The importance of treating your team right.

Your team is the most valuable asset you have. 

 It’s not the tech you own, the office you work from, or the money you have in the bank. Your business depends on people to do the work.

 Investing in your biggest asset does likely involve providing great tech, a fancy office, and generous pay. But in essence, the most important thing is much more simple. 

 It all starts with how people feel they are being treated.

 You can't do everything yourself.

The combined efforts of your workforce will make or break your company. Nothing is more important to your success than getting the best out of them.

 Of course, a well-compensated team will have more incentive to put in the effort. Remember: just because you think your business is the best thing out there, doesn’t mean everyone else does. You need to earn their enthusiasm by rewarding the people who show up for you and work hard every day.

 It’s like the Branson meme - take care of your team and they’ll take care of your customers. That way, your people and customers are happy, your company succeeds, and you feel great. Win-win-win. 

 Pay and benefits matter.

 As an employer, you want to attract and retain top talent in the long term.

 It’s a big cost to keep hiring, so it makes sense to want people with you for as long as possible. And it’s no secret that happy, engaged people are more likely to stay - so you want your employees to feel valued, appreciated, and motivated. There are many ways to achieve this, but a solid benefits package is a great place to start. 

 Benefits like health insurance, more paid time off, flexible working, training and support, and employee discounts are just a few of the ways that you can show your team that you care about them — as people, not just workers.

 At state level, Germany lags behind the rest of Europe when it comes to maternity leave and flexible working hours for new parents. As a fast-moving tech company, it's important to recognise that this can have negative effects on your team's mental health and general levels of satisfaction. And if you don’t, another tech company will.

 It's not just about what you offer, but how you communicate it so that everyone knows what their options are and how to access them. 

 Burnt out teams are less effective with higher turnover.

 Chances are, if you’re running a company, someone working for you is feeling burnt out. 

 There are many reasons this happens: A lack of resources, no one they trust to lean on, working longer hours to pick up someone else’s slack, not taking time off — the list is endless. 

 You need to make sure everyone has (and actually takes) the time to relax outside of work, for however long they need. 

 A recent report by the German Startups Association (GSA) showed that 40% of employees in German tech companies felt they were unable to take time off when they needed to. That’s not sustainable, and it’s very bad for business.

 Flexible working and remote options can create a better work life balance.

 A flexible approach shows your team that you trust them and respect their time. 

 That little bit of freedom can go a long way in keeping people happy at work. The whole world has seen that working from home is possible, which on its own is a compelling reason to offer it as an option for your team. But beyond that, it just works better for some people and that should be respected.

 Giving your team the flexibility to set schedules that fit with the rest of their life, allowing them to be more productive, creative, and engaged will only impact your business for the best. Maybe some of the team prefer to start work earlier in the morning so they can finish up by mid-afternoon. Others might want to stagger their hours so they can pick kids up from school without having to take off early every day. 

 This doesn’t mean giving total free reign over when or where your people work, but it does mean giving employees more flexibility in terms of how they get their jobs done, so long as it doesn’t impact delivery or deadlines. Chances are, if you show respect for people’s individual preferences and needs, they’ll do their absolute best to get everything done and do a great job while they’re at it. That’s the interesting thing about trust, people don’t want to abuse it.

 Show respect and understanding. 

 The person with the highest salary isn't the most important person in the room. 

 Everyone should be treated with respect, and made to feel like their ideas and input matters. When you consider only what those people who sit at the top of the business want to do, you’re likely to meet resistance from those expected to carry the work out, because these directives likely lack a strong foundation of knowledge around what it’s like to do the actual job.

 Employees feel understood when they’re asked to participate in important conversations, when they see their ideas materialise, and when their knowledge and experience is acknowledged for being a critical part of the entire company’s success. 

 So if you’re letting someone steamroll a conversation or have the final say because they’re more senior, this isn’t likely to bring the best out of your team. 

 Employees who don’t feel respected and heard are likely to disengage and leave.

 Ask your team what’s most important to them.

 Being considerate of each person and actively listening will only ever build positive relationships. And positive relationships are great for productivity and morale.

Your employees are the face of your company, and they can make or break your reputation.

 That’s why it pays to understand what motivates them, and then do something about it. As easy as it may be to assume that money is all anyone wants, a recent survey by @Comparably shows that there’s much more to it than that. 

55% of employees listed flexible working hours, and 52% said mental health support were top priorities from their employer.

Employees are the golden ticket to your company's success and need to be treated as such. Happy employees = happy business. 

 Need help? The team at THRYVE can help you stand out as the happiest place to work in the German tech market — get in touch to find out how.