We talk a lot about employee retention and best practices to keep them engaged in a culture where they can thrive. These expectations are still critical, and employers who care about their employees will develop a culture that attracts and retains quality team members.
But what about the employer? What should they be able to expect from an employer-employee relationship? Is it realistic to think they should also realize certain benefits? The answer is a resounding YES. Suppose all of the benefits fall solely on the employees to keep them engaged and motivated? What keeps the employer motivated to nurture and support the growth of their team?
The goal should be to make the relationship a win-win with everyone on board to do what’s best for the company.
To follow are some of the expectations that an employer should be able to anticipate from an employee.
Treat the Company as Their Own
Creativity and Problem-Solving
For example, you reach a roadblock in a project. You want your team to think, “how can we get this done,” versus “we can’t do this.” Challenges come up every day, and while that “creative thinking cap” may be left at home on some days, ultimately, you want, and should expect, creative thinking to be a part of the daily perspective.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
In addition to the above exercise, make it VERY clear that leadership will not tolerate any disrespect of co-workers. When this happens, it disrupts productivity and is not in the company’s best interests. At the same time, let the potential employee know that working as a team will still allow you to assess them as individuals for future growth in the company.

Working Efficiently
Working efficiently also includes attention to detail. Work with your team to set up checkpoints to ensure they aren’t so far into the project that they cannot correct something missed.
Put Forth the Best Effort
Integrity Is a Virtue
Loyalty
As with anything expected of your employees, it’s crucial to have everything outlined in your employee handbook in laypeople’s terms. And even more important, these discussions should happen in the early interview stages.