Take Care of Staff at your Tech Start-Up in Four Simple Steps
Taking care of staff is more important than any other part of running a start-up. If staff don’t enjoy working for you, don’t trust you or your company; or feel they would be better treated elsewhere, they will waste no time in leaving. This would be terrible for your outlay on recruitment, your reputation, and your valuable time.
Why Staff Welfare Is Important
There is an almost endless list of reasons why staff welfare is important; with the primary aspect being the happiness and health of your staff. What many might not be aware of, however, is that improving the welfare of your staff is also vitally important from a financial point of view: a happier workforce and a team with fewer staff turnovers will work more efficiently and productively together, saving you money on recruitment and having to defend yourself against any accusations of low working standards.
How is this possible, and why is it especially necessary, in a tech start-up? To begin with, start-ups generally have less money and fewer dedicated welfare team members to help produce contented staff; so putting the effort into yourself as the business owner is much more important. Secondly, as your start-up is dealing with tech, welfare might come less naturally. Staff members work long hours in front of computer screens, often sat down for long periods; and can be mistreated by clients who are frustrated at their malfunctioning IT systems.
Have Open Communication Lines
One simple and easy method to improve staff welfare at your company is to have open communication lines between you and your staff. Make them feel at ease and comfortable speaking to you – listen more than you speak during these meetings – and take any concerns they have very seriously. Showing that you care and proving that you will do something about their issues will work wonders for team morale.
Have Anonymous Reporting Systems
It may seem like an old or outdated system, but as recently as 2021, Forbes wrote of the importance of having an anonymous employee feedback program. Anonymity allows employees to be open and tell the truth about more sensitive subject matters; as well as encouraging them to give constructive criticisms without fear of punishment. These are important components of staff welfare.
Ensure All Equipment Is Safe
Health and safety are the foundations of staff welfare. Working in tech means working with computers, digital systems, and even large pieces of machinery. Ensure that all equipment is safe as per the Machine Safety Standards and always hire quality when it comes to health and safety officers or external safety contractors. Go direct to a manufacturer for repair parts if anything is damaged – for instance, visit fluentconveyors.com for replacement conveyor belts to ensure the highest quality replacement is found and guarantee staff members are safe at work.
Treat Staff as You Would Wish to Be Treated
Finally, use this as the underpinning for everything that you do as the head of a start-up business. No manager should ever treat staff in a way that they would not want to be treated themselves but remember that your method of working does not always match that of your employees. Speak to staff and find out what type of management they respond best to and try hard to adapt to it.
