Keeping your people happy and productive

One in four UK employees feel unhappy in their job  according to recent research by Investors in People. If you’re a business owner, that’s a worrying statistic when you take into account just how vital your people are to the short and longer-term success of your business.

Your people are one of the biggest assets in the business. They keep the everyday operations of the company running, they interact with customers and they act as brand ambassadors to the wider world – so it’s vital to keep your employees happy and engaged by your core vision.

But how do you ensure that your team feel happy in the workplace?

We’ve zeroed in on 5 key ways you can improve employee satisfaction in your business, and keep your people motivated and loyal to your mission.

1. Invest in education and training

The skills needed to be an effective team member don’t stand still. Technology evolves and updates, new working practises come along and the needs of your business will change. So it’s important to keep your people trained up with the latest skills and qualifications.

Training helps people feel more engaged , and improves their sense that they are valued and have a route to genuine career progression in their role. None of us like to think that we’re stuck on a treadmill, repeating the same tasks over and over, so training serves a useful purpose in giving momentum to people’s progression, and greater confidence in their abilities.

To get the team involved in their futures:

• Run regular in-house training and keep everyone up to speed with the latest skills
• Offer external courses, online training or career mentoring to increase engagement
• Plough profits back into training, to show you’re happy to invest in your staff’s future.

2. Give your people the space to thrive

As the boss, it’s your job to lead the business  and to delegate the workload effectively among your team. But micromanaging your staff, and being too rigid around the remit of each person’s role, can have a negative impact on people’s motivation levels.

People work best when you give them the space to thrive . If your key vision and strategic goals are clear, then these aims should be shared throughout the company hierarchy – and that gives employees more free rein to come up with new ideas, formulate more productive ways of working and push the overall efficiency of the business forwards.

To give people the space they need:

• Don’t micromanage – trust your employees to get the job done right their own way
• Create champions for key areas of the business and allow employees to own that title
• Encourage innovation and let staff come up with their own ideas – they may just work!

3. Provide flexibility around working hours

The efficiency of cloud technology has changed the way we work . With access to the key tools needed by your office administration, sales and operations staff now available online from any location, employees are no longer tied to the office, or to rigid working hours.

Being able to flex when and where you work  is a key benefit for many employees. For example, parents can leave early to get the school run done, and can then finish their workload from home once the kids are in bed.

To promote a flexible way of working:

• Move your systems to the cloud and give staff access to the online tools they need
• Set core office hours but allow flexibility around start and finish times
• Measure productivity by tasks completed not by the number of hours worked.

4. Offer great employee benefits

Offering a competitive salary is a given – we work to earn money, after all. But salary isn’t the only motivation  when it comes to employee reward and benefits.

People place great value on a benefits package that’s tailored to their current life challenges. Cycle-to-work schemes, childcare vouchers for new parents or medical insurance are all employee benefits that will attract and retain your key staff.

To offer the best benefits:

• Promote core benefits that help your people achieve their desired lifestyle
• Offer non-financial bonuses and rewards so you drive employee performance
• Regularly review your benefits package and ask staff which elements they value most

5. Make it a great place to work!

We spend more time with work colleagues than we do with our families, so do your utmost to make your business something that staff enjoy being part of.

The culture you promote, the values you stand for and the connections you build with your employees are all vital elements in how staff perceive the workplace. And creating that positive work environment is something where you need to be highly proactive as a leadership team.

• Create a team with shared values – and build a workforce who enjoy working together
• Offer the best working environment – so your team has space to work and relax
• Encourage a positive outlook and keep motivation and energy levels high

Talk to us about improving your employee engagement

If you think your company culture could do with a refresh, come and talk to us. We can help you define the core values of your business, the important needs of your employees and the benefits and rewards that will keep your team smiling (and your profits rising!)

Get in touch to see how we can help your business