Do you actually know your employees? We\u2019re not talking about their names and their work responsibilities. Do you actually know who they are outside of work? Do you know what they care about, what their hobbies are, what keeps them up at night, and what they do when they\u2019re not in the office?<\/p>\n
The truth for the vast majority of employers is that no, they don\u2019t know this information and all too many don\u2019t really care. While separating work from personal life is an admirable goal, taking the time to actually get to know your employees can greatly improve relations in the office and improve productivity overall. Learn how to encourage positive workplace relations<\/a>, and the important effects it will have on your overall work environment, culture, and productivity.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an old adage that a group who plays together, stays together. While we\u2019re not suggesting you start having mandatory business outings every week, the basic idea holds true. Stress is the number one killer of smooth operations and productivity in every workplace. The better employees know each other, the lower stress tends to be.<\/p>\n Personal connections are what form relationships, and relationships are the key to any healthy group dynamic. In many ways a business is an extended family unit where people have to work as partners and get each other\u2019s backs. When they don\u2019t actually know each other, they tend to make things up \u2014 and in general, the things they make up are usually based on negative perceptions more than positive ones.<\/p>\n Getting to know your staff can be a tricky prospect, there\u2019s no doubt. You don\u2019t want to simply roll up and start grilling them for information, but there are team building exercises<\/a> you can do that can help.<\/p>\n The next time you have a staff meeting, for example, start by having everyone re-introduce themselves to each other, and share three things in the process:<\/p>\nReducing Stress in the Workplace<\/h2>\n
Getting to Know Your Employees<\/h2>\n