When employees are happy on the job, they also do a better job. Happy employees are likely to work harder, be nicer to your customers and bring greater creativity to problem solving for your business.

Aside from wanting to do right by the people who make your business a success, making employees happy in their jobs is good for business. Use the following tips to help make employees love your company.

Talk about employees’ futures
Even if an employee is happy in his or her current role, they likely want to know about the path for advancement in your company. A survey by employee management company Right Management found that one of the reasons most cited for leaving a job is a lack of opportunity for growth*. Keep employees happy by establishing a process to help them build their skills and achieve their professional goals in your business. Start the process by talking to employees about their goals and working backward to identify opportunities to provide them with what they need.

Minimize aggravation
Continual technical problems, a troublesome employee or other pesky parts of a work experience can eventually drive good employees away. It is easy to forget how trying a small but aggravating work situation can be to staff. Avoid this pitfall by taking employee complaints and frustrations seriously. Confront troublesome or aggravating team members to ensure that one apple doesn’t spoil your whole office “bunch.” Listen to concerns about technical problems, office conditions, overwork and other issues that can drive down employee satisfaction.

Share goals
It is natural for employees to want to understand their roles in a larger context. With that in mind, share overall objectives and your vision for your company as a means of enabling your staff to understand their contribution. Without this, it may be difficult for your team to stay motivated and happy. This information sharing can also help foster a feeling of job security across your team because it communicates that you have a roadmap for company growth and success.

Learn what matters most
Some staff members will be motivated by money, others by praise. For some employees, a flexible schedule is the most important part of a job. With a bit of effort devoted to understanding what each employee most values, you can help to keep people happy. While this may sound like a lot of effort, the information you gather on each person can inform your decisions for years to come.

Say thank you
Chances are, you are not thanking employees often enough. It is human nature to think appreciative thoughts more frequently than you actually put them into words. It is also human nature for employees to want and need recognition if they are going to be happy in their jobs. Try to increase the frequency with which you express gratitude by demonstrating appreciation in multiple ways. Send emails and give in-person thank yous for a job well done or an effort extended. Consider closing early on a summer Friday or around a holiday, if your business schedule can accommodate it, to communicate that you appreciate everyone’s hard work.

Taking care of the people who make your business a success will pay back many times over. Small and consistent steps to let employees know you appreciate them you will strengthen your team, and your overall company health.

*Right Management, “Organizational Effectiveness: Preparing Your Workforce for Change”

 

Print this article