How to keep employees happy – Employees work at their best potential when they are provided with a healthy and encouraging environment. Every organization wants to grow a happy and satisfied workforce, but not every employer can afford high salaries and frequent appraisals. Recent studies have proved that satisfied and happy employees are 12% more productive and active. As an employer, if you feel that your employees are not performing well, you should try to identify the problems they are facing. It is possible that your employees might not be satisfied with their current salary and think they deserve a raise.
It is always a good practice to give a raise to your employees when it is due, but when it is not a practical option, you have to think of other ways to motivate your workforce.
Regularly Recognize and Appreciate Your Employees’ Achievements and Efforts
As an employer, you should appreciate your employees and recognize their efforts. This goes a long way in keeping your workforce satisfied and happy about their job and position. Given below are some ways to appreciate your employees:
- Announce employee of the week/month from various departments of your company
- Arrange company lunch or dinner on a regular basis and appreciate employees in front of each other
- Engage your employees by asking for their feedback on the company’s processes and recent initiatives
Always Set Realistic Goals
Your workforce is your ultimate asset, and you are as good as your team. As an employer, you must always avoid putting your employees under unnecessary pressure as it can affect their productivity. To get the best out of your team, it is essential to set realistic goals and facilitate your team in the best possible way to achieve those goals. As an employer, you can:
- Divide the tasks and set comfortable deadlines
- Give a shout out to your team on completing every task so that they do the next task even better
Keep Your Employees Informed and Updated
Always keep your employees in the loop about upcoming tasks and official main events. It incorporates self-confidence among them and can go a long way in developing a strong professional relationship between the employer and its employees.
- Share information with employees about the future strategies of the company aimed at their well-being
- Involve employees in the planning of monthly and annual events
Have Complete Faith and Trust in Your Employees
At times, giving a raise does not help as much as showing faith in the abilities of your employees. It becomes even more important when one or more employees are not performing well. This is the time when you have to keep faith in their abilities and avoid making decisions in haste that can have a bad impact on the entire workforce. You can show faith in your employees by:
- Evolving a flexible work environment that promotes creative thinking
- Identifying the problems faced by employees and helping them find a suitable solution as a true mentor
Encourage and Develop a Positive Working Environment
In addition to regular appreciation and recognition, it is also important to develop a positive working environment for your employees. Introduce the idea of social spaces and relaxing arenas where employees can spend their free time.
- Renovate and redesign the existing workplace and workstations of your employees
- Allow your employees to take a break from work whenever they feel too tired
- Arrange workshops for enhancing the skill set of your employees
Make Organizational Policies Related to Vacations and Paid Leaves
It is vital to give your employees ample room to balance their work and personal life. This is how you can make your employees feel valued, calm, and composed.
- Reward your employees with paid leaves and vacations
- Encourage them to plan their earned leaves in a way that they can have a great time with their family and loved ones
Introduce Onsite and Online Courses for Employees
Employees feel valued and motivated when they are given opportunities to improve their abilities through professional training programs. Conference speakers and influencers can be invited to motivate your employees. Investing in such initiatives will ultimately help enhance the productivity of your business.
- Introduce managerial training workshops for your young employees to help them build leadership skills
- Provide consistent career advice to help your workforce be prepared for challenges ahead of them
- Social interactions and seminars keep your employees connected with each other and the top management of the company
Offer Incentives and Benefits
Organizations must give their employees long-term benefits such as life and health insurance. Offering these benefits will build loyalty among employees and motivate them to work with more dedication.
- Employers prefer having dental and OPD coverages
- Company financed transit expenses, gym, and recreational facilities can motivate employees
- Recreational and health facilities attract employees and keep them motivated
Stipend for Online Subscriptions and Continuing Education
Employees feel valued when they are compensated for continuing their education or when they show interest in professional training courses.
- Stay in touch with your employees to know their future plans
- Share advice with them on how they can build a strong professional profile
- Introduce and, if possible, sponsor professional training courses for employees
Conclusion
Determined and committed employees are the backbone of every organization. An employer should take every step that can promote positivity and motivation among its employees. However, making employees happy by offering a raise can sometimes be difficult on the employer’s part. This is when the employer should be most transparent and talk to its employees about the genuine reasons why a raise might not be possible and how the company plans to cater to the expectations of its employees in the near future. Being open to your employees and promoting a healthy working relationship can help keep your employees happy and satisfied even without a raise.
