by Kevan Simpson

Created on: April 14, 2009   Last Updated: April 17, 2009

As a college student majoring in business management I have a clear idea just how I would like to run my business. I helped my grandpa with his business since I was 12 years old and learned much of what I know about managerial strategies from him as well. In regards to employee's liking you it has it's ups and downs. You want to build a relationship with your employee's so as to keep camaraderie strong within the workforce, but you don't want it to become a situation where employee's get too relaxed and look at you as a friend rather than as a boss. A business thrives on production not how friendly the environment is, even though it doesn't hurt to keep a balance of both.

To keep a strong and successful business running you must remember to keep customers happy as well as the employee's, because without the workers a business can go into the tank before it even gets started. Keep it business and professional while mixing in a little love and compassion for each employee's situation. Knowing each employee by name let's them know that you recognize them as an individual and not just as a means of making you money. You don't need every employee to like you but you do need every employee to respect you, simply because if one employee displays no respect without any disciplinary actions being presented as a consequence, than you can expect a domino effect from other employee's, which will cause chaos within the workplace because of no structure.

Fraternizing with the employees is insubordination, so getting too close to employees outside of work is unacceptable. Keeping all interactions within the business parameters helps to keep a healthy and professional relationship between you and the employee so as not to complicate and confuse matters.

One way to keep employees happy is to show your appreciation for their hard work. Setting up bonuses for improved and peak performances can help to motivate the employee's to give their best efforts to the company. As an incentive, you can set company goals, and when those goals are met you can set aside some time to reward your employee's whichever way you feel fit.

It's a wonderful thing to be well liked within the company, but respect is the main cog that keeps the boat moving and keeps it on course. As long as that aspect of the relationship is intact then business can get handled the way it should with no sidetracks involved. Keeping it business and professional while mixing in a little fun can definitely make for a healthy workplace.

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