Almost everyone wants to be a boss, but not everyone is fit to be a boss. A boss is not someone who orders others around. They are examples of what their employees should strive to become and someone who leads them toward the right path to achieve this. A team that’s led by a true leader will perform better, be more motivated, and find value in their work. If a boss shows that they don’t care, then the employees will follow the same lead.

Here are some ways you can show your employees you care about them.

Listen to them.

Everyone has problems and solutions, but when it comes to some bosses, they prefer to turn a blind eye and continue doing what they’re doing, pretending like nothing’s happening and hoping for the best. When a manager doesn’t show interest in what their employees are advocating, they tend to lose their employees’ respect. Likewise, with a manager who actively listens and takes action on what their employees are communicating, those employees will find it easier to manage their workload.

So what is employee advocacy? Employee advocacy is an example in which you can show your employees that you trust them as a part of the company enough to communicate the brand or services to the world. As a manager, you can implement employee advocacy in your company by designing a culture that encourages and motivates your employees to become advocates themselves.

Provide for them.

Another thing you can do to show your employees that you care is to provide them with things they actually need like benefits and insurance. Likewise, you can provide other optional things they can benefit from, like stipends or discounts on food and home office equipment, rewards, and even pet insurance for those pet parents at the office. As more people work from home, they get a new pet or two because they can properly take care of them, but they may not be able to afford expensive procedures, vaccines, or specialists for their chronic illnesses or serious diseases. With pet insurance, they can do that and more.

The best pet insurance in Canada, Trupanion, is a great option for employers to offer their hardworking employees. Their pet insurance plans are created according to the pet’s breed and age — from 8 weeks to 14 years — and offer consistent monthly premiums and deductibles that take the element of surprise out of your pet’s vet bills.

Be authentic.

Moreover, you can choose to be authentic with your employees to show them you care. No one enjoys the interaction with a fake personality nor an overly friendly person, so don’t strive for that if you want to show them you care. Simply be human, be yourself, let them know you’re capable of having the emotional intelligence necessary by solving any present issues rather than acting out of spite or cowardliness. Having emotional intelligence will demonstrate you are the boss and are capable of that and more.

Provide useful training.

Everyone has dealt with a useless training or two at work, where they go through material after material only to find out it’s not really necessary for them or the company to participate in it. Other times, the material can be summarized so as to not waste your employees’ valuable work time.

Delegate work properly.

Likewise, the work being delegated within a team should be properly assigned based on the level of responsibility and capability each employee holds. For instance, if you have junior and senior positions in your company, don’t mix up their work unless it’s a learning opportunity for the junior in certain cases.

These tips and tricks will help you become a good people manager and leader so harmony can coexist among your employees and yourself.