(Akiit.com) It was just another day at work. Everything was going well until you heard one of the following sentences come from one of your employees. Suddenly, your seemingly ordinary day took a turn for the worse.
“Sir, we have a virus”
Your heart sinks when you mishear your employee. After wracking your mind trying to figure out a solution for a gap in your workforce, your heart sinks further when you realize he is talking about your office computer rather than himself. This can create more problems than an absent employee, as your data could be compromised, your systems could shut down, and your customers might bear the brunt of a hacking attempt.
You can preempt such a situation, of course. By firewalling your systems, passwording your accounts, installing antivirus software, and by calling on IT professionals such as Frontline for advice, you need not suffer the problem of a computer virus at all. You might also consider the benefits of cloud computing, as even if you did come under threat from a malicious attack, you would be in a more secure position if your data was safely backed up.
“He’s not worth working for”
It might only be a passing comment from one worker to another, but if it pertains to you, then you need to start worrying. If your employee is upset with you, for whatever reason, then that word might spread. Pretty soon, you could have a mutiny on your hands, and that could mean a mass walkout from your staff. And while that might be the worst-case scenario, there are other consequences. Your employee grumblings might damage your business reputation. You might also see a downturn in productivity from your disgruntled employees.
So, before you get to hear a grumble from an employee, take steps to improve employee morale. By caring for your team, you should have little need to worry about a negative comment slurring your character or business. However, if you do hear something critical about you, don’t ignore it. Speak to the employee, not by pulling him aside with a word of warning, but with an ear open to listening to the feedback they might have to give you. If you think what is being said is honest and true, make the relevant changes to keep him (and the rest of your team) on your side.
“We don’t want your custom anyway”
Promptly followed by a slamming down of the phone, this is another thing you don’t want to hear an employee say. It might be that they have just had a difficult phone conversation with an awkward customer, but even so, you need to step in. One upset customer can cause a ripple effect, as with comments on social media and business review sites, they might just destroy your business reputation.
In such a situation, you might need to deliver a warning to the staff member, especially if they have a track record of poor customer service. You might also need to call the customer back to apologize. However, it is also worth paying for customer service training for your employees, as they will then learn how to deal with difficult customers. As a result, your team will be happy, and your customers will be too!
We hope you don’t have to hear any of the above today, but in the event that you one day might follow our suggestions to ensure neither you or your business suffers in the future.
Staff Writer; Bobby Moore