Employees are most productive when the are motivated and satisfied with their jobs. Minimize turnover with these tips to help you build a thriving team.
Editor’s Note: This post was submitted by guest blogger, Victor T. Miller. Enjoy!
Without a doubt, the future of your business rests in the hands of your employee collective. These highly-trained individuals need to boast the experience and expertise required to bring your business idea to fruition, manage the expectations of your customers, and of course, build solvency for your business over the long term. However, if you want to work with the best of the best, these results cannot be demanded – you need to earn them.
The modern business world is facing numerous hardships when it comes to employee retention, simply due to the fact that the modern worker is not your typical employee. They will have no problem leaving you if they feel like their talents and contribution can be better utilized or appreciated elsewhere. Here to help you minimize employee turnover are the five tips that will help you build a satisfied, thriving team.
Be their boss, their leader, and their friend
Being in charge of a team of people, or an entire company, has never been an easy task. In the modern business world, though, the challenge has become even greater, as you not only have to assume the mantle of their boss, but you also have to be an effective leader, and, at times, a compassionate friend. Keep in mind that emotions have become an inextricable part of business, so if you want your employees to be happy, you need to treat them like valued human beings.
With that said, your first order of business should be to find the perfect balance between being a bit of a boss and delegating with efficiency, a bit of a leader and motivating them to give it their best, and of course, being a friendly figure in their lives they can lean on. Only by striking this balance can you expect your employees to respect you, be highly productive, and enjoy their time in the office.
Make them feel appreciated for their work
You are the Big Cheese in the office, and nobody will ever say otherwise. However, there is a fine line between being the boss and being a leader that you need to tread on carefully if you want to unlock the true potential of your employees. Namely, you should learn how to pose questions and give praise, instead of telling them exactly what to do and expecting results.
The problem modern workers have with the “boss” attitude is that you’re coming off as an all-knowing figure that’s unapproachable and unwilling to try a different method of doing things or hear out an innovative idea. If you want your team members to be truly happy, you will instead allow them to feel appreciated for their contribution by posing questions and allowing them to speak their mind. Who knows, maybe a game-changing idea is on the cusp of their lips.
Simplify their life any way you can
Automation, payroll efficiency, business software, outsourced call center services, all of these processes are geared towards improving overall performance in the workplace while at the same time alleviating much of the pressure off of the shoulders of your employees. In turn, these additions will help you create a more productive and positive work environment imbued with a sense of calm.
To take the concept a step further, you can simplify the payroll process in order to make funds available to your employees immediately after transferring the cash. Furthermore, innovations such as personalized payroll cards aim to improve the relationship between the brand and the employee, as they allow you to create branded cards with your visuals that your team members can use on a daily basis. This simple branding trick can make them feel like an indispensable part of the team, in addition to having a company payroll card they can use to quickly access their funds.
Help them unlock their true potential with education
The modern employee needs and wants to grow professionally, and they will have no problem leaving your firm if they realize that you’re not ready to invest in their education and development. As a good leader of a company that cares for its employees, you will strive to create a comprehensive educational program for your team members.
Whether you organize additional in-house training, or send your team members on specialized seminars across the country, the idea is to incentivize them to broaden their horizons and enrich their skillset so that they can use their newly-acquired knowledge to improve on the success of your own business. If you’ve implemented the aforementioned steps, then you can rest assured that their new skills and knowledge will not inspire them to leave you, but instead they will further solidify your loyal relationship.
Modernize your office environment
On a final note, it’s important to understand that the modern employee does not want to work in the same office environment their parents and grandparents used to work in. Quite simply, a 21st-century office needs to boast a contemporary vibe based on openness, flexibility, equality, health, and happiness.
One the of the best ways to bring this vibe to life is to create a multifunctional office space, complete with a main co-working area, several private booths, a rec room, and a fully-stocked kitchen. Make your team members feel right at home here, and watch as their happiness and productivity starts to soar.
In closing
Keeping today's employees interested and satisfied is definitely not an easy goal to achieve, but that doesn’t mean that such a feat cannot be done with a few tried-and-tested solutions. With these tips in mind, you can easily build a team of satisfied employees and improve their productivity in the process.
About the Author:
Victor T. Miller, a Sydney-based business and marketing specialist and a regular contributor at Bizzmark blog. I am a person who loves to inform people about the latest news in the marketing industry also as sharing tips and advice based on my professional experience and knowledge.