Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and everyone is starting to focus on love and positivity. While bringing in chocolates and flowers for the entire office may not be feasible for everyone, it’s still important for employers to find ways to maintain positive working relationships with their employees far beyond the holiday. In fact, 60 percent of employees believe that their relationship with their employer, positive or negative, has a direct effect on their focus and productivity at work. Here are three tips for employers to maintain positive workplace relationships with employees.

Utilize transparency

Happy employees are 12 percent more productive than unhappy employees. While honesty may not always make us happy, it’s important for employers to build a foundation of transparency to keep their workplace positive and engaged. For example, during monthly staff meetings, executives should update their employees on the current standing of the business. Even if the numbers dropped that quarter, employees will appreciate feeling in the know, rather than possibly being blindsided later on. Executives could also encourage employees to engage with their supervisors. This opens communication and an environment where no one is afraid to ask questions.

Implement an open door policy

An open door policy is another way for executives to ensure that their employees feel heard. Open door policies create an atmosphere where managers are accessible, communicative, provide meaningful information, and develop close working relationships with their employees. All of these factors will help increase employee engagement and positivity within the workplace, and with 90 percent of leaders thinking an engagement strategy will significantly impact their business success, this is more important than ever.

Provide constructive feedback

Did you know that 60 percent of employees have stated they would prefer to receive feedback on a daily or weekly basis? Employees are craving feedback more often than in the past, especially younger generations. In order to satisfy this desire in a productive manner, executives need to provide frequent and constructive feedback. Constructive feedback is defined as information specific feedback based on observations. It’s important to note that this type of feedback is direct, but not harsh. By providing employees with constructive feedback, they will most likely feel a sense of direction and will, in turn, continue to produce successful results for the business.

We all want to wake up and go to a positive work environment to spend the day, but it’s important for executives to realize their role in creating this type of workplace. By utilizing transparency, implementing an open door policy, and focusing on constructive and frequent feedback, employees are sure to feel happier walking through the office doors. For more tips on how to engage with employees check out our blog on how to increase engagement through the use of company culture.