Articles

Do You Appreciate Your Employees and Do They Respect you

BUSINESS TIPS FROM THE EDITOR

December 2025

Richard T. Hendee, Editor
The Silver Fox Advisor

       "Do You Appreciate Your Employees and Do They Respect You"

One thing I learned early on in my career was that I could not do everything that needed to be done on my own. I discovered that I needed to have good employees working for me that I could trust and that I could count on. 

The sooner you learn that your employees are people too, and that they want to be appreciated for the work that they do, the more success your business will have. I have heard comments from managers and business owners like, “They should feel lucky that they have a job”. And I have also heard, “I pay them well, and I expect more from them”.  

On my way up the corporate ladder, I always tried to learn as much as I could about what my employees' job duties and responsibilities were, and often would actually work in various positions so I had a knowledge of what their jobs were. Further, they would see me jump in when conditions warranted, and I rolled up my sleeves and worked alongside them to get the job done or the project completed.

I also became aware that most people like to receive positive feedback if they did something right then and there, and not wait until annual review time to hear encouraging comments. I frequently carried gift cards or cash with me, and as an acknowledgement of a job well done would give an employee a gift card to a restaurant to take someone he/she cared about out for dinner on me. 

Further, when I saw an employee troubled by something, I would ask what was worrying him/her and was there something I or the company could do to help. Also, at annual review time I would ask my employees what they wanted to do in the next 12 months to improve themselves. Often, I would hear comments back like, “I want to take a management course so I can advance my career”. So, I would help them get enrolled in an on-line course or an evening class at a community college so they could get what they needed to achieve their individual goals.

The net result was that my employees knew I appreciated them, and they had respect for me. How did I know this? Well, as I advanced within a company, or if I left a company to advance my career, I always had employees who would call me and ask if there were any openings that they could apply for. In several cases I had three or four employees who worked for me at three different companies.

If you need help with developing a set of management skills that foster good employee relationships, I would recommend you seek an experienced business advisor, coach, consultant, or mentor with a financial or business background for your business: Contact a Silver Fox Advisor. Remember, having experience on your side always helps.

We encourage you to visit our Website at www.silverfox.org or www.silverfoxadvisors.com to select a Silver Fox Advisor and also to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors and their businesses, as well as our great programs and community outreach endeavors.