There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. That proverb could also be applied to business. It really does take a village to raise a business and make it a success. In short we need to make sure that everyone in our business is contributing towards raising it. We need to make sure that everyone is engaged and happy in their job. This is probably one of the most important things for your business. However, it is also one of the things that many managers overlook. Is your business missing happy employees?
Sad Employees Equals Sad Business
The employees that you think are sat hard at their desk working away, they might not be. A study carried out by Gallup in 2015 revealed that only 32% of workers were considered “engaged” in their jobs. That’s a shocking statistic! If you sat an exam and only achieved 32%, then you would consider that a fail. How can we make sure that our employees are 100% happy, motivated and making our business a success?
Communication
Open communication is key. As a leader you need to make sure that you are communicating clearly. You also need to encourage clear communication in departments and from department to department. Hold weekly meetings and encourage employees to contribute to them with feedback. Make sure that you demonstrate that you are actively listening to your employees. Also, having an open door policy will make you appear approachable and you will come across as an employer who cares about their workers. Always make the time to listen to any concerns that your employees might have.
A Supportive Environment
Having a HR team will tell your employees that you are taking their needs seriously. However, an HR team can be an expense that new businesses can’t always afford. Hiring HR services can help with that. They can come in and act as in your in-house HR team when needed. They can be there for your employees and for yourself. They can help you with the day-to-day matters by listening to your employee’s feedback. They can also assist with any investigations and help you keep your finger on the pulse
You could also set up a peer mentoring scheme. This will encourage your employees to develop close working relationships with others and to learn new skills. As part of this you could set them some short-term and long-term goals. They will then feel like they have their own project and as a result should be more engaged.
Reward Your Employees
Rewarding your employee will go a long way and help them feel valued. This could just be a mention in a meeting or a newsletter. Share with the company what they did well. You could also encourage employees to nominate fellow colleagues. Ask them to share a colleague who they felt went above and beyond. This will encourage respect and positivity in your company.
Having happy employees is crucial for a successful business and luckily for us it’s quite an easy thing to achieve. At the end of the day we just need to show that we listen, respect and reward our employees.
