The Leadership Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question “How do you keep your best employees?” is by Amit Srivastav, president of Infinite.
The answer is relatively simple: empower them. I don’t want my employees to only do the bare minimum–I want them to constantly bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. So what can employers do to empower their employees?
First and foremost, make sure they are compensated fairly. This includes benefits that their entire family can enjoy–immediate and extended. Then, provide an effective work environment. This means providing the resources they need to pursue their ambitions, such as the proper tools and training. I want our employees to take ownership in the company’s success and carve their names into the projects they helped create. Additionally, we try to avoid any hierarchical silos and encourage upper management to instill an open-door policy with all employees. Some of our company’s best solutions have been the outcome of our employees taking the reins to bring a product or service to market.
Empowerment also means that we respect our employees’ personal lives. Everyone has a life outside of the office. And we need breaks in order to do our best work. At Infinite, we give our employees the flexibility to construct their own work week, which might include working from home or personal time to take care of errands as necessary during the work day. Because we no longer live in a 9 to 5 work environment, employees need the flexibility to manage their work/life balance in a way that allows them to meet both their personal and professional commitments. Our employee’s happiness is the ultimate goal.
All employees are different, which is why I don’t believe there should be preconceived idea of how your best employees should look or behave. Empower their differences and they will become your company’s best assets.
Read all answers to the Leadership Insider question: How do you keep your best employees?
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