Employing people to work in your business has its positives and negatives. The positives, usually, outweigh the negatives; after all, having people to work for you means that you no longer have to do it all, and you can grow your business quickly and professionally.
Yet it is important to understand what the negative aspects of employing people can be. One of these considerations is keeping them happy and engaged. Most people will focus on paying them the correct money, for example, and completely forget that people need to enjoy their jobs as well as get paid for them. Here are some ways to keep your employees engaged and get the best out of them.
Tell Them What’s Happening
You may feel that you don’t need to tell your employees what is happening and that they can just happily get on with their own jobs without needing to know everything that is going on within your business. However, although that might be true, keeping them informed and up to date on any changes that might be happening is important. If you can do this, they will feel much more part of a team, and they will have a better level of engagement. Another benefit of keeping everyone informed is that it will stop any rumors from spreading regarding how the company is doing or what might be happening.
Send out a weekly internal newsletter, for example, which includes any key updates. Alternatively, you could hold a Monday morning meeting – it would only need to take 10 minutes, and it will set everyone up for a productive week ahead.
Give Them The Right Tools
An employee who can’t do their job because they don’t have the right tools or information to do it will not feel engaged with your business. They will be frustrated because they don’t have what they need to do their own job, and they will feel as though they just don’t count. Employee consulting services might be what you and your employees need. CulverServices offers employee satisfaction consulting that can help out everyone in the office to ensure everyone feels the best at work.
It is important to make sure that everyone has everything required. Different departments will focus on different elements of this, so ask around and listen carefully; someone who is asking for CircuitStudio to create the best PCBs for you, or who wants a better printer to produce more professional looking paperwork, or who is keen to do more training, is not asking solely for their own benefit – this is something that will benefit the company as a whole.
If an employee is listened to and given the tools and equipment they need, they will be more productive, happier, and more engaged in their work, giving you a much better workforce behind you.
Set Smaller Goals
When an employee is meeting – and going beyond – the goals that are set for them, they will feel engaged. They will know they are doing a good job (especially when you reward them for it). An employee who struggles to meet their goals will not be so engaged; they will have less patience and energy to keep trying, and in the end, they might leave altogether.
The key, therefore, is to set smaller goals for your employees. These are easier to achieve and will take less time, allowing for greater engagement and happiness. As a bonus, they will usually be finished to a higher standard than bigger goals that take much longer to complete.
