At Barno, we know that the way we treat our employees has a big influence on their job satisfaction. But beyond that, it’s also a great indicator of how well they’ll perform in their role and how successful our business will be. It’s not just about what we pay them or whether they have a comfortable place to work; there are plenty more ways to boost employee morale and engagement that can have a positive impact on business performance as well as workplace efficiency.
Prioritise Work-life Balance
Work-life balance is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for you and your employees. When employees have time to themselves, they can focus better on their tasks during the a given workday.
They’ll also be happier in their jobs and more productive in general, which will benefit both you and them. To achieve this goal:
- Set clear expectations around hours worked each week (or day).
- Make it clear that you want people to leave at designated times so they can spend time with their families or friends outside of work hours.
Make Employees Part of the Big Picture
When you make your employees part of the big picture, they’ll be able to see how their work fits into the company’s strategy and goals. The big picture is the company’s mission, vision and values; it also includes its business model.
One way you can ensure that your employees understand their role in this larger context is by creating an employee manual that outlines all of these elements and making sure everyone reads it before they start working for you. This will help them understand how they fit into the organization as well as what makes it unique from other businesses in your industry (or even other industries).
Be Transparent and Honest
Transparency and honesty are important in the workplace. Employees need to feel like they can trust their employer, and that means you have to be honest about your business goals, how much money is coming in, and what’s going on with the company. You should be transparent about things like:
- Goals for the year (or quarter)
- Revenue projections
- Company expenses
Offer More Vacation Time
Offering more vacation time can be a great way to attract and retain talent. In fact, research shows that employees who take regular vacations are happier, more productive and less likely to leave their jobs than those who don’t take time off.
Employees who have the freedom to choose when they take their vacation days are much less likely to leave. They don’t have to find another job in order for their employer’s policies on time off, to match theirs. This means you’re likely saving money by offering flexible vacation policies to prevent many people quitting because of rigid vacation scheduling policies.
It goes without saying that if someone is considering joining your company then one thing they’ll want is flexibility. How they spend their time off from work, whether it involves taking multiple long weekends per year or just having some extra slack during busy periods helps.
Create a Career Pathway
Employees have to know where they are going in the company, what they can do to get promoted and how they can get involved in the company’s future. A manager can create a clear path for each employee that shows how their current position fits into broader plans for growth and development. This will help them understand how they fit into the bigger picture of your business, which makes them feel like a part of something bigger.
Build Employees Up, Promotion and Employee Shareholding
Your employees are your business. They’re the ones who make it run, and they’re the ones who will keep customers coming back. In order to ensure that your team is happy and engaged, there are a few things you can do:
- Build employee shareholding plans into your company culture. This could be in the form of an ESOP (employee stock option plan), or simply giving employees regular bonuses based on performance or profits made by the company. The idea behind this is to give workers a stake in what they do and that boosts morale.
- Promote from within whenever possible, rather than hiring from outside. This helps build loyalty among existing staff members while also promoting internally.
Conclusion
Taking care of our employees here at Barno, is a win-win for all of us and it can be for you too. It’s good for business, it’s good for the economy and it’s good for society as a whole. The benefits are clear: happier employees who feel supported by their employers are more valuable and engaged in their work. This means they are more likely to stay where they are!
