Your most valuable asset is your people. In 2011, studies studies  showed that employees felt unvalued in their jobs. Another study from the Har Harvvar ard Business R d Business Review eview shows that 58% of employees trusted strangers more than their boss. What causes a lack of trust and value? According to this study, it is the perception that employers don't know how to show appreciation to their employees.

As a leader, it is your job to inspire your employees to do their best. You do this by building relationships with your employees and fostering an environment of value and trust.

Here is a list of 10 ways to show value and foster your relationships in the workplace.

Foster a Respectful Space

Here are some behaviours to ensure that your environment is one built on respect.

• Be polite and courteous

• Listen when people talk

• Do not insult or nitpick, point out positives

• Treat everyone the same

Cultivate a Safe Place

Here are some behaviours to help you in creating an environment allowing ownership of mistakes:

•Don’t publicly criticize

•Publicly praise

•Don’t punish where punishment is not due

Acknowledge the Milestones

Show you value your employees by acknowledging their milestones. 53% of employees in one study study  said they would stay longer at their jobs if they were shown appreciation. Celebrate your employees for both work and personal milestones, and they will feel valued and recognized. Have you considered what you will do for birthdays, work anni-versaries, holidays? Here are a couple of ideas to help think about your employees' success beyond the work they do.

Birthdays

How are you celebrating? At The Gift Designers, we celebrate with cake, a gift and a card to celebrate our teammates. 

Anniversaries

We like to celebrate work anniversaries here at The Gift Designers. With many employees, systems to organize the data will be bene cial. Look into automated programs that will send the gifts out or remind you of the upcoming anniversary.

Seasonal Gifting

Christmas is one of the most popular times of year to gift. However, don't forget about the other holidays that you can show your appreciation. Think about sending gifts during non-peak times as well to keep your employees feeling valued. Not every holiday, but times when it shows more thought.

Commit to Training

As Benjamin Franklin once said, "for the best return on your money, pour your purse into your head." It is more important to have the right people in the position than the right skills. People can learn skills, but a person's character is inherent.  Take time to foster the people who t your culture and invest in them. Benjamin Franklin also said, "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." Learning takes time, and people learn in di erent ways. Don't assume the level or quality of a person based on skill alone, but as questions and work with them. When you invest in people, you are investing in your company.

Keep Your Word

If you have issues with remembering or following through on promises, here are some tips to help:

• Acknowledge the commitment

• Write it down and set reminders for yourself

• Involve another nonbiased person to help keep you accountable

Create Collaboration

How can your team be set-up for success?

• Create space where people have the liberty to openly speak and communicate together

• Create an open-door policy where at certain times of the day employees are welcome to come and share with you their needs or ideas

• Allow for connections to be built outside of the o ce. Facilitate team building and connection

• Allow for brainstorming meetings where employees can contribute together

Listen to Your Staff

To be a good leader requires that you be able to listen. Listen to your employees when they talk to you. Are they bringing you some negative feedback? Complaints on behaviour in the o ce? Are they bringing ideas that could help? Whatever they are bringing to you, listen.

Don't Micromanage

Trust is key to building relationships. Not only do you want your employees to trust you, but you must also trust them. When you are a micromanager, you tell your employees that you don't trust their abilities. If you have sta ed your team well, you should not have to do their jobs for them. Continue to watch for ags that you are needed to step in, but don’t take over and do the job of others or watch over their shoulders. You have more important things to do and others who can do it. 

Show Value

As an employer, it is your job to ensure that your workers and their works are valued. Here are some ways you can show this appreciation:

• Say Thank You

• As simple as this is, it goes a long way

• Acknowledge them and credit them when a good idea or work was presented

• Implement a public praise area that allows everyone to see the praise

• Write them a note or email when they have pleased you

• Value the relationship first

Set Standards and Follow Them

Remember, you are the leader. A good leader is someone who can follow. Don’t set precedents for others and then not follow them yourself. People will follow a leader who is reliable and shows they are not above the rest. Set your employees up for success by building the foundations and following the standards you set.

If you have not adopted any practices within your business of this sort, not to worry. As long as you move forward with intentionality, take baby steps and you will gradually see positive change! We are excited for you, your business, and hope to partner with you in fostering relationships with your valued team members. 

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