How Do You Keep Your Employees Happy and Motivated?

Yet some companies tend to lose focus on the small changes that they can make to bring and keep staff satisfaction levels high. So, what can you do to keep your employees happy and motivated in the workplace?

Here are a few options that you can try out without needing to splash out too much to keep your employees performing to the best of their abilities:

Promote a good work-life balance

Top employers recognise the fact that sometimes their employees need a break. Creating a positive culture that promotes mental health wellness and rest is crucial. Having time to be happy and healthy at home as well as at work will reduce sick leave absences and create positive attitudes towards the company’s culture, which goes a long way.

Get feedback regularly from your employees to know if any are close to burning out or feeling overwhelmed. Stress will only decrease productivity, and spending too much time at work will often cause resentment. So, make sure you promote work-from-home days, personal days off or even early-finish Fridays because, with the right work-life balance, you’ll get the best out of everybody.

Offer flexible working

If your employees can choose the times that they work and create schedules around their lives, they’ll be much more likely to be productive within those hours than your set hours of working. Sometimes it’s just that slight music coming from your colleague’s headphones that can muddle up your entire thought process. Flexible working hours make a difference, 77% of respondents from a study replied that working flexibly helps them achieve more with their time.

A flexible schedule can mean working remotely, working split shifts or hours that suit the person’s life at the time. They will get more done when they are working at the right time for them and can be fully focused!

Create a positive environment

Happy employees equal high retention, that’s a no-brainer. Improving your working environment even with small changes like brightening up the office, creating a break-out space and adding plants or decorations can go a long way.

Don’t forget to also mention all the good that happens – it tends to be forgotten. Celebrate wins, people making deals or great customer service. Verbal praise can sometimes be even more valuable than monetary rewards to some. Congratulating your employees on their hard work and achievements will make them feel appreciated and motivated to continue. Everyone likes walking into their workplace feeling welcomed!

Offer employee transport services

For some, travelling to work can be a nightmare. Parking, congestion, morning traffic – it’s all a stressful struggle that leads to you arriving stressed and unmotivated to work. These days, companies offer transport as an employee benefit. Whether it’s a shuttle bus or a full commuter service, the stress is taken away and employees can get more out of their time. On top of that, employers reduce their parking infrastructure investments and can become more environmentally friendly by choosing shared transportation.

Sound good? You can find out more today by getting in touch with Zeelo – we offer some great deals for businesses looking to add an employee commuter solution. With executive vehicles, WiFi on board and money-saving for everyone, Zeelo can help solve your staff travel needs, and handles all the management too!

The chance to progress

Every person in your company will be looking to grow and advance within the organisation, and they will only be happy and loyal if they know that that chance is possible in the foreseeable future. Whether this is a promotion, sideways moving or training opportunities, your staff will have goals that they want to achieve.

Talk to your staff and understand their goals, and then try to find a link between the business goals your company has and their personal ones. Knowing that there are career pathways and ways to be promoted will improve staff retention and make your workplace a more enjoyable place to thrive in. Think long-term!

Setting clear goals

A great way to reduce stress in the workplace is to make sure it is clear what is expected of your employees. Setting clear goals and targets gives your staff something to aim for, but most importantly lets them know when they achieve it. This gives you the opportunity to celebrate them and increase motivation. There’s nothing worse than coming to work and not really knowing what is expected of you. Setting deadlines helps to improve employees’ motivation and self-worth at work. You’ll have to be careful though – make sure your targets aren’t too harsh or unrealistic, or else it might cause stress and anxiety!

Have trust and confidence in your employees

A happy workplace is one where there is trust and respect between all employees. Employees need to know they are trusted to do their job and that you have confidence in them. They are much more likely to work hard and be productive if you trust them to achieve their objectives and perform well without intense micromanaging. Respect goes two ways, so you must promote a workplace that encourages respect for each other no matter what position you hold in the company.

Instil a break time culture

Make sure your employees take their breaks. There are many people out there who work through their lunches or cut their break short, but it’s really important and healthy for staff to take a break from their screens and have a little walk a couple of times a day. Encouraging lunchtimes or having a staff canteen are good ways to ensure break times are taken and enjoyed. It’s also a great way for staff to socialise away from their everyday spaces and meet new people – another method to increase motivation.

Invest in reward schemes and benefits

Benefits are a great way to supplement your employee’s income and can really make a difference in job satisfaction levels. Offering benefits such as life insurance and health insurance will give you peace of mind and show you are a company that cares about its staff members' welfare. Holiday rewards schemes and discounted gym memberships are also excellent incentives to work for your business and will keep employees healthy and happy. Why wouldn’t anyone want to work for you?

So, how will you keep your employees happy and motivated?

It can be tough and time-consuming to make sure all your staff are happy whilst keeping an eye on your bottom line, but it is crucial as a business to ensure a good culture and have highly motivated employees. There are small things you can do that will improve the working environment and make your company a sought-after place to work. From offering a progression process to providing commuter transport, keeping your employees happy and motivated will ensure your business thrives!

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