How to keep employees happy without my presence?

[phil]

So I've got 2 full time employees at my local office, and they seem to be happiest when I'm present. It makes sense, and I've read management books that confirm this. They say the boss should arrive before the employee and leave after the employee.

If I were to live in China for a while, the employees would be understanding because being in China would directly benefit the business and their futures.

But I'm not sure I want to live in China. I'd rather go to latin america. If I'm playing soccer in Panama, kayaking in Costa Rica, and hiking in Argentina they could have a feeling of resentment. They might question why they are working so hard and I'm off having fun.

I don't think a salary increase is the answer. I've thought about giving them more days off.

Any ideas? How can I make sure they feel their work is important and appreciated without my presence?

[mphcoach]

Hey Phil, hi.

In my experience of motivating employees, there are a couple of things that you can do:- Tell them that you trust them and then do it
Show how much you trust them by delegating more and more important tasks to them
Be available as you do this so that they can use you to develop their skills and 'get it right'
Listen closely to what they say to you and ask them a second question at least about what they have just told you
Share some fun rewards, rather than expensive rewards
Finally, what is most important to employees in this situation is a feeling of being valued and that the work is meeting their needs.

For all that Tim talks about living a life where we wander off for spells as our 'adventures', this is a bit of an exotic argument that may well only be appreciated by some of the population.

Truth is that many employees will be satisfied in a job that rewards them adequately, where they feel challenged and trusted and that they can have fun.

As I'm writing this there is still a hint of not-really-sure about all this 'inequality' - maybe someone else can tale a spin at it too.

Hope this helps

Regards

Martin
http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com

[final_id]

If you're reading old-think management books (the ones that say that your employees are happiest when you work yourself like a dog, gee what a surprise) maybe you need to reconsider. There are a LOT of assumptions in our society about what makes people happy, productive, or effective, and most of those have to do with effort and time expended. Sometimes it's true -- you can't just get big muscles by wishing for them, you have to put in the time at the gym. But sometimes it's simply false, but spouted by the "researchers" as "fact" because they just can't FATHOM that the opposite might be true, even if it is.

Be careful about management books. I find them to be just about the worst for propagating old assumptions under the guise of "the best way to do things" even when there's no evidence that they're "best" at all.

Further, just why are you working to keep your employees happy? Maybe if they get a fair (in their minds, as they understand the current employment market) trade between effort and reward, and they do their work effectively, then their "happiness" (on the basis of some subjective criteria in their heads and yours) ... IS UTTERLY BESIDE THE POINT. If they're miserable, they'll let you konw; if they're thinking of leaving, they'll show signs; otherwise, they're taking the salaries, aren't they? You don't have to be an evil, uncaring slave-driver, but you aren't their counselor, confidante, and friend either. It's not a love relationship, it's a work relationship.

[phil]

Thank you! Real helpful to hear these things