As we enter the new year, it’s time to reevaluate company operations and implement new techniques to create a healthier work environment that encourages productivity and ensures success in the coming year. Listed below are six resolutions for employers to fulfill this year.
Evaluate the Previous Year
Every year is full of changes. Look back at how your company evolved over the past year and determine what changes worked for you and what didn’t. How did your new hires perform? Did your internship program live up to expectations? Did your team hit your goals? The new year is a perfect time for reflection. Listen to your employees by sending out surveys to hear what they think the company should work on in the future.
Update Your Policies and Goals
Your company’s policies and procedures should continuously change as your business does. Annually reviewing these company documents ensures that you’re following regulations and staying up to date with best practices. Then create a new list of achievable goals for the following year. Actively choose to increase your diversity hiring efforts by expanding your geographic and university preferences and marketing your diversity initiatives. Consider creating additional ERG (employee resource groups) to serve the evolving needs and interests of your workforce.
Create a Plan to Reach New Goals
If you’ve created goals that are specific, measurable, and actionable, creating a plan to achieve them shouldn’t be overly complicated. One tactic is to craft smaller goals that navigate you closer to achieving your main goal. Once you hit those milestones, you’ll know you’re on the right track. If you miss those milestones, then you’ll need to go back and readjust your procedures. It’s important to know what actionable steps you can take to reach your goals, then incorporate those steps into your daily schedule to help you prioritize this plan each and every day.
Promote Professional Development
Implement new professional development efforts for your current employees and interns. Get to know their professional goals and career outlook to understand how to empower them to become better employees. Investing in your team shows them you care about their growth and success. Employers can do this by implementing regular reviews, recognizing accomplishments, starting a mentoring program, or introducing employees to outside courses.
Create a More Communicative Environment
In order to have a workplace that promotes open and honest communication, your employees need to trust you and know that you value their input. This starts with you. Stay in direct communication with them and always keep them up to date. Then set up weekly or monthly one-on-ones, administer annual surveys, and truly listen to what they’re telling you. Employers should maintain consistent expectations, provide feedback, and praise outstanding work.
Promote a Healthy Work/Life Balance
Many people were forced to work from home in recent years. For a lot of employees, the line between work and personal life slowly started to blur. Help your employees establish a clear line by offering work flexibility, focusing on productivity rather than hours, regularly reviewing workloads and productivity levels, and encouraging mental health days (or use of PTO time for recharging).
Need help reaching your goals or sticking to your resolutions? We’d love to chat and share what other employers are doing. Contact us today.