Happy employees lead to happy customers, which lead to higher sales through word of mouth. Great employees are essential to the smooth running of your business, so getting the right ones to work for you in the first place, and keeping them is something you need to be thinking about as a business owner. You don’t have to spend fortune to keep your employees happy. It takes small, genuine gestures and other perks to stay loyal to your business. Here are five ways to ensure they stay happy.
- Let them work from home
Home workers tend to be happier; they take fewer sick days and are more productive (probably due to elevated mood) which is something that benefits both you as the boss and them. Without a long commute, rigid working hours and being stuck in an uncomfortable chair all day, it’s no longer that people are happier working from home rather than a traditional workplace. Even if it’s just on some days a week, consider letting your employees work from home if they choose to, this day in age where everything is done online it’s easily done.
- Consider Your Office Space
If you do have employees who come into the workplace then providing them with a pleasant office space is important. Arrange the layout so that desks are next to windows as natural light boosts mood and productivity. Giving staff the right equipment to use such as high-quality computers and software allows them to do their job quickly and efficiently. Paint the walls in a light, neutral shade and have a professional cleaning company come in to keep the place clean and in order. This also prevents accidents happening since clutter can result in trips and falls, speak to a company with extremely knowledgeable personal injury attorneys and they’ll tell you just how many workplace accidents occur due to silly things like this.
- Offer Good Employee Benefits
Along with a competitive salary, offering excellent employee benefits make your company an attractive place to work. They also make your staff feel happy and valued. You could provide health plans such as insurance policies, pensions and retirement packages. You could also consider things like company technology such as laptops and phones which would make your employees job easier. You could even consider something like a company car if it relates to the worker’s job role, for example they travel as a salesperson or to conduct meetings and training.
- Team Building Activities
Team building activities may be considered as cheesy and maybe even a little outdated, but actually there are lots of benefits to investing in this. It helps to build up bonds and trust within the team which can improve communication, plus it’s fun too. You could have a company come to you, or you could book occasional fun team building weekends. You could even have simple meetups like the occasional paid- for work dinner to get everyone together.
- Training/ Education
Many people tend to find themselves in a position where they’re no longer making progress in their career, and this can lead to the job feeling stale and the employee being unfulfilled. One thing you can do is create a system within your workplace where people are able to get promoted internally as time goes on, meaning they get the satisfaction of improving as they work and you always have skilled people to move through the job ranks as senior staff members leave. Offer training and/ or education as needed to equip employees with the skills and knowledge to move up.
