How do you keep your staff happy and productive?

If you run a small business with staff working for you, keeping them happy could be one of the biggest challenges. One survey indicated that only 24 per cent of interviewed employees considered themselves satisfied with their work life¹ – hardly a fantastic result.

So for small business owners, one challenge lies in keeping workers productive and happy within their roles. But how can you go about this?

Develop leadership skills

young employees could soon be one the biggest workforces in the world and recent research shows that 69 per cent of this generation plan on leaving their current job in the next two years², this might be because they feel they aren't being trained enough to be leaders.

Whether it's through shifting job descriptions investing in new equipment and facilities, giving more meaningful responsibilities or changing your structure entirely, you may be able to foster commitment and productivity by creating more leadership opportunities.

Asking the right questions

Many business owners regularly have conversations with their employees to get a sense of their job satisfaction. Are you using the right angle of query? Are your questions relevant to the work your employees do, or even the industry you're in? These are just a couple of things you might like to consider when trying to gauge the level of happiness among your staff.

Finding out what makes your employees happy could take some effort, and one way to find out what your employees need could be a relevant activity or game. This might also help boost team morale, motivation and productivity.

Financial incentives

Financial incentives could be quarterly performance-based bonuses, or one-offs, or even more annual leave allocations. To make these financial incentives viable, you may want to consider how your current payroll facilities can support these types of financial transactions. Often, these considerations might depend on what you can afford to do with your small business finances. Another way of boosting productivity could be the use of financial carrots. While some younger generations think businesses should be evaluated by more than their financial performance, this kind of incentive can be an excellent method of improving employee satisfaction.

Why is this important?

Often, when an employee is dissatisfied, it could affect the rest of the workplace. Negative sentiments could spread, and one unhappy employee in a small business could be detrimental on a wider level.

In summary

Small business owners might just be focusing on managing their business finances with the utmost care, however, if you’re an owner, consider applying the same diligence to how workers are treated. As the national employment rate hits the 12 million mark³ (nearly half the population), it's all the more important to make sure everyone is enthusiastic and happy.

Read about recruiting for a good cultural fit

Source:

GALLUP

1- Leesman

2 - Deloitte

3 - Australian Bureau of Statistics