Did you know that only 13 percent of employees are engaged at work? That s a very low figure, to say the least. Because of this, businesses need to make more of a dedicated effort to ensure that their employees are motivated and satisfied.
When employees feel happy in the workplace, they are naturally more productive and willing to work harder to help the business achieve its goals and objectives.
With that being said, in this blog post, we are going to explore many different ways that you can keep your employees motivated and satisfied, no matter what type of business you run:
- Offer company perks that your employees will genuinely get excited about
Company perks, which are also referred to as employee benefits, help to enhance your employees lives in a number of ways. Ultimately, company perks give employees a reason to stay loyal and enhance the benefits associated with working for your business.
To really enhance this, though, it is time to go one step further than health insurance and gym memberships. While both are highly valued, is there anything else unique and exciting you can add to your bundle of company perks?
Mental well-being support is an excellent choice. We have seen just how stressed the nation is at the moment, especially since the pandemic and the economic knock-on effects that have come with it. Having an in-house therapist or on-call counselor can make a massive difference.
You may also want to consider a Learning and Development budget for your employees. A massive 82 percent of people leave their jobs because of a lack of progression. Therefore, enabling employees to advance their skills will not only increase their happiness and boost your business in terms of having a more skillful employee but also enhance retention rates.
Some other options to consider include the cycle-to-work scheme, cinema tickets, a day off for employees birthdays, and free soft and alcoholic drinks on a Friday afternoon before everyone heads off for the weekend. Little things like this can make a massive difference.
Help your employees to achieve a better work/life balance
If your employees burn out, it does not help anyone. Not only can it leave your business without a valuable employee but it can even result in health issues for that person.
There are a lot of different factors that can contribute to burnout, including too much pressure, chronic stress, more overtime hours, and longer working days. As an employer, you should be looking to reduce these elements so that your employees have a better work/life balance.
You may assume that working longer hours is going to be better for your business. However, working longer does not mean working harder. We lose our productivity when we work for too long. Instead, with a great work/life balance, you will find that employees end up achieving much more in the workplace.
There are a number of different things you can do to help your employees achieve a much better balance. This includes the following:
- Increase the support options available for parents
- Reconsider your time-off policies to enable your workers to have more time to unplug
- Give employees time so they can volunteer and give back to their communities
- Carry out frequent reviews of the workload for each employee and ask them about how they are managing their workload
- Encourage managers to measure progress in projects and productivity, rather than time spent in the office
- Provide flexible working options, for example, enabling people to work remotely for some days, and making the most of video conferencing so that everyone feels included no matter where they are
Create a culture of transparency
When it comes to your company culture, it is imperative to be transparent in your operations and your expectations. Make sure that this begins from the first day in your workplace whenever someone starts working for you.
Also, ensure that your onboarding is complete and that all of the necessary training needed for new team members is included. You also need to think about your processes in terms of deadlines, projects, and events.
Your onboarding process, alongside the actions you take as a manager, are going to assist employees when it comes to better understanding how to interact and behave in the work environment. It will also make sure that they have the confidence to be transparent themselves, speaking up if they notice an issue or they are struggling with anything.
Having all of your employees on the same page will enhance productivity and motivation.
Get to know your employees
Getting to know your employees is also important. You may think that five minutes of chit-chat or playing a game in the afternoon is a waste of time but trust us, it can be a lot more beneficial than you may realise.
Employees can feel demotivated and discouraged when they feel like they are just a number in your business. Think about how you would feel if someone valued you from only a monetary perspective and not from a human perspective. This is why we highly recommend that you take the time and make the effort to get to know more about your employees.
It could be something as simple as asking them how their favorite team performed on the weekend or remembering their child’s birthday. Touches like this can make a big difference because it shows that you are interested in your employees and that you care about them.
Some business owners opt to play a game once a week. This is a fun way of getting everyone involved and distracting them from the mayhem of the workplace for a few minutes.
Listen to your employees
Another important step is to listen to your employees. And by this, we mean truly listening. Take in what they say and value their opinion.
After all, no one knows your business better than your employees. They work for you every day. They use the software you have chosen. They follow the processes you have implemented. They make your business tick, and this is why it is critical to value what they have to say.
It is likely that whatever they do say will be of value after all. This is because they are going to know better than anyone what issues or hurdles they face throughout the day and where improvements can be made to ensure higher levels of productivity.
One thing you should never do is act like you are listening but then never act on anything employees say or take it on board. This can be incredibly frustrating and your employees will simply stop trying in the end. Even if you cannot implement their suggestion, acknowledging this and explaining why will make your employees feel appreciated.
Change your office space
Your overall workplace environment plays a much bigger role in terms of your workplace ambience and employee happiness than you may expect. The physical layout of your office can have a massive impact on how workers are able to do their job and also how productive they are able to be.
From live plants to proper office furniture, make sure that your office environment has been completely engineered to serve your workforce and their needs as much as possible. It is not just about what managers think their workers want. It is about communication and understanding precisely what your workers need to feel more comfortable and at ease in their office space.
One of the ways that you can do this is by communicating with your employees. Consider conducting regular surveys to find out what they actually want from the office and how it can better meet their needs.
Here are some suggestions you may want to consider:
- Offer both individual and collaborative workspaces so people have the ability to choose one that best aligns with their preferences.
- Ergonomic and comfortable office furniture, including desks and high-quality chairs. Consider providing standing desks.
- If your office is situated in a location with pollution, ensure that you have an air quality filter that is maintained properly.
- Have lots of green, live plants around your office to create a more natural feel and promote healthier air.
- Big windows will enable more daylight to get into your office, ensuring you are not as reliant on artificial light.
Final words on making your employees feel satisfied and motivated
So there you have it: everything you need to know about the steps to take to keep your employees feeling satisfied and motivated. If you follow some of the suggestions that we have mentioned above, we are sure you will notice an improvement when it comes to your employees’ overall level of happiness and motivation.
The post 6 Ways To Keep Your Employees Satisfied And Motivated appeared first on Jobacle.com.
