Ideal Marketing Company Blog

Seminars Market Harborough

I ran  marketing seminar for Vanilla recruitment in Market harborough in May.  They are going to run a new seminar hosted by Rosie Garwood in September on aspects of making the most of your existing teams and they wrote about this in a recent newsletter.  Thought you might find it of interest.

How can I make my employees happier?

The happiness of your employees has a remarkable effect on the overall success of your business. As well as increased productivity, a happy workforce generally means lower staff turnover rates which is what any business wants.

However, in times of economic uncertainty the potential for an unhappy workforce is dramatically increased, as businesses are unable to provide pay increases and bonuses.  You’ll often find that many staff work harder to ensure they remain employed and unless you recognise and appreciate these efforts during tough times, you may find yourself facing staff resignations once the economy and labour market improves.

You can make yours a happier workplace with little or no expense at all; a place your employees will want to be, in bad times and in good by following a few simple tips -

Show appreciation – Create recognition programmes such as ‘employee of the month’ and other ways to celebrate jobs well done. Take time to give personal praise whenever possible.
Provide opportunities – Nothing feels worse than working in a dead-end job. Give individuals a clear career advancement path and allow for cross-training.
Share perks – Make sure you share out any freebies or invitations you receive. Make it as easy for the new trainee to get perks as it is for the CEO. Use your company’s buying power to offer staff discounts.
Communicate – Meet with your staff on a regular basis to keep them updated and motivated. Encourage employees to come to you directly for advice or with problems or ideas and let them know what can and can’t be done.
Lead by example – If you make a company policy, you need to follow it too. Make sure you show that you’re as committed to the long term future of the company as you’re asking your employees to be.
Stay positive – While it might be a relief to vent your frustrations publicly, nothing has a more negative effect on staff morale. If you have a problem with someone, or a mistake has been made, address it in private.
Let your hair down – Socialise with your staff. The best companies have a family feel to them and you can create a siege mentality when times are hard.
Avoid overwork – More hours spent at work do not always lead to more results. Time away from work increases people’s energy and creativity and is just as crucial. Employees have family and outside interests that help balance their lives.

The happiness you give your staff will rebound on you in positives too. Studies show that people who are happy at work significantly improve the bottom line as they are more productive, motivated and dedicated.

For more tips and practical advice on keeping staff happy, building stronger teams and how to get the best out of your staff book on to our next seminar with guest speaker Rosie Garwood from Reflection Consulting in September. See www.vanilarecruitment.co.uk to book a free place.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 26th, 2009 at 6:22 pm and is filed under Business Thoughts, Free Marketing Seminar, Marketing Talks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.