Finding great, qualified talent can be challenging, and employee turnover is so time-consuming and expensive. That is why it is so important to invest in your current employees and make sure they are happy to get up every day and come to work. Keep them engaged and satisfied within your company so that they will continue to grow and climb the ladder in your organization, rather than leaving to work elsewhere when they start to feel like they have gotten all they can out of their role.
What Employees Really Want
It is important to recognize that when it comes to job satisfaction, financial rewards are significantly lower on the list of what employees want from their employer than you may think. In other words, you do not have to spend tons of money on your employees to keep them happy! They just want to feel like they are a part of something larger than themselves. They want to be executing the company’s mission daily and feeling appreciated consistently.
Your Toolbox
As a company leader or someone in a management role, you should be personally checking in with your employees on a regular basis. The biggest mistake managers make is forgetting the needs of their employees or assuming that they have all of the tools, training, and support required to complete the task assigned to them. You should not be micro-managing your staff, but be sure to communicate well, often, and effectively to keep employees happy and engaged in their position. Provide them with the tools to succeed, and your skilled employees will soar.
Annual Reviews
If your company is not currently conducting an annual review with your employees, consider implementing this procedure to retain employees and increase their job satisfaction. Your staffers want to know how they are performing in their role, and love to receive recognition for things they have done well or constructive criticism on those areas where they may be struggling. The only way for people to grow is to learn from their mistakes and continue with their successes.
Incentive Programs
The simplest way to increase employee engagement and productivity is to implement an incentive program. This can be in the form of a free lunch, a half-day of work on a Friday, an invite to a special event, or even something as large as tuition reimbursement or a monthly gym membership. There is a very wide range of options for you to provide incentives to your employees, with some at little-to-no cost to you. The only thing to remember is to offer incentives targeted to your specific employees. For example, you don’t want to provide tuition reimbursement to an older workforce that most likely will not need it or a gym membership to someone who already has one. Whatever incentive you decide to provide to your employees, make sure it is targeted and based on actual performance that is awarded only after an employee has reached their set goal.
Plan a day to take everyone out for dinner a few times a year or host a holiday party for your team. This allows your team members from departments, that may not interact with one another on a daily basis, to get to know each other and strengthens your company culture. The happier your staff is, the more productive they will be, and you will get paid back for that dinner through increased productivity in no time. A happier team yields higher levels of engagement and productivity, which boosts your bottom line and decreases turnover. And always remember, a quick “thank you!” for a job well done is a powerful motivator.
What Charles Foster Can Do for You
Our team at Charles Foster is dedicated to helping you find quality talent that will stay with your company for years to come. If you need some help implementing the right incentive programs or coming up with a plan to increase job satisfaction amongst your employees, feel free to contact us. We will do everything we can to ensure your employees are loyal and productive every day.