15 Can’t Miss Ways To Improve Employee Satisfaction

If you’re a business owner, you probably find yourself having to juggle multiple hats and titles at once. You have 101 things to remember, too, and this can leave other things neglected until something goes awry, and you remember that you should be focusing on that, too. Your employees and their satisfaction shouldn’t go neglected for too long – many business owners think that a paycheck is enough to appease their team. Still, there’s a lot that goes into keeping employees happy and ensuring they are satisfied in their role. When employees leave, it disrupts within the company. Not to mention, training new employees can be quite costly.

Below, you’ll find 15 can’t miss ways to improve employee retention.

1. Be Honest About Whether You Are Compensating Them Fairly

Firstly, be honest about whether you’re even compensating your team fairly. Of course, more goes into this than a paycheck, but paying your team the absolute bare minimum could be a recipe for disaster. Ensuring you increase their pay in alignment with the current living wage and that it’s comfortable is key. It may mean taking less money yourself, but your business could well improve as a result.

2. Show Them That You Respect and Appreciate Them

Approximately 63% of employees are more satisfied with their jobs when they feel that their employer respects and appreciates them. You can do this by getting to know them, remembering their names, and taking an interest in them and their lives. Make sure you find a way that you can show your appreciation for their work, too. Verbal appreciation goes a very long way to making people feel that they have done a good job. Get comfortable with it in a group setting and letting people know they have done a great job individually.

3. Ensure Open Communication and Transparency

If you don’t have an open communication policy in the workplace, you can expect confusion and uncertainty that will result in lower morale. Your team doesn’t want to feel like they’ve been forgotten about when it comes to company news and other important information. Ensure you have a way to inform your team that makes sense and keeps everybody on the same page. Newsletters and collaboration software can be a big help.

4. Improve The Work Environment

Take a good look at the work environment. If you rarely spend time in there, it could be time to ask for feedback from your team. If they find it too hot or cold, dirty, or simply uninspiring, improvements need to be made. A great work environment can have a huge impact on productivity and ensuring people are working to the best of their abilities. It should be comfortable, safe, and inspiring. Plants, natural light, comfortable furniture, great equipment, and a little color can go a long way to improving the work environment. Oh, and hiring professional cleaners to keep it tidy and hygienic!

5. Create An Awesome Company Culture

Your company culture is important to 79% of workers. People are always more productive and engaged when they feel connected to their workplace culture and may be likely to seek advancement. According to studies, they will also be less likely to leave if they get the opportunity to do so. Working on your company culture could be the best way to create a good atmosphere in the office and ensure everybody stays loyal.

6. Find Ways Your Business Can Become More Sustainable

See if there are ways your business can become more sustainable. Many people are now very conscious of their environmental impact, and your business should be, too. Businesses can have a huge carbon footprint and not even realize it. Find ways your business can improve in this regard and ensure everybody is on the same page for the best results.

7. Ask Them For Their Feedback and Implement It

Many business owners fail to listen to their team and actually ask them for feedback and ways they can improve. Listening to them can and will make a huge difference in their engagement with the company. If they would like you to implement more software to make their jobs easier, introducing something like DocuWare enterprise content management can help. If you’re expecting them to use their valuable time and energy on things that automation software and other software pieces can do, they will feel resentful. It’ll free up time and energy in your business and help you get so much more done.

8. Provide Clear, Actionable Feedback

Giving feedback on what they can improve on can help with satisfaction. No employee wants to stay in the dark about where they are with a company. Just bear in mind that this needs to happen enough so that you can see growth and point it out to them. Make sure that when giving feedback, you are clear and stick to what matters. Having one to one bi-weekly meetings will help you give relevant, fresh feedback and build a good rapport with each employee. If you give feedback too sporadically, it may not be relevant or helpful.

9. Support Their Skill Development

Supporting the skill development of your team can help them to evolve. It also shows them that you care about their development, not only in the company but in general. You can do this by providing tuition support for team members who seek relevant degrees or certifications.

You could even consider adding tickets and travel for key industry conferences into your human resources budget. Team building is a good idea, too. You could even go as far as giving them an allotted time each week to work on their own projects in the workplace. It might sound counterproductive, but many companies are implementing this with success.

10. Be Consistent With Your Values

Your core values shape your company culture, define your brand, and unite your employees. Being consistent with your values is a must! Your values should not be confusing or contradict your mission, and they should be clear and concise. Make sure they represent your goals and work ethic, too.

11. Give Employees A Place To Unwind

Make sure you’re giving employees a place to unwind. Burnout is a real thing, and you should show them that you take their mental health seriously. In fact, allowing and encouraging them to take mental health or duvet days could go a long way to improving their satisfaction and loyalty to the company. Ensure they have a fully stocked break room to enjoy, at the very least. Many companies are also implementing nap pods with success, as studies show that short naps can massively improve memory retention and productivity.

Having a room for relaxing stocked with games can be a great stress reliever and break time activity. Your team needs to have time away from their desk!

12. Don’t Micromanage Your Team.

If you hover over your team, it looks like you don’t trust them. Micromanaging your team is a bad idea! Take the time to develop your own project management style and allow your team to do the same. This will improve collaboration, quality of work, and productivity.

13. Find Ways To Increase Employee Engagement

Increasing employee engagement will lead to more loyalty and satisfaction in the long run. For example, you could look at introducing team building events in and out of the office. This will encourage your team to engage and interact with one another, which can help them build a rapport and learn more about how they work. This will help them work together better in the future – and they might develop a good relationship. You could try a trivia night, escape room, or just a monthly happy hour. Take suggestions from them, too!

14. Loosen Up The Dress Code

Dress codes can cause more stress for employees than you realize. They can force them to buy new clothes, feel uncomfortable, and feel frustrated when putting outfits together in the morning. Allowing clothes they are happier with within reason can ensure they are happier day today. This will mean they can personalize their look and dress comfortably, ready for the workday.

15. Reward Them For Hard Work With Bonuses

Providing bonuses to reward your team for their hard work can make a big difference to their satisfaction. These bonuses don’t have to be monetary. You could provide vouchers, clothing, drink, and food – anything you deem appropriate. You should be providing more than a paycheck. Going above and beyond for your team can make a huge difference – how about some extra vacation days? A free gym membership? Ensure that valuable candidates actually want to work for your business because it’s a great place to work! Providing the bare minimum for your team will only ever leave them feeling unhappy and taken for granted. You can also bet that as soon as another opportunity comes along, they take it.

How are you going to improve employee satisfaction in your workplace? Leave a comment below!