Professionals make the leap to become entrepreneurs for a host of reasons, and
dissatisfaction with former work environments probably ranks high on the list. In your pre-
entrepreneurial life, you may have often said to yourself, If I were in charge, I’d do things
differently. Well, now you are in charge. This is your business, and your employees. How can
you give your company the best chance at attracting and retaining satisfied employees? After
all, happy employees become part of your brand ambassadorship!

Here are a few ways to promote confidence and opportunity in your workplace:

Pay your employees fairly. It seems obvious, but it can sometimes be overlooked. Do your
homework on the ranges of compensation for your industry and locale. If you’re unsure
where to start, try sites like salary.com or O-net Online to gauge and plan the best use of your
payroll budget. You can also seek the help of a professional Human Resources consultant or
firm. Schedule periodic review and analysis of your compensation policy and adjust as
needed/desired.

Encourage success in your organization. Whenever possible, create promotional and
experiential opportunities for your employees. These opportunities won’t always involve an
increase in pay; they may include opportunities to learn new areas of the business, or the
chance to organize a committee, or lead a project. When positions do become available, try
your best to promote from within your organization. Invest time in creating career paths for
your employees, so they are striving towards their own success stories!

Value employee input. Not just value it personally. Make it abundantly clear, through
consistent communication and action, that your company values your associate’s input,
worth, and good wishes for the company. You won’t be able to implement every piece of input
or every idea; but let people know that you’re listening.

Build and maintain ample communication. Encourage a feeling of security and confidence in
your employees by keeping communication open and consistent. No one wants to feel as if
they’ve been set up for failure by being ill-informed. Create policies and best practices that
require clear communication throughout your business infrastructure, and encourage a
culture of networking among areas and employees.

Find and encourage training opportunities. At PBCi, one of our tenets is “Training is always an
investment”. Don’t overlook internal training opportunities, like shadowing or cross-training,
but be open to sending your employees to outside training as well. There are training
programs to literally fit any budget, so invest in your employees! Being well-informed and
prepared helps to build self-confidence and self-assurance. Also, ask your employees to share
feedback about the training they received to create valuable testimonials.

Promoting confidence and self-esteem in your employees carries mutual benefit to you as
person, and to your company. Invest time in creating a workplace atmosphere that supports
your vision, and brings out the best in your workforce. PBCi can help! Schedule a Free
Consultation to learn more about services that can help your workplace be at its best.