How to Make Your Employees Happier at Work

 

Some businesses still fail to recognize how important it is to keep employees happy and motivated. If a company wishes to retain its best talents, offering lackluster work conditions will not get them too far. 

 

At the same time, negative words travel fast, and if a potential candidate hears bad things about a business, they will not bother sending their resume or will withdraw from the recruitment process before joining. 

 

On the other hand, happy employees are more productive, and they are less likely to think about quitting. 

 

The difficulty is in ensuring that your workers are happy. If you have noticed that some of them have been feeling down lately and you want to boost their spirits up, the tips below should come in quite handy.

 

Gifts

 

Let’s start with the simplest method – gifts. It is difficult to find someone who would not be happy after receiving something for free. Even something as simple as custom coffee mugs with the company’s logo or a slogan will be appreciated.

 

Of course, you could go for something impressive, like paid vacation abroad or a gym membership for a year. However, not all businesses can afford to spare the funds for such expensive gifts, not to mention having to do so for multiple employees.

 

While not seemingly much, a gift coupon for an online store is another example of a small yet thoughtful gift. According to Printify, in 2017 Americans have spent about $353.7 billion on online purchases. It should not come as a surprise that the number has grown since then, and digital gift cards play a part in the constant online shopping growth. 

 

The bottom line is that both big and small gifts work as a means to motivate employees and keep them happy. 

 

Transparency 

 

 

Transparency is often underrated because it is not necessarily a topic that many companies discuss when they hire new employees. Instead, they skip this step or just claim that things are great inside and that candidates should not worry about problems with the law or policies that stand against their beliefs. 

 

Also, it is not just new recruits that desire to see transparency in work. For example, if someone was given the benefit of the doubt to make a decision, supervisors who made the call should trust the employee.

 

Keeping secrets and failing to establish proper communication channels is another common issue. If an employer promises to hire more people to fill out the missing positions but fails to do so to save money, the backlash from employees should be quite significant. 

 

Overall, transparency lets the company build trust with its workers and makes those who work there feel like their workplace has proper ethical standards. 

 

Training Opportunities

 

Stuck in the same job with no opportunities to improve can be quite off-putting. It is no secret to see many people seeking better work that comes with training programs. 

 

It does not have to be an international conference that you can attend abroad. No, a simple local seminar is just as effective so long as it helps an employee with moving forward and adding new skills to their repertoire. 

 

Online education is also one of the answers to this problem. Thanks to platforms like Udemy and Skillshare, one can find a plethora of available courses created by some of the most prominent experts in various fields. 

 

A business could also invite guest speakers that can share their experience. This way, employees would not have to leave the workplace as they could attend the training in a conference room or another location that is in the vicinity of the main company office.

 

Lastly, it would be worth your while to seek feedback from employees themselves about what kind of training they would like to receive. Perhaps they would like to learn how to improve communication at work or how to manage stress caused by clients? 

 

An employee is free to make decisions on their own, but talking to workers and deciding together sounds like a more solid option. 

 

Benefits

Benefits are somewhat similar to gifts, but they are not quite the same. While gifts can be a one-time thing, employee benefits should be universal across the company without exceptions if possible.

 

For example, maternity or paternity leave. If the law says that a parent has the right to leave work and get paid while taking care of their children, they should be able to do that.

 

Health insurance, such as dental plans and disability leaves, are also examples of employee benefits.

 

Gratitude 

 

Saying “thank you” may not seem like much, but some employees might appreciate it more than one might think, particularly if they do not get as much recognition as they feel they should. 

 

Words of gratitude show that you care about employees and wish for them to work in the company and be happy.