Employee Relationships

Once More unto the Breach (of trust)

We have spoken in the past about the importance of having a happy workforce of employees in your business, as well as speaking about how vital having a decent work-life balance is for personal and business health. Reports this week suggest that many Irish employees remain sceptical of their employers in recent years, hopefully something that can be rectified going forward. As big supporters of Irish SMEs we would always advise checking in with your employees and ensuring that they are happy in their roles through regular reviews etc.

Communications Group Edelman published their 2019 Trust Barometer this week, suggesting that less than 7 in 10 employees in Ireland trust their company management. This places Ireland in the bottom three quarters of all countries surveyed in terms of trust in business management structures.

Edelman CEO Richard Edelman has been quoted as saying of the findings:

“The past two decades have seen a progressive destruction of trust in societal institutions, a consequence of the recession.”

That same old refrain we have heard for many years now as who among us would have guessed that the recession would have such far reaching effects further on in time? The report also suggested that globally, employees are more likely to trust their direct line manager as the person that they are most closely in contact with. Many of those surveyed believe that it is up to the CEO to impose changes to the working world, rather than waiting for Government heads to impose changes.

Employees remain willing to open their trust, but this report has found that this trust must be earned and efforts must be made to meet the expectations of their employers. An employee should feel secure in their role and confident to approach in the event of any issues or queries. This in turn leads to employees who are often more willing to go above and beyond in their roles, because they feel valued on both a personal and a business level. In addition, happy, satisfied and valued employees remain more likely to speak up and advocate and recommend their company.

As employers, and especially employers in the SME market, we must continue to recognise our employees as people in their own right and allow employees to grow and flourish in their roles without feeling taken advantage of. It is vital as management to keep abreast of all goings on within your business and though this is a daunting task, getting to know your employees and creating a happy and thriving workplace can also be an incredibly rewarding and gratifying one. Valued employees are loyal employees.

As always we here at EcovisDCA are always available to help with any new business or finance queries you may have. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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DCA PARTNERSDECLAN DOLAN & EAMONN GARVEY