Last year, more than 4.3 million people in the United States quit their job and found a new direction.
With the pressures of the pandemic and the need for more money, people are looking for stable careers.
If you own a business and want to ensure that you have happy staff, there are a couple of things to try. Continue reading to learn how to keep employees happy so that you can run a successful business!
1. Provide Flexibility
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One of the best methods on how to keep employees happy is to provide flexibility.
There are several ways that you can provide flexibility to make staff feel like their personal lives matter. Giving them the option to start the day early or later can help match schedules more easily and give people a break.
Flexibility is a great way to motivate staff, however, you must set clear guidelines so that no one gets taken advantage of.
2. Offer Work From Home Options (WFH)
With schools closing down and work centers going under COVID protocols, it is important to offer work from home.
Work from home gives staff the chance to get their job done from anywhere they get wifi. This allows people to work while they are in quarantine or have to stay home with their kids.
If you don’t provide WFH, you might have a difficult time filling positions.
3. Pay Above Minimum Wage
There isn’t a single state that provides enough minimum wage for a family to live off of.
People that are working full-time and making minimum wage fall into the poverty category, which isn’t good. A single parent isn’t able to raise their child with minimum wage so if that is all you are providing, your staff won’t be happy.
4. Recognize and Reward Staff
Noticing staff for their hard work can help motivate and encourage them.
When people feel that their efforts are noticed, they are excited to do them again. If your team has a great week or quarter, don’t be afraid to reward them with an extra day of PTO or WFH.
You shouldn’t put your company in debt to provide incentives, but they should be something good so that the reward is worth the work.
5. Be Understanding
Life happens and people are still expected to go to work and get the job done with a smile on their faces.
If you want to manage your staff differently and make them happy, give them your understanding. Being understanding lets them know that they can rely on you and respect you. If you aren’t understanding, staff can become angry, irritated, and upset.
Do your best to be accepting of changes and need to adapt.
6. Create an Inclusive Environment
Have you ever worked a job and when you walked around the office there seemed to be cliques?
When small groups form and gossip starts, employees that were once happy at their jobs can become miserable. Stopping negativity from staff will create an inclusive environment where hatred isn’t tolerated.
Encouraging staff to communicate and build trust will help make the office more accepting as well.
7. Provide The Right Tools
When staff feels unprepared to do their jobs, they can get frustrated and unhappy.
Keeping your staff happy means that you will need to provide them with all of the resources that they need to get the job done. Before you hire someone, look at their job description and write a list of items that they will need.
Throughout their employment, you should be checking in with staff to ensure that there isn’t anything else that they could use.
8. Avoid Micro-Managing
No one likes to be micro-managed in the office, it can make you question your abilities and get irritating.
Avoid standing over the shoulders of your staff. This can put everyone on edge and reduce productivity. Having weekly meetings with staff to get updates and provide guidance is the best way to give them trust while still providing guidance.
9. Get A Comfortable Office Space
Finding an office space for lease that is spacious is important.
If you want to keep your employees happy on the job, you should give them space of their own. This will make them less timid to make calls and get work done without other people over their shoulders.
It is also a good idea to invest in a comfortable and spacious building so that people can feel safe. With how quickly germs and bacteria can spread, it is a good idea to keep some distance between staff.
10. Give Clear And Positive Feedback
Running a business means that you have to master a variety of skills to be successful.
Not only do you need to understand the industry, but you also need to understand how to talk to your employees. Communicating with staff can be intimidating if you don’t know where to begin.
Providing staff with clean and positive feedback can help them feel more secure in their work. This is also a great way to reward them for doing an excellent job.
11. Stay Consistent
No matter what business management style you use, you must always remain consistent.
When a leader isn’t consistent, staff are likely to take their paths and not work as hard. You should be consistent with the way that you give praise and the punishments when things aren’t happening as they should.
Controlling emotions is another important factor that leads to happy employees. 8 Important Small Business Inventory Management Tips
Do You Know How to Keep Employees Happy?
Learning how to keep employees happy can increase your sales and make your company more efficient.
With so many job openings being open, it is difficult to find quality staff. If you want the best of the best, you have to be willing to provide the best atmosphere and benefits. Although some of these will be investments, you should get your money back with increased revenue from motivated staff.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about business management and having happy employees!
