The Importance Of Protecting Your Employees

The greatest asset any successful business has is its people.

You might have the greatest product idea that man has ever known, but if you, or your team, do not have the skills and knowledge to properly produce it, market it, and sell it, then you will not be successful. That’s why it’s vital to protect the health and well-being of your employees as best you can. If you don’t you will find that your business suffers. You will have high turnover, less productivity, and a much tougher time reaching your goals.

Benefits of Protecting Your Staff

Protecting your staff in various ways can have many benefits to your business. While it might not be obvious, they will definitely show up on your balance sheets. Here are some of the top ones. 

Productivity

Employees that feel happy and safe are more productive than those who do not. Stress is not conducive to productivity in the long-term. The pressure of deadlines may help push people to get work done, but on a day-to-day basis, those who are happy and feel like their employer cares for them will be more likely to do the work they need to do well, and do it efficiently. Not only that, but a happy employee is more likely to be patient and treat customers with respect, which will also help your business. 

Less Turnover

High turnover can have an incredible cost on your business. Recruiting and hiring require a significant investment in time and money. Plus, you then have to pay for training and orientation. Any connections that past employees have had with clients or suppliers are severed, and you will have to work hard to rebuild them. Then you have to do it all over again when another employee leaves. Having consistent staff with minimal turnover allows you to maintain your productivity and build strong and lasting connections and networks. When you have a revolving door, you will be playing catch-up so much that you will have a hard time focusing on growing your business. 

Better Work

While of course working is very much about getting a paycheck to put food on the table. However, many workers want more out of their working experience. Feeling like part of a team and having an employer that has their back will make them work harder and be more committed. You cannot put a price on a team that feels safe and wants to give back to their employer any way they can. 

How to Protect Your Employees

There are several things you can do to protect your employees and make them feel safe in their working environments. Here are some of the most important. 

Workers’ Compensation Coverage

Physical safety is important, but so is peace of mind and financial protection. Your employees put themselves at risk every day just by coming to work. Sure, some workplaces are more dangerous than others, but even being in an office environment carries risk. Someone could trip on a torn carpet or wet floor, or they could cause damage to their bodies by sitting in awkward positions at a desk. Your workers comp insurance cost is well worth ifor your employees to know that they are protected should they get injured or sick and are unable to work for an extended period of time. 

Training and Awareness

If you have a typically more dangerous workplace, such as a factory, warehouse, or construction, then you probably already conduct regular safety training and reviews. If you don’t, you need to start now. To make your employees feel more protected, be proactive about safety. Work to identify risks before you get a complaint or worse, someone gets hurt. Your employees will appreciate that you are looking out for them and that you have given them the heads up on an unsafe situation. Plus, people forget. If they don’t perform a certain task often, then they may not remember the hazards involved. Regular training and awareness drives will help to keep everyone safe at all times. 

Culture of Health and Wellness

Your employees spend more of their waking lives working for you. They are in your offices or toiling away on a warehouse floor. You can do whatever you can to promote health and wellness amongst your staff. Not only will you help them lead healthier lives, but you will also help yourself. The healthier your staff is, the fewer days you will lose to illness. One of the best things you can do is offer gym memberships as a benefit of employment, or have equipment located right on site for staff to use. Many workplaces will hold healthy eating and weight-loss challenges as well to keep people thinking about their health. 

Communicate With Your Staff

Protecting your employees isn’t just about their physical wellness. It’s about mental wellness as well. If your employees do not feel appreciated and safe, then it can seriously affect mental health. Make sure that you communicate in person with all of your staff on a regular basis. Check-in on them, offer encouragement and praise, and treat everyone respectfully. You do not want your staff to dread coming to work or be scared of what you think of their performance. With regular communication, they will know at all times what you expect, and they will feel safe to come to you with any issues or problems. 

Protecting your employees can mean many things. It means that they can feel safe knowing that their bodies and minds are being protected as best as possible by their employer. It also means that they can rest their heads at night knowing that their financial needs will be taken care of if they get sick or injured while working for you. As an employer, the benefits that you can get from making your employees feel safe stretch well beyond what you will see in your revenues and costs. The fact is, we all spend more time at work than at home and awake. Why not make it as pleasant and safe as we possibly can for everyone?