If you run a business that employs staff, you will be all too aware that they are one of your most important commodities. You will also be aware of the high cost of recruitment and the disruption that happens in your business if you have a high staff turnover. Therefore, all the signs point to finding new ways to keep your staff happy and at your business. The secret lies in making them feel both challenged and rewarded, though this is not always the easiest balance to achieve. So, here are a few methods of keeping staff happy and at your business.
Review the Benefits You Offer Them
Obviously, the number one benefit that you provide your employees is their bottom line salary. To begin with, you want to make sure that this is in line with their experience and the area they work in so you could use salary benchmarking services to give you a fuller picture. But beyond the salary, staff are looking for what else you can offer them. Do you provide them with flexible working? How many paid holiday days do you offer? Do you offer additional perks like gym memberships etc? Sometimes, it is the little things that make employees feel valued like getting a present on their birthday. So, you should always review what your employees get out of working for you ahead of other companies.
Communicate with Your Team
One of the main issues that causes staff to leave a particular business is that they don’t feel listened to. So, you should make a habit of getting ideas from everyone when you are involved in staff meetings. You should also make a habit of meeting up with employees on a one-to-one basis so you can encourage open and honest communication. Find out what they are happy with and what they think needs to be changed. Modern offices tend to have an emailing culture, and while this is efficient, you can also lose the personal touch that comes with regular human interaction.
Focus on Developing Employees
When employees feel like they are stuck in a rut and doing the same old tasks day in, day out, this is when they can become frustrated and look for other opportunities that are on the horizon. Continual training and development is not only important for their job satisfaction, it is also essential for your company as a whole, particularly with technology advancing at such a rapid rate. If new opportunities start to open up at your company, you should always be looking to develop existing staff members into these roles rather than recruiting externally. Ultimately, it is all about your team feeling like they are always moving forward.
Set Goals and Provide Feedback
Again, setting goals is all about motivating your employees to achieve bigger and better things. But you don’t want to simply make these goals arbitrary. There should be some sort of incentive that is pushing your employees to work harder. One of the other issues that employees find frustrating about working for particular companies is that they never receive feedback. Without an indication of how they are performing, your staff will never feel rewarded for a job well done or be able to work out new ways that they can improve. You should make a habit of setting performance reviews in which you give an appraisal of how your staff are doing, making this an opportunity for two-way conversation rather than simply telling them your side of the story.
Show Ambition in Your Business
If it looks like your business is stagnating and you are showing no signs of growth, more ambitious members of staff are likely to look for opportunities that exist beyond your company. You should always share your future plans with your employees so they know what they have to look forward to. Also, it helps to make it seem like your shared vision rather than one you are dictating to them. People are always looking forward in life and your business should be too.
Foster a Positive Working Culture
When you run a small business with a limited number of staff, it is much easier to retain control of your business culture. However, as you begin to grow and develop, this can easily start to slip out of your grasp. Ultimately, you should be trying to create an environment that encourages communication and innovation. Obviously, issues will arise from time to time but you should always be looking for proactive ways to resolve disputes.