As a business owner and employer, you want to create a work environment that empowers and motivates your team to show up every day and perform at their best. Retaining talent can be challenging for many companies, but there are several ways you can improve productivity and boost morale in your organization.
The Benefits of Taking Care of Your Workforce
Your business wouldn’t be profitable without your customers, but what keeps them coming back? Your services, goods, and most importantly, your employees! Therefore, prioritizing retention and keeping performance indicators high is more important than ever. Incentivization and perks can benefit your company and staff in many ways, including:
- High morale
- Job satisfaction
- Team loyalty
- Increased productivity
- Superior customer service
- Positive work environment
Your team will spend between 30 – 40 hours a week (or more) working and relying on their management team and peers throughout the day. Make their valuable time worthwhile and implement some of the following suggestions to create a beneficial and rewarding experience while on the job:
Make Your Workplace Safe and Comfortable
Without a doubt, creating a welcoming, safe work environment will go a long way in taking care of your staff. It will nurture a feeling of respect and care for their presence in your company, and productivity will benefit too.
A few ways to achieve a work environment that meets this goal could include:
- Require workspaces to be kept clean and orderly
- Invest in security measures
- Maintain a sense of orderliness and neatness in shared spaces like break rooms and restrooms
- Update your parking lot so it’s well-lit and secure
- Consider hiring a cleaning service for your building
These are just a few ways to show your appreciation and care for your team members and their hard work.
Purchase a Workers’ Compensation Policy
Employees have a lot on their plate between work and home life. Job security impacts both of these areas. Losing one’s job is a worry that many of us have when we clock in, but what about getting hurt?
Workers’ compensation can provide peace of mind for you and your staffers. Plus, it’s mandatory for any business with one or more workers. This coverage ensures injured team members can immediately receive necessary care and get on the road to recovery quickly without being financially burdened. It also protects your financial assets against lawsuits alleging negligence, related medical costs, and compensation judgments.
If you don’t already have this essential coverage, speak with a knowledgeable insurance provider to explain workers’ compensation pricing and the benefits of these policies. It’s often much more affordable than you realized and will prove more than worth the cost in the long run compared to paying out uninsured workplace injury claims.
Offer Opportunities for Career Growth
Employees who feel their careers aren’t challenging or are going nowhere often leave to work elsewhere. Consider offering educational opportunities for your workers to improve their current skill set, learn new job roles, continue their education, and more. Promotions into higher-level positions after completing a course of study is encouraging and provide the level of engagement they need to stay on with your company.
Encourage an Open Door Policy in Your Workplace
Employees that feel unheard often experience low morale about their jobs. Low workplace morale can have a significant impact on productivity and retention. Give your team regular opportunities to voice their ideas on their job role, the company in general, and any challenges they might be facing. Encourage your management staff to have an open-door policy to be more in touch with how workers feel and what issues might be developing to avoid disruption.
Praise Hard Work and Encourage Those Who Struggle
Whether you hand a longtime employee a plaque highlighting their years of service or just slip your billing clerk a Starbucks gift card now and then, showing appreciation is critical to company morale. Consider celebrating your team as a whole now and then by holding a company picnic, dinner, or team-building event.
For those struggling to get up to speed, have support in place that encourages them to keep at it. Recognize what issues might be affecting their performance and work with them to find solutions.
Are Your Benefits Competitive?
It’s easy to set up a standard compensation policy, but times change, and so should your benefits. When competitors offer better pay, vacation time, and retirement options, quality talent is hard to hold onto.
When putting together a benefits package for employees, make sure to include some of the following:
- Flexible scheduling
- Health, dental, and vision dental insurance
- Paid time off that includes mental health days
- Company matching retirement plans
- Encourage healthy living by partnering with a local gym to provide employee membership
Believe it or not, many workers will stay with their current employer if the benefits are competitive and meet their needs, even if their wages aren’t as high as they would like.
Provide Useful Feedback
No one likes a performance evaluation, but feedback given in a one-on-one setting has a more personalized feel. When making suggestions for improvement, avoid accusatory tones and instead be encouraging and hopeful. If a challenge sounds insurmountable, you’ll find it difficult to get your staffer on board.
Also, be open and honest about your company’s direction and how their role will fit into the bigger picture. This may be just the encouragement your employee needs to pursue additional education opportunities and become even more beneficial to your organization.
Be the Leader in Challenging Client Situations
Your employees are the voice of your business and handle customer needs every day.
Unfortunately, there are times when a client may challenge company policy or mistreat your team members. Show your dedication to your staff by supporting them during these instances.
For example, if a client verbally abuses your customer service reps, stand up for their right to be treated with respect. Even if you risk losing the account, don’t abandon your team and show you care.
Provide Fair Compensation
Every year the cost of living rises, and wages seem to remain the same. Your employees feel this pain every day they buy groceries, gas for their daily commute to work, or pay their childcare provider. Ensure that the wages you pay are fair for the work they perform. If possible, offer bonuses when employees go above and beyond their expected duties. Also, consider instituting pay raises when they consistently overperform.
Paying your staff fair wages helps ease their own financial stress and improves the overall morale of your company. However, if raises aren’t in the budget, be open about this fact and develop some alternative benefits, such as a flex day.