A hugely important part of running a business is keeping all of your employees happy. By maximizing their satisfaction, they will be encouraged to work as hard as possible, ultimately making your business a great place to be in. This means good reviews on job sites, maximal profit returns and a place where people are excited to come in every day. If you are looking for ways to get the most out of your employees, read our essential guide below.
Keep Regular Hours
There is ultimately more to life than just work. By clearly defining the time where work ends and the rest of the day starts, employees will spend more time at work actually doing their job. After all, longer hours have been proven to backfire for many companies! The German concept of the ‘Feierabend’, providing a clear gap between the end of the workday and the rest of the evening, is worth investing in here.
Hold Regular Surveys
One of the best ways to improve your business for your employees is simply to ask them what they would like to be done. Whether it’s an anonymous drop-in box — where people can write down what they think should be improved — or weekly meetings where employees can raise concerns, there’s many ways to court feedback and use that to improve the business going forward. For a more modernized option, we would recommend using online surveys such as those offered by inpulse.com.
Run Fun Team Events
Team events are a fine way to show employees that you care about them as well as a smart way to get them to bond together. These can range from those that reveal their attitudes towards work and working relationships, from those that boost enjoyability and give off a positive vibe about the company. These types of events can include:
- Paintball.
- Karaoke.
- Board Game tournament.
- Scavenger hunt.
- Cooking class.
- Trivia night.
What’s important here is not to put any of the shyer or more recalcitrant employees on the spot, but to find a gentle way to include them in the proceedings. The key word here is fun — employees want to shut off and enjoy themselves at these types of events without feeling like they are still at work!
Provide Great Office Amenities
Part of a great office is simply getting the small things right. A brilliant example is investing in a top-of-the-line coffee machine. Other amenities that improve employee satisfaction can include:
- Relaxing lunchtime gaming options such as a pool or ping pong table, dartboard or even gaming consoles.
- Comfortable couches and seats.
- A large lunch area so workers can dine together.
- Free beer, soft drinks, water.
- Food, from fresh fruit to salty snacks.
- A library room.
- A spacious, calming and clean bathroom.
By having a few of these options for these employees, you let them know that they are cared about. Additionally, by providing them with both food and entertainment options, they are less likely to leave the workplace for other reasons, thereby maximizing time at the office.