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Research indicates that employee engagement and a positive view of co-workers and supervisors is critical for productive, high-quality work results. It also indicates that the workplace is changing: The things that drove positivity in employee relationships a decade ago are less effective today.

Here are five best practices for nurturing positive employee relationships in 2018 and beyond.

Give employees access to decision-makers.

Executives and CEOs who hide in their offices lose an extraordinary opportunity to boost employee positivity while also gathering key information about day to day company operations. Instead, try stepping out to join employees for breakfast or lunch. Doing so encourages open communication and demonstrates that leadership cares about workers.

Offer multiple opportunities for training and development.

Schools have differentiated instruction for years, which means that today’s workforce expects that training and development will be available in multiple formats. By differentiating options, companies give workers the chance to choose the paths that best fit their own learning styles. Employees both see that the company cares about their learning and retain more information, making them better at their jobs – which provides its own positivity boost.

Brand with benefits.

A job is a job is a job…unless you say otherwise. Talk to team members about the benefits they find most meaningful, then use these as the cornerstone of your employment branding. For instance, focusing on a company’s in-house gym or outstanding health insurance communicates that the company cares about employee well-being, which can boost positivity in both day to day work and in recruiting.

Create feedback channels that encourage honesty without anonymity.

If you only get honest responses through anonymous feedback, your company’s communication channels might be killing positivity. Instead, focus on creating a system that employees can trust to deliver thoughtful and meaningful responses to feedback, even when that feedback is critical and has a particular person’s name attached.

Build a system for resolving conflicts and HR issues.

When employees have a conflict, where can they go? Who can they talk do? What are the steps for conflict resolution, and are they carried out consistently in a way that produces meaningful resolution? Creating and using such a system provides employees with a sense of security: Even when conflicts arise, they can be addressed fairly and thoughtfully.

At SMR Group Ltd, we focus on connecting biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies with the best sales and marketing talent available, so that you can focus on nurturing the positive relationships necessary for long-term growth. To learn more, contact us today.


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