When running a business, you might come to believe that your most powerful tool is your products/services. However, that’s not the case. Even in a single person business, your most powerful asset is your staff. No business can maintain professionalism, consistency and wide-reaching appeal with a poor standard of staff. It’s just not possible. The best businesses are so good because they are employing the right people. Staff come to work, and they are happy & ready to commit fully.
What, though, matters when it comes to securing a happy workforce long-term?
Treating your staff like adults
Instead of making your staff jump to your tune because you pay their wages, listen to them. Your staff are professionals who you are paying to represent the company. If they believe that something could be done to better your business, then ignore them at your peril.
Many people make the mistake of just ignoring their staff. If staff do not feel valued, though, they’ll find an employer who does listen to their expert opinion.
Giving your staff flexibility on rewards
While people will work for your business because of what you do, it’s also down to what you offer. Therefore, if the best that your business can offer is cheap and basic rewards, don’t be surprised if people act in kind and go elsewhere. Your staff want to have flexibility in the rewards that they get in the workplace.
If you give them that flexibility, they will reward you with even better workplace performances.
Put in place staff recommendations
Not every recommendation made is going to be possible or even useful. While you should always make that clear, it’s important that you put in place what your staff ask for. If they want to see changes to the office layout, for example, consider it. Start having more staff meetings and be open about the changes that you want to make.
Seek consensus. If people come in to find their workplace has changed entirely without their consent, they’ll be frustrated.
Open up the floor for progression
When your staff are pushing themselves to get the job done, they want to see progress. Don’t just start filling up senior positions from outside of the business. Look within. Staff who see their colleagues getting promotions etc. will be more likely to stick around. Your staff are likely ambitious people who want to better themselves.
If they feel like you never make progression possible beyond a certain point, though, they’ll seek progression elsewhere.
Create a system for solving disputes
Often, workplace unhappiness can stem from issues with fellow colleagues. Instead of cowering to HR or not putting in place a discipline system, talk it out. Let people air their grievances. It’s better to be out in the open with the real reason why there is disharmony on the floor. If you do this, staff can solve their issues and, most likely, respect that you made that resolution possible.
A happy workforce, remember, is a productive workforce. And a productive workforce builds a profitable business. Don’t just assume that a wage alone is enough to sustain happiness. Autonomy and more group togetherness is essential to making a happy, productive workforce.
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