While customers feed revenue into your company, it’s your employees that get the job done to make that happen.
That’s why leaders need to invest in their people in more ways than one. So beyond just paying their salaries or connecting them to a bank that can grow their personal savings, what are other things you can do to invest in your employees?
Sponsor events, training, and causes
Compensation and insurance benefits form the backbone of your employee investment strategy. However, you’ll need to do more than that to have engaged employees throughout the entire organization.
Invest in events and happenings outside of the company. For instance, the company can sponsor training in data analysis or business writing provided by an external organization. This will go a long way towards employees’ professional development.
Additionally, your company can also organize volunteer events and charitable causes that benefit the local community. Employees are always looking for opportunities to share their time and skills outside of work, so they might as well create avenues for giving back.
Initiatives like these make employees proud to be part of your company. They might even spread the word about it and help recruit other talented individuals.
Connect them to people you know, grow their network
Exposure to different ideas and concepts can give employees great insights that they can apply in their work. Unconventional approaches can lead to breakthroughs, and specific influential figures can share a unique perspective on a particular issue.
Practically speaking, it gets employees out of their comfort zones and builds new relationships.
For some leaders, it seems counterintuitive to connect employees to their network. After all, it would only be a matter of time before a more lucrative opportunity lands on their doorstep, right?
While that is a possibility, if you’ve established good relations with your employees, they wouldn’t engage in any underhanded moves. If they eventually move on, though, don’t begrudge them for it. Instead, take pride in the fact that you helped them grow their network. Who knows, they might still find ways to continue working with you in some capacity.
Strike a balance between work and personal life
It seems obvious, but not many companies follow through on this. Employees need to commit themselves to any project or initiative, but at the same time, there are boundaries.
Employees are people who have their own lives outside of work. Respect the boundaries between work and personal life, and you’ll help them stave off burnout.
Indeed, you can’t avoid overtime work in certain situations, and that’s fine. But asking employees to do more than what is expected all the time will hurt your company in the long-term.
Improve the work environment
Lastly, making the office a decent place to work helps employees be more productive.
Invest in proper chairs, tables, and other equipment that can help get the job done. If lighting fixtures don’t provide optimal illumination, schedule repairs or replacement to help employees avoid eyestrain — especially if they are staring at computer screens most of the day.
Additionally, you can also build special rooms where people can step back a bit from work. This is an ideal space for therapeutic activities like meditation and quick workouts.
