The importance of maintaining a happy and comfortable workforce is no revolutionary idea. It is a known fact that happier employees are likely to be more loyal and better performers than their passive or disengaged peers. The challenge usually lies in finding the right method to foster a happier workplace that is accommodating for everyone. Here are five ideas you can use to keep your staff engaged and satisfied at work:
1. Show Your Appreciation With A Gift
Really show you care by giving out thoughtful corporate gifts to the whole team. You don’t need to wait for the excuse of the holiday season or everyone’s birthdays (although a small birthday present is a nice touch too!) to celebrate your staff. You can surprise everyone with gifts like custom branded stationery, snacks or sweet treats simply to say thank you for their efforts or celebrate company milestones. Save special gifts like branded picnic sets and bar and wine accessories for high performers, special events and promotions.
2. One-On-One Time
Possibly the most underrated way to ensure a happier and more understanding work environment is by holding more one-on-one meetings and fewer group meetings. This allows you to get to know your staff on an individual basis and provides everybody the opportunity to voice their concerns and ideas for progress It also affords staff who may otherwise subside into anonymity in a bigger meeting feel valued and heard in their place of work.
3. Health and Wellbeing Initiatives
This can mean initiatives that promote better health and physical activity within the workplace, for example, providing weekly exercise or meditation classes on an open-invite basis, installing bike racks and showers to encourage cycling to work or simply supporting more walking with walking meetings. Encouraging more physical activity and bonding over exercise is a great way to bond with your team while at the same time boosting endorphins and healthy work culture. Inviting a masseuse or mobile physiotherapist into the office for bot of stress relief of treatment of niggles can be a significant morale booster.
4. Friendly Competition With Attractive Incentives
Stop your business from turning into a hub of monotony and introduce new challenges and goals to keep you team stimulated. Some ideas could be a sales sprint, a creative challenge like naming or designing something or even an ambitious performance target. Be sure to back up any challenge with a handsome incentive like sport or movie tickets your staff would be interested in, or something practical like a week of work at an earlier finish time or a paid day off for their efforts!
5. Rewards and Recognition
The best and most straightforward way to thank staff for their efforts and achievements at work, is by telling them directly at a rewards and recognition event. You can look up common awards categories online or get creative and make up your own titles and awards that reflect the unique staff talents you appreciate! To create a healthy level of anticipation, don’t hold your R&R events too close together, especially if is held mainly outside of office hours. Smaller, more regular events could be held monthly, whereas a 6-month or annual awards party will definitely call for a bigger celebration! Transparency is key. Your staff don’t want to feel like their employer is disinterested as to whether or not they are happy. Show them your appreciation and keep them engaged by following any of the above steps and remember to take the time to say thank you.