What makes a good company is its workforce. No matter how good management is, how brilliant the chief executives are, without the employees doing the work, the company will not be able to achieve its goals.
Even the most mediocre employee, with the most minimum input, contributes to the overall operation of the company. Without that small input, the entire process could not be done. It is just right that companies should take care of their employees beyond the minimum required wage and other rights-based compensations.
Satisfied employees will also be motivated to work better. It’s not difficult to keep them happy. Although what is suggested here would deviate from how businesses run their offices, they’re not extravagant and do not have to cost much.
The option of flexible time
Productivity can’t be forced. You’d end up with mediocre outputs when employees would force their brains to create something they’re not ready to produce. Salaries determine how much an employee’s hour is worth. But forcing employees to work straight just because they were paid those hours is counterproductive.
If you are too concerned about the pay, then instead of having the usual 8-hour workday, make your contracts deliverables-based. The employee could show up for three or four hours a day to accomplish administrative needs like filing documents, team discussions, and such, but then set them free afterward. As long as they deliver what you expect from them, they could do it whatever time of day they are most productive.
Help them achieve their goals
No one is working at your company just because they want to see it succeed. They are there to achieve their personal goals. Some may see your company as a stepping-stone to something bigger but give them a reason to be loyal by being responsive to their needs.
While some of your employees would be concerned about building up their careers, some are there to simply make ends meet. Help them improve their lives but connecting them to some services. Ask an expert in mortgage broker reading to visit your office to help out your employees secure a loan. Invite stockbrokers to give a talk and provide options for your employees to earn from small investments.
Train your employees
While your employees will learn as they work, there would be developments in your industry. To make your operations cope fast, your workers have to be constantly updated with the new technologies and trends.
As has been mentioned, your employees are also building their careers. Don’t be afraid that they would move to another company after getting a lot of experience from your company. It could help you with your prestige that your employees get training. But you shouldn’t worry that they would be jumping ship because if you give the right incentives, they would be loyal to you.
It would be good if you could send key personnel to train in another country. Not only will they be learning about the ropes of the job but will also be exposed to another culture. It could profit your company if they could incorporate their experiences into their work.
Give them occasional freebies
Beyond the bonus, loyal employees deserve the company’s gratitude. Maybe once in a while instead of holding your annual new year’s party in a fancy hotel, use the funds to treat employees to a simple vacation. Or maybe turn it into a gift check that could take care of their groceries for a couple of months.
Make team-building a daily initiative
Hold non-work-related events at the office to foster camaraderie instead of competition. The office can be a stressful space when employees are competing with each other instead of working with each other. This setup has been encouraged by many businesses before because they think that if employees would want to outperform one another, their outputs would be better. But remember that they are all working for the same goal of the company. The output would be better if more people would contribute to it instead of trying to ruin it.
You could have informal events at your office. Hold free yoga sessions to help relieve the stress of your employees. You could also invite a Zumba instructor, or have someone talk about art, other leisure interests. These events should not mandatory but are open to all interested employees. Have a feedback board or other similar mechanism. Management rarely gets to know the daily pulse of the employees.
If all of these looks to be too much work, be reminded that your employees make you. You had hired them. It is their job to deliver what is expected of them. But at the same time, it is your responsibility to take care of them so that their productivity remains high.
