The best thing employers can do for the organizations they run is implement systems that promote employee satisfaction and work efficiency. If you are still trying to find the best place to start, here are three options you could look into.
Health and Profitability
The healthier your employees are, the more they will be able to work for you. And the more they work for you, the more money you will make. Furthermore, you will also be spending less because you don’t have to pay for additional training and replacements when people call in sick.
When it comes to work efficiency and maximizing resources, this is as obvious a statement as one can ever make. Still, many company owners and department managers fail to recognize the importance of a healthy workforce. Instead, they run their staff to the ground and then complain about employee absences.
But what if they took a different approach, one based on empathy and practicality? Wouldn’t that be a better choice to make?
If you want your workers to be happy and committed, take care of their health. Invest in ergonomic workstations and comfortable chairs. And if one of them is suffering from a physical ailment related to their joints or back, provide them with education on scoliosis exercises, treating carpal tunnel syndrome, or coping and preventing repetitive-stress injuries stemming from work.
Keep in mind that when you show someone you care about their well-being, more often than not, they will be more than happy to show it back to you.
Benefits and Rewards
Everybody likes money, and they want as much of it as they can get. Regardless of how high or low your current salary is, given the opportunity, you will probably not reject an increase in income, especially if it doesn’t entail too many more responsibilities.
Still, the simple reality is that corporations cannot afford to provide all their employees with more money regularly. If they do that, they will not have enough financial resources to invest in research and development, sales and marketing strategies, overall expansion processes, and other vital company expenses.
So, how can they reward those who perform at a high level? Is there a way to keep them happy and motivated without adding anything to their bank accounts? While there aren’t clear-cut answers to these and other similar questions, there are things enterprises can do to let top performers know they are appreciated.
A few of them are:
- Making a cafeteria plan where employees can choose one or two benefits according to their specific situations and needs.
- Rewarding people with an extra day off, a free meal at a nice restaurant, or a certificate of recognition to include on a resume.
- Offering leadership roles such as mentoring a junior staff member or taking part in upper management decision-making meetings.
These are all affordable actions firms can take that will many times yield optimal results.
All About the Environment
The vast majority of us will spend at least 30 to 40 years of our lives working. Aside from sleeping and taking showers, the days and hours spent at the office will be longer than those at home. Thus, it is imperative for our mental well-being that we do our best to find a position we like, or at least we don’t dread every morning. And while this is certainly our responsibility as mature adults, it is also in the company’s benefit to promote a positive work environment drawn upon principles of open communication and collaboration.
Open communication is the key to any successful relationship. It is a tool to generate new ideas, solve external and internal problems, and smooth out plans. When people talk to each other, most things can be fixed and synergies are found. On the other hand, if personal views are not expressed, this leads to resentment, envy, and possibly a breakup in the relationship.
A second essential factor to business relationships is collaboration, people working together towards a common goal. If I know I have the assistance of my colleagues and the guidance of my superiors, I will find myself in an ideal place to maximize my potential and come up with ideas to help the organization grow.
If you want your employees to be happy, take the necessary step to guarantee their health. Also, establish a benefits program that rewards top staff and creates a work environment defined by open communication and collaboration. These are effective measures that will keep your workforce satisfied and make company operations more efficient and prosperous.
