Quick And Best Tips for Happy Staff.

Running a business is the ultimate apprenticeship; most of it is learned on the job with no set manual. There are two things that all business owners must be sure about – wanting to create a business that you would want to buy from and a workplace that you would want to work in. With these two points in mind, you are already half-way through to keeping your staff happy. Research shows that most employees genuinely care for their employer, unless faced by a bad situation that directly involves the employer. Also, genuine concern from their employer is at the top of every employee’s wishlist, and that the staff is up to 12% more productive if they’re happy.

A happy environment means nurturing your staff to thrive professionally and personally. There are always challenges to face- bad tempers, office politics, personal issues, etc. But as the boss, you must be well-equipped to deal with a host of behavioural and commitment issues of your staff.

Here are a few tips to help you staff happy:

Rewards and Recognition

Keep your staff happy by recognising the effort that they have put into achieving something, even if it is a small achievement. Along with boosting their confidence, it helps your staff recognize milestones and know that the boss cares. Appreciate your staff for small as well as big achievements as the simplest way to make them feel happy. For example, keep a box of chocolates ready to be given to the person with the highest number of sales at the end of every day. Send a simple “thank you” or “good job” email, or just simply ask how the weekend went for everyone.

So often businesses overlook simple opportunities to do such simple things that are so beneficial, if followed. Showing that you care can make a big difference to the way your staff feel about their jobs.

Smile

Do not ignore the power of a genuine smile. I have discussed this in detail in my post Identifying Genuine People. Also, remember that your personal assistant is your shadow in the office. It’s your PA answering our clients’ calls and managing your inbox. If they’re happy, your clients are happy. Remember to smile at your assistant more often than you frown at them. A flat hierarchy means staff feel trusted, engaged and appreciated. Along with smiling at all the other employees, make sure you do not forget the assistant. They handle more of your work pressure than you normally give them credit for.

Setting Clear Expectations

In a small business, each employee is important. You want everyone to be performing to the best of their ability. In order to achieve that, it is your responsibility to make sure everyone in the team knows what ‘great’ looks and feels like. Make your expectations clear to them, how important their actions are in terms of the overall success of the business, and how you will help and support them to get to where they need to be. Make them feel confident about your future goal for them.

Comfortable Work Environment

Employees want consistency, security, clarity and freedom. All of these translate into behaviours that you, as a business owner can put into action. But what works for one business doesn’t necessarily work for another. We spend so much time at work, it makes sense to create a comfortable atmosphere there. Comfort doesn’t just come from having the right equipment, it also means personalising your space as you wish. Photos, flowers and souvenirs all contribute to a colourful and welcoming office and make the employees look forward to coming back to it every morning.

Creating Socializing Opportunities

It’s important to create opportunities for staff to get to know each other at work and outside of work. Socialising extends the opportunities of feeling better. Almost all large corporations today have built in-house networks. These platforms link employees working in different locations. Small and medium-sized businesses can take advantage of readily available tools to facilitate social networking for employees create a more employee friendly and happy atmosphere. Companies even have custom social networks, to connect its staff in the U.S., for example, with employees in Europe and Asia. This not only helps form better business relationships, it makes possible the sharing of best practices across cultures. If this sounds interesting, contact HyperEffects, for a free consultation on the concept, now.

Fundamentally, it’s about recognising that your staff are your business. Take good care of them and you’ll reap the rewards.