One of the major challenges for any business with employees is to keep them as happy and productive as possible. Fully appreciating how important your employees are and taking the time to get the very best out of each one is key to continued business success. That is especially true once your business has been operating for a few years and you need to find ways to keep your workforce motivated.
What are the benefits of making the effort?
As this article from Forbes shows, there is no doubt that thinking about the emotional health of your staff is vital. It is no overstatement to say that it can be the difference between a successful business with happy customers or one that non-one wants to interact with.
The main benefit of looking after your employees is that you will find that a happy workforce is a more productive one. That is because they will want to work and do well for a company that they feel looks after them in return. Building up this kind of goodwill is essential for businesses especially during that busy end of month rush when you might need some of them to work late!
The second major benefit your organisation will gain from treating employees well is that they will interact with your customers in a friendly and constructive manner. Your staff are just as much a key to your overall success as your customers, so neglecting efforts to maintain employee happiness is a negative move. Happy workers will be customer friendly and eager to project the best company image.
Having a reputation as a company that is great to work for is superb for your brand image in the business world. That positive reputation will make people want to work for you and consequently, you will attract the highest calibre of staff.
How to keep staff happy
Now we have looked at the reasons why you should be doing all you can to get the best from your employees, it is time to look at the how. We have listed a few of the best ideas below:
Morale boosting activities
A great way to really boost the morale and productivity within your business is by arranging a fun activity, either during or out of work time. This can be anything from a few drinks after work to ten-pin bowling or an activity day. Such events will bring your whole team together in a relaxed social environment, an important element of team building. It is a fact that individuals that play well together usually work well together.
Online training courses
As we have already noted having a well-motivated and competent workforce is crucial for the success of any business. One way of ensuring that employees have all the skills they need to do their job effectively, that is also a way of boosting morale, is to provide online training. It will help you to create a team of well-trained individuals who can use the new knowledge they acquire for the benefit of the company as well as aiding their personal development. There are various quality online training options available including The Knowledge Academy that offer affordable and well-constructed training courses for your staff.
Say thank you
A major cause of employee unhappiness in the workplace is when staff have the feeling they are being taken for granted. By doing something as simple as saying ‘Thank You’ regularly when they do well or go out of their way to complete a task, you are showing them you care. Employees who feel valued will have the desire to do their best in their daily role.
Reduce stress levels
If you notice there is a stress point within the workload of a group or staff or an individual employee, then discuss it with them and attempt to resolve the issue. That will help reduce their stress levels and in turn will improve their morale.
Regular meetings
It has been found that regular team meetings are excellent for staff morale. The meetings should be informal so that everyone feels sufficiently relaxed to be able to share their views. Having a forum for individuals to express themselves will make them feel their opinions are valued as well as dealing with any problems before they become major ones. A word of warning though – make sure they are small meetings! Larger, whole company ones are useful for other things but not for this reason.
Look after your staff to get the best out of them
In many ways, getting the absolute peak performance out of your employees is as simple as looking after their welfare, providing facilities for training and keeping them fully involved in the business.