Keeping Your Employees Happy (and Productive)
Productivity is so important to businesses. It enables them to boost their bottom lines without spending a lot of money. A lot of company owners try to increase productivity by working their employees harder and harder, bringing in draconian measures to squeeze every inch of productivity out of them that they can. This is almost certainly not the right way to go about things.
More and more evidence suggests that the real key to boosting business productivity may actually be keeping employees happy. Employees who are happy are more motivated and more loyal, which means that they will naturally achieve more.
Okay, but how do you keep your employees happy?
Acknowledge Good Work
Taking the time to individually acknowledge and reward your employees for aq job well done is a really simple thing, but it can help to make them feel appreciated, and give them a sense that what they’re doing is worthwhile. It will encourage them to keep trying to achieve the best possible results.
Put Their Safety First
It’s hard for employees to be happy when they feel unsafe at work. That’s why you must take health and safety seriously, whether that means investing in a high-quality fume cupboard for your work’s lab, installing security alarms at your office, or ensuring that your workplace adheres to all local health and safety regulations. Putting safety first is a dure sign you care about and something your employees will appreciate.
Trust Them
Delegating work to your employees and letting them get on with it without micromanaging their every move will show employees that you are confident in their abilities and give them the breathing space they need to work happily and effectively.
Ask for Their Input
Asking your employees for their input and ideas surrounding the company makes them feel like a valued part fo the team instead of a cog in the machine. You may also be surprised by the ideas they have, which could boost productivity and save you money in their own right. Your staff works hard every day so you better believe that they’ve learned a thing or two about the business.
Give Them a Stake in the Business
This won’t be possible in all circumstances, but if you can give them a stake in the business, perhaps in the form of shares, they’ll feel more a part of things, and they’ll have more to lose or gain depending on the success of the business, which will probably drive them to work more productively.
Offer a Decent Work/Life Balance
Working your employees too hard will cause them to feel stressed, depressed and burnt out. It won’t do anyone any favors because they’ll be too tired to work as hard as you would like and they won’t respect you as a boss, giving them even less incentive to try. Find a fair balance of work to home life and let your employees have a break.
Basically, do what you can to treat your employees as valuable individuals and see their productivity soar!
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