Creating Smiles: 5 Ways to Boost Employee Satisfaction

One of the many things tech giant Google is famous for is the incredible perks its employees enjoy. From free healthy meals served daily to free lectures given by esteemed personalities, Google employees are surely living the dream. With an amazing treatment like this, no wonder Google is consistently reported to have a high rate of job satisfaction which has risen by 37% in 2018. They later on proved the correlation between employees’ happiness and work productivity. As their employee satisfaction rate increased, the company’s work productivity also increased by 12%. Although not all companies can offer a pampered treatment like Google, you can still do something to enhance your employees’ lives at work.

Here are some tips on how you can boost their happiness:

1. Encourage work-life balance

Being glued to the computer from 8 to 5 every day can already be exhausting, not to mention other stress factors like grueling commutes, tight deadlines, and stressful tasks. It is important that your employees have enough room to breathe or it could result in something bad: burnout. In May 2019, the World Health Organization has classified “burnout” as an occupational phenomenon that ensues from unsuccessful management of chronic workplace stress.

To ease the burden of their daily tasks at work, you should provide tools that will aid your employees at work. Digital tools for collaboration like Convene can transform the way you hold meetings and increase efficiency at work. Alternatively, encourage your employees to take some time off. Vacations will allow them to disconnect and relax after a laborious project. Everyone needs a good rest and enjoyment in their lives to avoid getting spent. Once your employees have fully recharged, they will be in a better disposition at work. The work-life balance will keep them on their feet.

2. Promote positive reinforcement

Every industrious employee deserves recognition to boost their confidence at work. Perhaps, you could give your employee a token for completing an arduous task. You can also consider giving a raise to employees who demonstrated exemplary performance for a period of time. Recognizing your employees’ hard work should be done regularly as it motivates them to do more and well for the company. Positive reinforcement shapes not only behavior, but also enhances an employee’s self-image. Employees who receive rewards develop self-confidence, produce output with higher quality, and improve their productivity in the office. Hence, employees become eager to learn and continuously work to excel in their field.

3. Provide adequate training and development

Training is an essential factor in honing employees’ skills and knowledge. By providing training programs, you allow your employees to have a consistent experience and background knowledge of their work. Employees who undergo training are expected to perform well since they have a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the company. They also become fully aware of the company’s expectations and procedures. With this, you can easily identify the weaknesses of your employees, refine their skills, or address aspects they lack. This will ensure your employees are equipped to accomplish their tasks with minimal supervision.

In addition, a survey released by CareerBuilder presents other factors that extend employee retention apart from good compensation package. One of these factors is increase in training and learning opportunities for employees. Around 35% of the respondents believe that if they have the avenue to expand their knowledge or develop their skills further, it entices them to stay longer with a company. Employees feel more valued if you take part in helping them grow in their individual careers.

4. Communicate frequently

To understand how your employees feel, you need to communicate with them regularly. You can ask them to evaluate their field of work, the people they engage with, and even their workplace. There might be things you don’t notice, but have been affecting your employees, and they are just too shy to speak up. Your employees’ perspective about their job also reflects the image of your company. Thus, it is important to establish a good relationship with your employees. If you keep open communication with your employees, it will be easier to discern problems and address them afterwards.

Communication is a two-way street. If you want to know what’s happening with your employees, you should create a judgement-free workspace so that they can be comfortable to share their thoughts with you. When faced with issues, some people would rather opt to sit quietly at their desk or just find a job elsewhere. You need to motivate your employees to be straightforward with you so you’ll know how you can assist them with their needs.

5. Break up routines

Office life can get dull or boring, especially for employees who have repetitive tasks. A simple gesture such as buying your employees coffee or organizing a small office party can put a smile on their faces. Whatever you decide on, the important thing is to break the routine for the workweek. Surprises add spice to life and can demonstrate that you appreciate their time and effort in the company. It can also be a good push for your employees to keep moving forward.

For a long time, work has a negative connotation of being stressful which can suck the life out of anyone. But that doesn’t have to be the case when you can redefine the lifestyle at work. Raising employee satisfaction greatly contributes to the performance of your company. You cannot achieve success without your workforce. A good compensation attracts employees, but a supportive company prolongs their stay.

When employees see that you value their hard work and take care of their well-being, they would recognize the good nature of the company. You establish a connection with your employees if you learn to understand how they feel and take the right measures to improve their state. By doing this, you can further strengthen employee engagement and build a tight-knit organization with satisfied staff.