One thing we hear time and again at HR Revolution from our clients is that they can’t seem to hire enough of the right people!
The crux of the problem is that you need enough of the right people to grow your business but those people are much harder to find these days! With a clear shortage of good employees, the first step that business owners need to aware of is making sure they keep the talent they already have.
In the past when the economy was down, few companies were hiring and employees would put up with a lot to keep a job, however, that is not the case now! Employees who’ve had bad experiences will be on the look out for something better!
Here we cover 5 ways in which to keep your employees happy:
1. Communicate Constantly
It is crucial to keep everyone in your company informed of what’s happening.
Delegating tasks to an employee without explaining the reason behind the workload or its purpose can become problematic. Issues with misunderstanding, demotivation or frequent errors can arise from this, which makes it important to explain why completing ‘A’ will benefit ‘B’.
Clarity for the employee is rewarding, it makes them feel trusted and dependable. The last thing you want to find on your desk is a letter from an employee venting their lack of job satisfaction alongside an urgency to leave.
The workplace has no room for tough love; communicate why certain behaviours and standards are expected, you are all in the business together and the best way to tackle an employees mistake is through calming explanations of what to do next.
2. Encourage New Ideas
If an employee has suggestions to help the business grow, listen to them. Employee feedback is a way to know that your team actually cares for your business. You could email everyone on your team that your door is always open to new ideas, you may be surprised at how much co-operation and creativity that could ignite.
Even if you get unwanted suggestions remember to respond positively, you can thank them for taking the time to send through their ideas and that you’ll consider them. Remember it’s a way to make everyone feel appreciated and important.
3. Reward Appropriately
Compliment efforts with rewards and praise. You can equate how much effort is exerted to accomplish a goal, but sometimes a simple thank-you and recognition can be good enough. Making your employees feel valued can be done in two forms:
- Verbal
When an employee performs a task well or reaches a goal, let them know how pleased you are with their work. There’s nothing wrong in expressing a complimentary word or two; in fact, your employee will be much more motivated to do their tasks over again no matter how challenging it can be.
You know John Smith from accounting? He’s the guy who sits at the back of the office and rarely gets a mention among his colleagues. Read his stats and then tell him he’s doing a great job and how his work has been an integral part of the success of the company.
- Tangible
Now this is what it’s all about, give employees a concrete reason to succeed. It can be in the form of a bonus, free tickets or gift certificates and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Your employees will be pleased at the thought of their efforts being reciprocated, which empowers them to do more. It’s a Win-win!
4. Promote Balance
Results or time? There’s no competition here. Results will always win, hands down, don’t demand unnecessary overtime from workers for the sake of it and then proceed to compliment them in the next team meeting for not having a life. Compliment when things get done at the right pace and in the right amount of time. Praise work quality hours over who quickly works for quantity!
That’s not to say there won’t be a time when extra hours will be required to appease the workload; but as a leader, it’s vital you get your troops to work smarter. Not harder.
And besides, an employee who works normal hours and enjoys a healthy work-life balance will ultimately be the happiest. He or she will most likely be up early in the morning and ready to produce more outstanding work with a smile. After all, you didn’t push them to work till silly o’clock.
5. Motivate
It’s vital that you constantly remind your employees to strive for the best.
Fostering motivation increases their productivity during working hours, which in turn increases everyone’s satisfaction, and all of this results in happiness. And happiness? Well that results in success…
If you need any further advice on how to keep your employees engaged, happy and successful get in touch.
