Are your employees happy working with your company? This is a question that executives and managers should keep at the forefront of their minds. There are many facets to running a successful business, however, none are quite as important as having a satisfied team or staff. They are the driving force behind your vision and believe it or not, when treated right, will return the favor ten times over. If you’re a business owner or manager who’s been looking for a way to boost productivity in the workplace, the best place to start is with the happiness of your staff.
Why Their Happiness Matters
To assume that a nice salary and fringe benefits would be enough to encourage an individual to put their best foot forward daily would be a mistake. It is essentially the responsibility of management to see to it that their staff has a safe, decent, and positive place to work. They need to feel equally important and seen as human beings first and workers second. When someone feels valued for what they do and are fairly compensated, commended, or promoted for their actions, they are more inclined to work harder every day at being their best.
As you can see, it is in your best interest as an entrepreneur to focus your attention on improving employee morale. Below, are a few ways to go about it.
Recognition – Imagine working hard all your life and never being recognized for it? Unfortunately, this happens to many employees who work diligently behind the scenes to make their employers look good. If you want to boost morale, show your team that you’re paying attention to their actions and that you value what they’re doing for your company. You can take them out to lunch, order a trophy and have their name engraved on it, or give them a title like the employee of the month. They’ll continue to work hard to continue hearing you say, “well done”.
Freedom and Flexibility – No one likes to be micromanaged or held back from reaching their fullest potential. If you want to boost employee morale you must be willing to provide both freedom and flexibility. Give your staff the freedom to express themselves, set goals, and even suggest ideas on how to be more efficient at what they do. Provide them with the flexibility they need to work efficiently whether that means offering flexible hours or remote options. Showing them that you trust their abilities and that you’re willing to work with them, will improve their level of happiness.
Communication – When there is effective communication in the workplace it has a positive impact on your staff and the company’s productivity. Keep your lines of communication open. Let your employees in on information like policy changes, new projects, and more. Also, be willing to listen to your staff. Whether it be their suggestions on how to make things more efficient or their complaints about a particular project, coworker, or work-related issue.
Job Satisfaction – No one wants to work at a dead-end job. The best employees are happiest when they are getting continual satisfaction from what they do. They want to be challenged, given increased responsibilities, and more importantly, provided with the opportunity to learn more and move up in the company’s ranks. Create opportunities for your staff to move upward within the company. Offer training, educational courses, and other career development opportunities for them to take advantage of.
Proper Tools – Try getting a job done without using the proper tools. Chances are you won’t get very far. It is imperative that your employees are provided with the best tools to perform their jobs. Whether this is upgraded computers and software or more efficient equipment and machinery, investing helps them to get more done.
As you begin to implement these ideas with your staff you’ll start to notice a positive impact throughout your entire company. A happy team equates to more creative and productive work environments. It opens the doors for new opportunities and is the very reason for the success of many businesses today. It can lead to higher retention rates and high employee performances which in the end, only helps your brand to succeed.
About Carson Derrow
