised at the answer.  Many bosses will say yes, but when I ask them to tell me what they know…they can’t seem to put it into words.  Do you ever just take the time to listen to your employees?   Ask them questions and then listen to their response. Care about their response?  Write down their concerns?  And even their answer to how they would fix certain problems.

Employees are what keeps your business going.  If you have bad employees, you won’t have customers long.  If you have employes that aren’t happy, then that ‘mood’ will spill over on your customers.

Take time to listen…really listen.  You might be surprised at what you find out about your employees, your management teams, your customers and your company.

Ask some questions…let your employees answer anonymously.  Find out:

1. What they like about their job
2. What they like least about their job
3. What they hope to do or achieve in the next 5 years
4. What do they see as the problems in your company
5. What do they see as the positive areas in your company
6. Do they have any suggestions for improvement

It is never too late to do this.  Just make sure the employee doesn’t feel threatened that they will lose their jobs for responding.  Let them know you really want to know.

If you have a small company, take some time to just visit with your employees.  An informal coffee and dessert can be all it takes to start improving on what your employees think are wrong which in turn will improve your company and customer relations.