When you start a business at some point you are going to see that your future involves people who would be working for you. As a business grows, you simply cannot do it all. It may start with one person, but before you know it you may have a whole team of people working for you.
All with the same goal in mind. However, it is one thing to have employees work for you, it is quite another to keep them and ensure they do a good job. So here are some of the things you could consider to ensure that you keep your employees happy within your business.
How do you keep your staff motivated?
Staff motivation is one of the key areas that businesses struggle with. After all, you can control how you feel. You will be motivated to make your business successful, but how do you instill that same level of motivation to people that it doesn’t necessarily matter to? Of course, hiring right is going to be the biggest answer here, and getting people that are on the same page as you. But there are other ways you can keep their motivation levels high.
Sales targets
First of all, it might be worth looking into targets. Many people thrive off having targets that they want to achieve, and wit that, it can help them increase their earnings. This will be crucial for any sales people you have working for you, but don’t be afraid to add targets in other areas. You will be surprised how motivated people get when they can physically see what they are achieving. It can help them to feel good about their input into their working day. However, don’t be too unrealistic with the targets, as this can have the opposite effect and cause people to feel like it is not achievable.
Incentives
Incentives are another great way to help people work toward something and gain a reward from it. It might be that you have particular days where spot prizes can be won. The first person to bring a deal into the business, to complete a project, etc. Make it specific to your business. It might be a day off, it could be a TV, vouchers, whatever you think will encourage and motivate your staff to work that little bit harder. This can be very useful towards the end of the month, a quarter or a financial year when you really want to bank as much as possible.
Regular feedback and advice
Take some time to get regular feedback from your colleagues and employees. This is going to be great to enable you to understand what is working in your business, but also for you to help and guide these people. You want them to be successful, because if they are, your business benefits. Working together and having reviews of targets, feedback and advice can really help you build a stronger team.
How do you keep your staff healthy?
A big priority for you as an employer is the health and wellbeing of your employees. The last thing you want is people off because they are unwell, physically or mentally. So the support you can give in the workplace, while making sure basic needs are met can help you to keep your staff healthy and happy.
Is the working environment ok?
Think about the working environment. Are things as they should be? It could be small things like the temperature of the office, having enough fresh air or ventilation. To ensuring that bathrooms are clean and easily accessible. It is important for you to ensure that the working environments is up to scratch.
Have you considered the mental impact of the job?
There will always be a mental impact to consider. Everyone is different and what might work for one person, might not be right for others. Stress can be a huge factor of mental illness, and in the workplace this can be one of the leading causes of it. Taking the time to consider your employee mental health can really help the individual and also the business. Mental health issues are on the rise, and work can be a big factor. Taking into account how you work, the demands and needs of the job, and also potential stress and demands could help you stay on the right track.
Do they have everything they need?
Finally, make sure that your employees have everything they need in terms of the job that they do. The right chair for comfort. The right technology and equipment ot do the job. The right access to things when needing to see clients and customers outside of the workplace.
How do you keep your staff happy?
Happiness is often not something that people associate with their employees, but it can be a great way to ensure that you have a hard working team around you. Taking into account the job role, and the environment are all well and good,but you also need to learn about different personality traits and what might help people be more successful in their jobs. Happy people tend to work harder, because they are content. So how can you encourage that as a manager? Here are some suggestions.
Team bonding and events
Team bonding and team events can be a great way to encourage more happiness in the workplace. It could be as simple as organising a night out for everyone to socialise, or actually having a day out of work for you to do team bonding activities. These normally include recreational activities and also icebreaker events where you can encourage employees, especially quieter individuals, to come out of their shells a little bit. It can be a great morale booster.
Be an approachable leader
As a leader, an employer, and perhaps even the company owner, you may not be as approachable as you might think. People associate themselves with rank, and they may find that you as a business owner, might not be interested in what they have to say, what they have to offer, or how they are even feeling. Try and get rid of this stigma and be more approachable. It could start with you showing an interest in your employees. Remembering names and partners, or even children, and a simple questions of seeing how someone is. It could make all of the difference.
Create a positive atmosphere
Positivity is one of the areas that every entrepreneurs and business owner will want to focus on, so cretaing that sort of environment will be key. It’s all about communication and ensuring that you cover the basics. Making sure the environment is right, and having happier employees will help to change the atmosphere of the office or building.
New ideas to look into?
Finally, it may be time to think about how you might want to implement some of the suggestions above. You could look at introducing more meetings, and team briefings, and perhaps put on a team bonding session or two. But what about fresh ideas?
Maybe you could look at the way you run your business. Perhaps offering more flexibility for staff? This could be in terms of working from home options or flexible hours, both options could work extremely well for employees who have families. Only you can know what will suit your business and the employees that you already have, but let’s hope that these tips and suggestions have given you a fresh take on the situation.
