Without your staff your business wouldn’t be able to run.

But are your employees happy? It is incredibly important that your staff enjoy their work. If they don’t, they’re likely to seek out a new job. Check out our top tips for keeping your employees happy, in order to retain them and build a stronger staff team.

 

Make work fun.

All work and no play makes us all dull! Organisations that allow a little fun now and again, with occasional joking around have stronger organisational cultures. When mistakes happen, people can see the funny side and are not just focused solely on the downside. It doesn’t need to come in the form of fancy lunches or nights out. Take time during the morning break or lunch hour to chill out and have a laugh with your colleagues.

When work stops, it stops.

As a business owner, you can continue to work after hours if you want to, but don’t expect the same from your employees. If your employees are putting in the hours during the day, don’t contact them when they’re at home, enjoying their weekends or while they’re on holiday asking them to do extra tasks. A few emails or phone calls can wait until they’re back in the office. If for some reason the emails or calls can’t wait, why not send the emails or make the calls yourself? Are you paying your staff to do additional tasks at home? probably not. Your staff have lives outside of your organisation. Let them enjoy it.

Say thanks and acknowledge greatness.

One thing that keeps everyone going at work is praise. If one of your staff has worked really hard on something, let them know they’ve done well. Is someone is persevering with a mundane task? say thanks. If your staff recognise that you’re recognising their efforts, they’re more likely to be motivated to stick at it and work hard. Simply, if your staff feel under appreciated, it will show in the quality of their work and they might even leave.

Take a chance on them!

It is nice once in a while to give your staff new responsibilities and chances to prove themselves. Maybe there is a big project coming up, or some new smaller roles have opened up. Why not challenge your staff to step up to the plate? You should want your staff to progress, but you need to create those opportunities for them or they will go elsewhere to look for other opportunities. Take a chance on your team, and work alongside them to help move the entire business forward.

 

Encourage wellness among your staff.

The better an employee feels, the better work they will produce. Are your staff tired and overworked? Maybe they are unable to switch off? Are they getting the breaks they deserve? Maybe your staff are ill but are still coming to the office? Is the working environment uncomfortable?

If your employees are worn out, they can’t work well. Encourage wellness among your employees. Make sure they are not working for hours on end without breaks.  If your staff are working long shifts, consider letting them away a few hours early at the end of the week. Make sure their working environment is clean, fresh and comfortable.  These little things can make all of the difference to your staff and their morale.

Talk to your staff.

Communicate regularly with your staff. Allow them to feel part of the organisation. When was the last time you asked your staff for suggestions? When was the last time you asked your staff about and concerns they had? It’s easy to get caught up in the running of your business to the point where you forget what really matters – the people who keep it running.

 

So there you have it, our top tips for keeping employees happy! Are you guilty of overlooking your staff? Go ahead and implement some of our top tips and see if you can improve your staff relationships and morale!