9 Staples of a Good Boss

There are plenty of things that’ll influence the overall success or failure of a business, and not all of them are obvious. For example, many employers overlook the fact their leadership skills can have a big impact on the direction of the company. If they’re on point, then the future will be bright. If they’re not, then it’s likely that the best employees will look for a new job — and that can seriously derail progress, not to mention have a negative impact on revenue since replacing employees can be expensive. 

So how can you ensure that your employees want to stay with you? It’s all about being a good boss. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some key characteristics of a good employer. If you take all of these on board, then your staff won’t have much reason to look elsewhere!

Treating Employees as Humans

Employers hire staff to do a job. However, it’s not as if they are the job. They’re real human beings, and employers forget that at their peril. It’s easy to fall into the trap of viewing your team as numbers or functions, but that approach will always cause you problems. Above everything else, remember that they’re real people and that they’ll have more going on in their life beyond their work. 

They Pay Well

Good bosses pay well. Bad bosses try to pay as little as possible. It’s as simple as that! There are plenty of ways that you can — and should — reward your employees, but you shouldn’t do so in place of a good wage. First and foremost, that’s what your staff is there for. It’s a good idea to give annual pay increases in line with inflation (or even beyond), which will show that you care about your team’s financial stability. 

They Invest in Their Employees’ Career

The best employers want their employees to succeed across the board. That means beyond doing their work for the employer. This is something that employees recognize, too — indeed, believing that their bosses care about their professional development is one of the key things that employees look for. There are many ways you can invest in your employees’ careers, including sending them on training courses, paying for them to attend talks, providing the option to progress within the company, and so on. 

Flexible Working Conditions 

The pandemic showed us that in the vast majority of cases, employees don’t need to be in the office, at least not all the time. Since the pandemic has ended, the positive bosses have allowed their employees to continue choosing when and where they work (with the exception of possibly a couple of mandatory days in the office). The ones that didn’t let this continue have shown themselves to be more interested in controlling their employees than anything else. Great bosses trust their employees. Poor bosses view their employees with skepticism. 

Workplace Safety

What is an employer’s first duty to their staff? It’s not wages, promotions, or anything like that. It’s safety. Above everything else, your team should always be safe when they come to work. A good boss will go above and beyond to ensure that no one is hurt or injured on the job. Of course, accidents will always happen, but those incidents should be kept to an absolute minimum. How you increase the safety credentials of your workplace will depend on what type of place it is. If it’s a factory, this may involve investing in safety valves or improving the tidiness of the work area. If it’s an office, you may hire an external safety consultant to assess risks since they’re harder to identify when there’s no obvious threat, as is often the case in offices. 

Celebrating Achievements

Employers are usually happy to tell an employee when they haven’t done too well. And that’s fine — constructive feedback is very much needed! However, it’s also important that employers celebrate their employees’ good work as and when there’s a reason to. Employees are working for the company for a paycheck, yes, but they’ll also want to get good feedback when it’s merited! 

Bonuses and Surprises

All employers should pay their staff well. But they should also offer extra bonuses and surprises from time to time, too. After all, who doesn’t love getting a nice benefit out of nowhere? Some ideas include Christmas gifts, massages and other wellness surprises, financial bonuses, or group trips out. A person wouldn’t necessarily be a bad boss if they didn’t do these things, but they probably wouldn’t end up in the ‘great boss hall of fame.’

Consistent Mood

If there’s one thing that can help to create an unwelcome, negative work environment, it’s a boss with an inconsistent mood. Employees need to know that they don’t have to second guess what type of mood their employer will be in when they walk through the door. Many bosses feel they can get away with the occasional bad temper if they’re pleasant the rest of the time, but that’s not the case — employees remember the moody moments more than the good times! If you find that you struggle with consistency, look at trying meditation or other activities that can help to regulate your mood. 

Understanding of Needs 

Finally, a great boss will understand that employees will have emergencies that require time off on occasion. A boss’s first commitment is usually to their company, but an employee’s primary commitment is to their family, friends, and themselves. If there’s something happening with any of those things that require attention, then a good boss will ensure they have all the time and space they need to get things right. If they don’t do that, then it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if the employee looks for another job!

Conclusion

Good bosses tend to lead good, profitable companies. After all, the key to success is stability, and a good boss usually doesn’t receive too many resignation letters. If you’re ready to step up, be sure to take the above tips on board.