How do you take care of your team?

What employee benefits does your company provide? Are employees aware of them? They were probably listed on the job description and discussed during the hiring process. But do your employees take full advantage of their benefits?

Recently I had a conversation about an employee who missed out on extra vacation days that were earned after multiple years of employment. The employee spoke with management who said there was nothing they could do about it. Imagine how that makes the employee feel? 

They’ve been loyal for years. But because of their own oversight, they missed out on vacation days. What other benefits are they missing out on?

We tell our friends and family of special offers or promotions on things we know they will want. We do this because they’re important to us and we take care of each other. As leaders, we must do the same thing for our team members.

TIP: I encourage you to remind your team of their available benefits for the calendar year. 

How many vacation days is each team member eligible for? What resources are available for them to use and how do they take advantage of them? Many companies offer an Employee Assistance Program but employees are not aware of the benefits it includes. 

Action Steps You Can Take

• Email each employee the exact number of vacation days they’re eligible for this year. Ideally, have them schedule 75% of their time off now. This allows you to also better plan for staffing during holidays and peak seasons for your business.
• Schedule a team meeting to remind employees of their benefits and address any questions they have. For questions, you’re not able to answer and depending on your business size either have HR coordinator available (teleconference) or follow-up with a resource after the meeting.
  Note: I use Zoom (affiliate) for all my meetings.
• Add a reminder to your calendar for October 1st to check vacation balances and send reminders to your team members as needed. 

Do you have to do any of this? No, but taking care of your team is one of the best investments you can make in your business. 

Every time hire someone new, you spend extra money and time to train them. When you take care of your team, they work better, the relationships with customers are better, and the business excels! 

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Your Turn

What steps do you take to make sure your employees understand their benefits?