Keeping your staff smiling is critical to small business success.
By Henry Brown
Employee satisfaction is vital to the success of your business, particularly if it is small. You can’t run it all on your own, which is why your employees should be so important to you. In a small business, each employee is likely to have a larger role. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that you don’t lose them because they are unhappy at work. Here are great tips on how to improve your business by boosting employee satisfaction.
Offer praise – A simple way to improve employee satisfaction is to give them praise. Tell them that they’ve done a great job today. If you aren’t in the office often, or don’t see your employees, a letter or an email can go a long way. Employees want to feel appreciated, especially in a small business where they know they’re important to you. Praise sent in their direction can go a long way to instantly improving employee satisfaction.
Be approachable – Having a boss who is aloof and unapproachable is a nightmare for any employee. So make sure you aren’t that person! Be sure workers do not fear having to bring you bad news, so employees don’t feel worried about telling you things. This can be destructive to both your employee’s satisfaction and your business as a whole. Working on your own approachability will improve your entire business’ communication. This will be positive for both employee satisfaction and your business.
Handle HR issues professionally – No matter how small your company is, there are some aspects of business that need to be handled professionally. These are areas such as employee vacations, lateness, or the confidentiality of personal information. A great tool to use is online HR software. This software will deal with these aspects of your business in a professional manner, so your employees will feel they are in safe hands. And that holiday they booked isn’t going to be forgotten!
Provide perks – Perks are an easy way to boost your staff’s morale. This doesn’t have to be large bonuses either. Consider simple perks such as a fancy coffee machine, a discount on the products you sell that their family can use, or free parking. These are cost-effective perks that your small business can afford and your employees will appreciate. These are even things you can advertise when you look for new employees, so they know your business looks after its staff.
Enhance the work environment – An employee’s work environment is vital to their satisfaction. It is where they are going to be spending a third of their life, so it’s important that it appears and feels pleasant to be working in. Why not look into renovating your offices into something more modern, where your employees are going to feel proud to work in. Or add some new touches, such as a sofa area where they can eat their lunch, or a TV for their breaks. This is an easy way that you can improve employee satisfaction.
How you can keep your staff happy is important to consider if you want your small business to remain a success. Try out these ideas and see if your employee’s satisfaction improves! Good luck!
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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.
