Unhappy staff members won’t care about your business. This can have a huge impact on your company’s overall production, and this is the last thing that you need. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to try and help your staff members to feel more included.
The Importance of Having Loyal Staff Members
If you can make your team feel more included in your company operation, then they’ll be far less likely to leave for your competition. You may even find that they are more inspired and proactive as well. This can have a knock-on effect on your customers, as they can tell an unhappy employee from a mile away. At the end of the day, if you are able to create a lively and happy environment that has a great deal of structure and clear goals, then this will really work to your advantage. If you want to do that then you can find out everything you need to know, right here.
Take note of their Salary
A lot of employers choose to give their team a low starting wage. This is understandable, but you have to make sure that you increase it over time. If you give your team no room for progression when they work for you, then they may feel unvalued and this is the last thing that you want. One way for you to turn things around would be for you to think about how much time, money and resources you are wasting by replacing the staff you do have. When you have your calculation, you’ll soon find that it’s way cheaper for you to pay your current team more. This will have a positive impact on their self-esteem and you may also find that it helps them with their productivity too. If you have a hardworking and dedicated staff member approach you and they ask you for a pay rise, then don’t just dismiss them. Even if you cannot afford to pay them more money right now, be honest with them and consider some of the other benefits that you may be able to offer them. When you do, you will soon find that they feel more appreciated and that they are also able to feel much more confident in your company.
Benefits
Believe it or not, money isn’t everything. There are other ways for you to show your team that you care, and one of them would be for you to offer them some benefits. Make them feel valued at work and also make sure that you take into account their personal life. If you can find ways to support them at home as well as work, then this will really help them, and you may even find that you see a vast improvement in their work. If you are stuck for ideas, then it may be a good idea for you to give them more flexible working hours or for you to try and give them help by offering childcare through your company.
Holidays
Some companies give their team the chance to buy days off. This will give your team far more incentive to work hard and you may even find that it helps to keep them around for longer too. Sure, this may seem a little extreme at times but at the end of the day, it gives your team more control over the way that they work, and you may be surprised at how much they appreciate it.
Health
Offering health benefits, such as a gym membership will really benefit you in the long-term. Keeping your staff fitter can improve their productivity and it can also help them with their performance. It can also encourage them to recommend their family and friends to you if you happen to have a job opening. After all, everyone likes perks and if you are able to offer them then you may find that it really helps you with the hiring process overall. If you can, you should also look into occupational healthcare services as well.
Think outside the Box
Some of the best employee benefits are more out of the ordinary. If your team are a bit more creative, then it may be worth offering them a games room in the office. When you have something like this, you can add a football table, a sofa or even a console. This will help your team to have the most relaxing work environment and it will also help them to de-stress from time to time. Think about it, if your team are constantly sat at their desk then this won’t give them the mental break they need, and this can really impact their productivity overall.
Training
Do you have someone in your team who is competent, ready to learn and ambitious? Employees such as this are hard to come by, so you need to make sure that you reward them as much as possible. Give them plenty of chances to grow and also make sure that you give them clear opportunities as well. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you have an in-house team or whether you outsource because you need to make sure that you are providing them with the chance of being the best that they can be. Your brightest sparks will be very grateful and they will also jump at the opportunity to really develop themselves.
Progression
You have to ensure that your business has room for progression. If you promote your team within your company, then this will save you money and it will increase staff loyalty too. They are bound to stick around, and you may even find that they see themselves within your company for the long-term.
Integrate
Another great way for you to make sure that everyone is working towards the same goal and the overall success of the company would be for you to integrate everyone into the team properly. If you are able to create the right atmosphere, or one where people genuinely care and support each other, then everyone will feel more compelled to work.
Social Events
Believe it or not, it doesn’t cost a lot to put on a great team-building event. You will see the benefits immediately and when you do, you may even find that your team become closer as a result. If you aren’t quite sure how to host a social event, then you’ll be glad to know that there are so many companies out there who can take care of it all for you.
Team Targets
Setting individual targets is always a good idea, but you also need to make sure that you set team targets as well. This will encourage communication and it will also help people with their commitment too. Nobody wants to let their team down at the end of the day, and things like this really do help to foster a good amount of team spirit.
Team Meetings
Success and even progress meetings really do help everyone to keep up to date and it also helps people to feel way more included as well. Your team will feel a great sense of pride when their co-workers congratulate them on a job well done and they will also feel as though they are appreciated, which is always a good thing. If you have a team member or a trickier employee who might be bringing the atmosphere down in your business, then it may be that they don’t feel as integrated as everyone else. If this is the case then you need to work quickly to rectify the situation. This is especially the case if they are having a negative impact on those around them. It may be worth having a one-to-one meeting with them so that you can discuss everything they need.
Trust works Both Ways
Nobody likes to be managed. If you are constantly micromanaging your team then this won’t be doing you any favours, and you may even find that your team are unhappier as a result. If anything, you need to train your team so that they become more involved in your business. When you do, you give them the chance to make more important decisions and you also help them to fuel loyalty to your business too.
So there really are plenty of ways that you can help your team and if you follow the above steps then you will soon find that it’s easier than ever for you to foster a good work ethic. Of course, you do need to remember that every single one of your team members are different and if you don’t give them the individual support they need as individuals then this may have a huge impact on their overall progress within your company. If you don’t have time to do all of this then you need to make time because your team is quite possibly your most valuable asset, and if you treat them this way, you’re guaranteed to see results.