Editor’s Note: Here at Dispatches, we are always looking for ways to help our readers do things. For some of our readers, that means helping navigate the working world, for others, it means assisting in the ever challenging question,“what’s for dinner?” For still others, it means figuring out how to balance family life with everything else. In an effort to aid in all of these endeavors, we have collaborated on this article written specifically for our readers.
You may only have one part-time employee, but even part-time employees have expectations.
Security
The economy can be a fickle thing. One minute, your services as an employee are in demand. The next, things have moved on, and they’re surplus to requirement. Unless you’ve got a job in the public sector, nobody expects to have the same job for life. With that said, it’s no fun working knowing the guillotine could come down at any moment. It’s hardly the sort of environment conducive to doing a good job. There seems no point working your socks off if you’re in for the chop anyway. Thus, the best employers give their employees a sense of security in the office and are transparent about the viability and longevity plans.
A Place To Relax or take a brain break
Many modern offices come equipped with perks from shower pods to at least a coffee machine. But even if you don’t plan to invest in a nap pod for your home office, consider finding a way to take a brain break and encourage your employees to do the same. According to science, places for relaxation and taking a break is essential to happiness and well-being.
Coaching
We’ve all known those managers who want to control every little decision a worker makes. It’s suffocating, and it makes doing your job almost impossible. That’s not to say, however, that employees don’t need help from time to time. There’s an important distinction here between micromanaging and coaching. Micromanaging is where you just tell somebody else what to do at every stage, and it’s exhausting for both parties. Coaching is where you give an employee the capacity to make their own decisions and solve their own problems. Remember you hired this person to do a job and you thought this person was the best of all the applicants. Give the employee space and freedom to do the job. If they need help, they’ll ask for it. If not, they’re happy to get on with their job.
A Personal Life
Bosses (particularly entrepreneurs) and employees fundamentally differ in their attitude to work. Employees view work as something you do to pay the bills and support your family. Entrepreneurs often see the job they created as a way of life. Employees don’t want to be up all hours working on projects. They want to be at home, with their families, enjoying movie nights. Give yourself permission to take time for a personal life and of course give your employees the same opportunities.
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