By Danielle Kane

Congratulations, business owner. You have successfully found and hired a team of smart and capable employees to help accomplish the organization’s goals. The team is working well – until one day, your top manager needs an unexpected couple of days off during a busy time when you and your other employees are counting on him.

Danielle Kane,

As a business owner, you can give him the days he needs to handle his personal situation, or you can deny that time off, somewhat justifiably, because the timing is bad. The choices are clear, but are the results?

Better Business Bureau Northwest and Pacific knows this is just one of many challenges business owners face when managing employees and trying to create a fair, comfortable company culture. But what’s critical to realize is this: the success of your business largely depends on the success of your employees. And for those employees to be successful, it is up to you and the structure you put in place to make them feel empowered and respected. Happy employees are productive employees and productive employees produce a higher quality of work.

Maybe you already understand that. However, it can be difficult to determine the steps to take to create this happy and industrious work force we’re talking about. The BBB recommends:

• Clearly outlining expectations. If an employee is working without clear boundaries or direction, it is easy to lose motivation. As a business owner, it’s important you spell out policies and procedures and provide guidance on daily duties.
• Giving praise. A compliment can go a long way at work by showing your employees they are valued and the work they are doing is appreciated.
• Keeping them involved. Giving employees a chance to have a say in workplace matters shows you know how to be equitable and listen to the opinions of others. When employees consistently feel decisions are made without them, and the outcome directly affects them, a sense of unfairness may start to simmer. Instead, create a culture of inclusion where employees work with you to contribute to goals.
• Being flexible. Life has unavoidable bumps in the road and your employees will inevitably experience them. Being flexible during these times shows your employees you understand and that you care. Be open to discussing changes in work schedules and time off when life’s speedbumps get in the way.

Another major part of fostering a successful company culture is being able to handle internal conflicts. While encouraging communication and participation within your work force are both highly important, issues will still arise. As a business owner, knowing how to resolve these conflicts will set the bar for how the business operates during times of struggle.

In a workplace, primary sources of conflict can include unclear job roles, inadequate training, lack of equal opportunities, personality clashes, unrealistic expectations or workloads and, of course, any kind of harassment.

While conflict may not always be avoidable, there are actionable solutions to reinstate tranquility:

• Identify the origin. Finding out more about the cause of the conflict between employees can help you find a solution. Use questions such as, “When did you first feel upset?” or “How did this incident begin?”
• Don’t escalate. When small conflicts turn into disruptive shouting matches, be mindful of how you react to outbursts. When employees threaten to leave the company or take something to court, it is best not to respond back with more anger and threats. Instead, go back to step one.
• Be a mediator. Invite both parties to provide their ideal solutions to the conflict. After listening, invite both to hear the other’s perspective and find middle ground.

All of these tactics serve the business as a whole by enabling you to cultivate a loyal work force. If you are able to earn trust and build loyalty, your team will reflect that by working hard and sticking with the organization through tough times.

So, what will you do about your manager who needs that time off? We can see from these tips that being understanding and flexible in giving this employee the time away he needs will generate a sense of fairness in the long run. Use the opportunity to foster team growth. In doing so, you lead by example, show other employees they are a valuable part of the team, too, and empower them to not only help, but excel.

For more information on business development, go to trust-bbb.org/torchtalk.

Danielle Kane is the Tri-City marketplace manager for the Better Business Bureau Northwest and Pacific.