As a small business, it can be hard to find ways to keep your workforce motivated without breaking the bank. Unlike large companies, budgets are often smaller, so things like big cash incentives or elaborate parties are off the table.
However, there are many ways to create a motivated and productive workforce. The most important factor is your staff’s happiness.
Creating a happy work environment is one of the most important factors in improving productivity and motivation in any team. Below are five ways to achieve this:
1. Say Thank You
It costs nothing to say ‘thank you,’ but this can be a key component in your staff’s overall happiness. If they feel as though they are taken for granted it can be demotivating.
Making sure your staff feel appreciated is key to maintaining not only their productivity but also their happiness.
2) Team Building Exercises
Your staff spends a lot of time together, so it is important that they form relationships that are supportive and friendly.
Team building exercises offer a number of benefits such as improving communication, building trust and developing confidence. They provide an open, non-threatening environment in which your team can bond.
They allow staff to see that everyone has different skills and approaches to tackling a problem, which can then be transferred into the work environment, resulting in a better understanding of how to make the best uses out of each other’s unique abilities. This can enhance both productivity and overall morale.
3) Employment Benefits
When you’re a small business it can be hard to offer a full range of employee benefits that match those of bigger corporate brands, however, there are services that can help you to provide company benefits for your employees.
This can not only attract top talent, but it can also improve the happiness and engagement of your workforce. The Society for Human Resource Management 2016 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement survey shows that 80% of employees that are satisfied with their benefits are also satisfied with their job.
4) Offer Responsibility, Don’t Assign
Some people are natural leaders, while others prefer to work as a team. Offer responsibility to those who want it because giving it to someone that does not can prove to be disastrous.
Not everyone thrives under a challenge; to some, an extra dose of pressure can be too much to handle.
By respecting the decisions of your staff, you can show that their opinions and their overall happiness at work are important to you as their employer.
5) Listen To Your Employees
Failing to create a comfortable space where your staff can express their feelings, thoughts, and frustrations can result in a workforce that feels disengaged and misunderstood.
You can create a more unified culture in the workplace by having systems in place that allow your staff to connect with you and vent about their frustrations and have their creative ideas heard.
Having an understanding of everyone’s needs can, therefore, allow you to build plans that will ultimately improve both your business and your team’s happiness.
