If you want your business to do well, there’s a simple fact you have to keep in mind: your staff need to be happy. This is all the more important in a small business where you have a small number of staff; you have less room for error. It can take a huge amount of time to hire new people into a small company, so you need to hang on to the ones you have. The easiest way of ensuring that your employees stick around? You guessed it: keeping them happy.
There are plenty of proactive things you can do to keep your employees as happy as possible — but it’s worth investigating the other side of the coin as well. Below, let’s explore the areas and faux pas that you need to avoid, so your employees are always coming to work with a smile on their face.
#1 – IT Delays
If an employee wants to do their job and their computer isn’t functioning as it should, then frustration for the employee is going to be immediate. Having your computer break down is irritating enough in and of itself, but you as the company owner need to ensure you don’t create a second irritation: forcing employees to deal with long waits for IT support. You can’t prevent there being the occasional tech glitches, but you can invest and focus on ensuring that any glitches are fixed as soon as possible.
#2 – Lack Of Clear Information
Your staff need to be kept aware of your requirements from them and any changes to company policy. One of the best ways of doing this is to send a weekly newsletter, so everyone can stay up-to-date with any changes or developments. Staff hate feeling out of the loop when it comes to the company that they work for, so be as inclusive as possible and always allow staff to ask questions if there is something they need clarification on.
#3 – Pointless Rules and Requirements
As an example: requiring all men to wear a tie to work in an office, where the only people they will see all day are their colleagues. Rules and requirements like this have no place in the modern working environment, which is far more casual. If you’re too Draconian, then you’re going to cause employees to feel stifled about issues that don’t even relate to the work they’re doing. If you’re going to put rules in place, then make sure you have a good reason for doing so — for example, wearing safety goggles when operating machinery.
Your staff are arguably the most important part of your business. Most staff members will want to do a good job and be loyal to your company, so it’s vital you don’t give them a reason to feel differently. If you need to make a few changes to the way your business operates for the good of staff morale, then you should consider doing so. By ensuring you take care of these problems, your staff will be happier, and your business will benefit as a result.