Blog

January 17, 2017

6 Tips for Increasing Staff Satisfaction

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Employees are the most important asset that a company possesses and keeping your best staff members happy is absolutely vital to the success of your business. Happy employees are not only more productive, they are also more likely to remain with you for the long haul. It’s no wonder that learning how to retain employees is so important for all businesses.

But in today’s employment climate, where uncertainty often exists concerning wages, healthcare benefits, job security and numerous other factors, employers are looking more than ever for ways to solidify relationships with productive workers in order to retain their services.

Individuals who are happy at work tend to be the ones who are more dedicated and productive. These are the staff members who will put in extra hours when a project is on a deadline and everyone needs to be dedicated to the cause. They are the ones who want the company to be successful and make an extra effort to help owners and managers reach their goals. So, how do you keep these top-notch workers with you?

how to retain employees

Show Appreciation

Employees tend to respond positively when they feel that their efforts have been noticed and appreciated. This may involve something as simple as praising an individual for his or her recent outstanding effort. Sincere praise goes a long way in creating a feeling of well-being in most people.

In an office setting, there are some easy ways you can create a positive environment that shows your staff that they are appreciated. This may be something as basic as maintaining a generous coffee/tea bar in the break room so individuals can refuel during those long hours each day. Throw in doughnuts mid-week and an occasional tray of deli sandwiches after a particularly difficult day and now those individuals realize that their efforts have been recognized.

Many business owners wrongfully assume that giving their employees more money is the only way to show appreciation, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Not only are there better ways to show appreciation to employees than handing out raises, but there are also numerous ways to increase staff satisfaction that work better than doling out more money to them.

Create a Positive Culture of Attendance

Although you have developed specific attendance policies, there may be ways to tweak those policies to create a positive culture of attendance. If an employee knows in advance that they are going to be out for a non-medical reason, encourage them to notify managers ahead of time of their availability preferences. Consider implementing a policy that allows people to make up a half day by staying late or coming in early. This allows your workers to take responsibility for their absenteeism without necessarily losing pay.

Encourage individuals to swap shifts with each other when appropriate. This enables everyone to be responsible for managing their planned absences, lowering the headache for you or your office managers. This serves to create a higher sense of loyalty and responsibility in that team member, which they need to have in order to feel as if they are participating in the success of the business.

Flexibility in Scheduling

Part of the creation of a positive culture of attendance involves integrating flexibility in scheduling hours. This includes incorporating flexible hours in order to accommodate those times when someone needs to take time off to take care of family obligations, allowing employees with similar skills and duties to swap shifts if possible, and even, under some circumstances, operate temporarily from home.

According to the US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, it is small businesses that are most likely to have flexible scheduling policies in place. And employees who have access to a more flexible workplace report higher job satisfaction and loyalty to their employer. Flexibility in scheduling is a positive step that is easy to incorporate into your mode of operation.

how to retain employees

Create Positive Morale

Enhancing employee morale involves creating an environment where your team members feel that they are a positive part of the success of the enterprise itself. This means sharing some of your goals and aspirations with them so that they feel informed and involved. One easy way to accomplish this may be giving them information about particular project goals so they understand that they will be asked to focus harder on a particular task at times because they are playing an important role in helping the business achieve success.

Another simple way to boost morale is to have open lines of communication between management and team members. Although there must be distinct lines of responsibility so that respect is maintained between management and team members, it is imperative that individuals feel comfortable speaking with management about their concerns. And managers must be accessible and open to speaking with individuals about those issues.

Finding ways to boost morale in the workplace will create a positive environment where individuals can flourish. Anything you can do to keep the morale of your team members high will ultimately end in a benefit to your company. Happy team members tend to be productive, loyal and responsible.

On-the-Job Training

Any time you have the opportunity to provide training for workers is time well spent. By increasing their skill sets, you are motivating them to remain engaged in the enterprise while also helping them become more efficient in their duties. They can improve their individual skills, enhancing their sense of self-worth.

Investing in the education and training of your employees is one of the best ways to show that you want to keep them around for a while. By training your employees to take on other responsibilities, you are also setting your business up for being able to hire managers from within instead of looking for external help when the time comes to hire new people to lead your teams.

Individuals, in general, feel that they are increasing their value as a team member when they receive additional training on site to improve their skills. This is yet another way to build a sense of loyalty in some of your more dedicated individuals, and your endeavor will benefit highly as a result. Individuals who improve their skills also gain confidence in their ability to perform their daily tasks.

how to retain employees

Financial Incentives

And while raises might not be the biggest motivator when it comes to retaining your best workers, it is still very much an important one. As an employer, it is your duty to stay informed as to the pay scale and financial incentives that are offered by competing businesses in your geographic area.

No matter how wonderful the environment is that is present at your workplace if a similar employer down the street is paying individuals several dollars more per hour, you may end up losing some of your best talent if you do not pay attention. It is highly desirable for your workers to be happy with their salaries and benefits.

Be prepared to find ways to be creative in your approach to rewarding your best individuals. At times you may need to give an employee an unexpected raise as a reward for going beyond what is required on a project. Look for ways to give your team members bonuses, especially when they can be tied in with extra effort they gave on a project that yielded a high financial result to your business.

Another way to provide a financial benefit to your workers is through paid leave. You can provide a reward to individuals without costing your business extra expenses by granting them an additional paid day off when it’s been earned. The individuals who receive this special compensation will feel that they have received a financial benefit, but it won’t cost you any money on the bottom line. This type of incentive can also work to encourage other individuals to devote more time and energy to various projects in the hope that they may receive the same type of reward.