Those of us from an earlier generation will remember the phrase “it’s good to talk” which was an advertisement for BT phone services (analogue rather than digital).

At Supportivity, we believe that talking to your employees and engaging them in discussions will be of long term benefit both to you as a business owner and the people who work with you and for you.

Think about the consequences of not talking or engaging with your people. You won’t get to know or understand what makes them energised for a start. You will be unaware of their aspirations at work; other talents that they possess and what really drives or motivates them.

 

Supportivity always recommends that you actively listen to your employees. This way you will find out more about the real them, what are their likes and dislikes, what makes them connected to your business, their preferred way of working and what are their learning and development desires to improve their ability to grow your business. 

When working with clients and their employees, I am acutely aware that the single biggest challenge that always needs to be addressed is the perceived lack of communication within companies. It should, in theory, be easy to tackle but often it is more difficult than it seems.

So, what are the outcomes to an SME owner of not talking to their people? A major cost would be to lose a key member of your team and forfeiting all that intellectual capital that they have built up, only for them to take it elsewhere. You then need to recruit, train and develop a new person to carry out the role, which could take a number of months, not to mention the knock on effect from a financial perspective.

Let’s face it, if you believe in the core reality that your employees are a primary business asset, then focusing on having meaningful and engaging conversations with them can only be of benefit to both of you. 

If not, then why not make that investment in talking and save money in the long term? 

You will be amazed how much “real interest” you will gain the more you commit to engagement.  

 

Bernie O’Keeffe

Prime Supporter

Supportivity