Employees who feel valued in their positions and satisfied with their jobs are more productive and less likely to leave for another company. Modern business managers have been expressing an increased interest in recent years in boosting employee morale by improving their company culture and offering extra amenities.
But most companies don’t have a small fortune to spend on major renovations and expensive team-building workshops. This article will focus on ten proven ways to nurture satisfaction and productivity in the workplace. That is affordable enough to fit in just about any company’s budget.
Contents
- 1) Prioritize Employee Health and Wellness
- 2) Offer Healthy Snacks
- 3) Communicate Well and Frequently
- 4) Recognize Good Work
- 5) Offer Opportunities for Learning
- 6) Consider Flexible Scheduling
- 7) Provide a Clear Career Path
- 8) Keep Employees Challenged
- 9) Encourage Time for Passion Projects
- 10) Create Space for Collaboration
1) Prioritize Employee Health and Wellness
Modern workers spend a good deal of their time at their desks. Unfortunately, the sedentary nature of modern life can cause serious physical and psychological problems. Thankfully, there are plenty of cost-effective ways to improve employee health and wellness in the workplace.
Some companies encourage employees to take brief breaks every hour or two to get up, stretch their legs, and walk around. Others go one step further and incorporate walking tracks or even small gyms in their buildings.
2) Offer Healthy Snacks
Exercise is just one part of the equation when it comes to health and wellness. Employers should also consider offering their workers healthy snacks and free coffee to boost their energy and improve morale.
3) Communicate Well and Frequently
First, keep in mind that the most important aspect of facilitating communication between managers and employees is learning how to listen. Employee satisfaction surveys can offer workers a means of expressing what they like about their workplaces and what they would like to see changed.
But they’re only effective if managers follow up on them. Take employees’ comments and complaints seriously and come up with a process that holds managers accountable for acting on them.
Make sure to keep employees updated about what’s going on in the company. Invite the entire company to attend routine meetings and send out periodic updates via email to make sure everyone feels like he or she is playing a valuable role in determining the company’s direction.
4) Recognize Good Work
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve job satisfaction is to ensure that all employees are recognized for their contributions. Bonuses are the most obvious way to show employees they are valued.
But companies that don’t have extra employee bonuses in the budget can find other ways to celebrate personal achievements and milestones such as scheduling events or giving inexpensive gifts. If a team meets its goals, find a creative way to recognize all the employees who contributed to making it possible.
5) Offer Opportunities for Learning
Encouraging personal growth is a great way to keep employees engaged. While simultaneously giving them, the tools needed to help the company succeed. Consider implementing a continuous learning program by paying for promising employees’ continuing education or scheduling learning seminars.
Make time for personal growth and learning, since most employees aren’t going to be interested if they have to participate in programs on their own time after working a 60-hour week.
6) Consider Flexible Scheduling
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential in today’s busy world. Flexible scheduling and remote work options allow employees to work full-time without sacrificing their personal lives.
Some employees may prefer to come into the office later and leave later, while others may be able to work from home if there are no meetings they need to attend. Both of these options can increase employee productivity without taking a huge chunk out of companies’ budgets.
7) Provide a Clear Career Path
Employees want to feel like they have opportunities for advancement within their companies. It gives them something to strive for and look forward to. Offering employees, a clear long-term career path shows them that their higher-ups willingly invest time and energy to help them succeed.
Coaching and mentoring are both great ways to help promising employees recognize their true potential. Those strategies also come with the added benefit of fostering healthy professional relationships, further increasing employee satisfaction rates, and giving workers access to the tools needed to succeed within the company.
Implementing an employee mentoring platform can streamline professional matching and overall program management.
8) Keep Employees Challenged
Work can get boring, even for those who love their jobs. Keep employees challenged so they feel their unique abilities are being put to good use. Set realistic expectations, though, because while most employees appreciate a good challenge, nobody likes to be set up for failure by their higher-ups.
Consider creating weekly challenges or offering incentives for continued learning and performance improvements. When employees meet their personal or team goals, offer a reward. The reward can be minor, such as a half-day off from work or a catered lunch.
9) Encourage Time for Passion Projects
In many industries, employee innovation can help to drive profits. Encourage employees to get creative by allowing time for passion projects. These projects should be related to the company’s mission but can fall outside the purview of workers’ daily routines.
Not only does encouraging workers to think creatively by allowing them to pursue projects they are passionate about for a short part of each week, but it also increases the chances the company will benefit from that creativity.
Consider Google’s “20% time” policy. It allowed workers to exercise their creative muscles while simultaneously designing many of the products that have helped the company succeed.
10) Create Space for Collaboration
No matter what kind of company employees work for, then chances are there will be times when they have to get together as a team to collaborate on larger projects. Make it easy by creating comfortable spaces that can accommodate the whole team and provide apps to make it easier.
The Bottom Line
Employee satisfaction and productivity are intimately related issues. Ensuring that workers feel empowered, appreciated, and ready to embark on long. Successful careers within their companies don’t have to cost a fortune. Just follow the tips above and make sure to check in with workers periodically to see how they feel about the changes.
