Keeping your employees satisfied is important for many reasons, not the least of which is the positive impact it can have on your bottom line. Whether they work remotely, in-house, or on contract, happy employees are 12% more productive on average. You can boost job satisfaction levels among your workforce by recognizing their efforts, encouraging their growth, and practicing proactive management.
4 Ways to Appreciate Your Employees
The more valued your employees feel, the more likely they are to remain loyal and invested in your business. Finding ways to show your team how much you appreciate them can:
- Shore up their sense of purpose
- Increase retention rates, and
- Reduce the costs related to recruitment, onboarding, and training
Here are four ways your business can boost employee satisfaction.
1. Recognize Their Efforts
Acknowledging and rewarding the people you work with as individuals is essential. But equally important is showing your employees as a group the impact they have on your business.
To foster a sense of accomplishment in the workplace, share key numbers weekly or monthly that reflect your team’s efforts in terms of:
- Sales achieved
- Leads closed
- Customers serviced
- Units manufactured, or
- Community funds raised
Employee recognition matters, and your team will appreciate being kept in the loop. Plus, clarifying how their efforts contribute to the long-term goals that secure their employment will give them incentive to keep up the good work.
2. Provide Growth Opportunities
Continuous learning comes with many benefits. For a start, providing staff with professional growth opportunities has been shown to reduce stress, sharpen focus, and increase self-confidence.
Consider offering career development as well as role-specific training, so your employees can:
- Expand their skill sets
- Increase their practical knowledge, and
- Think more creatively as a team
Cultivating a development culture isn’t just helpful for boosting job satisfaction – it’s critical for navigating the economic and technological disruptions so common in today’s business landscape.
3. Encourage Workplace Connections
Strong social connections in the workplace don’t just keep your employees healthier and happier, the sense of belonging they create can translate directly into improved performance.
To help your team connect on a genuine level, consider:
- Making shared recreational activities available in your company’s common area (think board games, in-house movies, ping-pong or pool tables)
- Arranging regular group outings to restaurants or entertainment and sports venues
- Scheduling weekly team lunches and coffee chats
Don’t let a remote working environment stand in the way of helping your team stay connected. Thanks to video chat technology, virtual happy hours, online tournaments and staff photo challenges are the new norm.
4. Invest in Their Wellbeing
We all know how important regular physical activity and the chance to recharge are for staying healthy. Depending on your budget and business structure, you can show your employees you value their wellbeing by:
- Arranging in-office or remote lunchtime stretch and mindfulness sessions
- Offering flexible work hours and work-from-home opportunities, or
- Subscribing to a telemedicine healthcare program
Investing in your staff’s mental and physical wellbeing will reward your business with more productive employees and lower costs in terms of absenteeism and health benefits paid out.
Don’t Forget to Follow Up
You can’t know how well your efforts to boost job satisfaction are going without asking your employees directly. And since few workers are comfortable voicing their opinions in person, conducting regular, anonymous employee surveys is the best way to go.
Satisfaction surveys not only tell your staff you care about their happiness, they’re an effective way to spot areas for improvement you may have overlooked. By inviting your employees to share their concerns and offer concrete suggestions, you show how much you value them as an integral part of your team.
