What makes a candidate want to swipe right on your opportunity? And what makes your employees loyal to you and your business? In today’s market, it is essential to know what makes your company a good place to work, a desirable workplace for candidates, and place where employees are happy and want to stay.
The environment which you provide to employees, potential and current, has a huge impact on the overall success of your business. Many companies make the mistake of overlooking the more cultural aspects of a job, in favour of monetary benefits. It’s no secret that when your employees are happy and engaged, they are more productive. So, to get the most out of your workforce, it is important to consider the following traits and how important they are to the success of your business.
A little flexibility helps a lot
Consider how much easier simple aspects of daily life were once companies were forced to become a little more flexible than they had been traditionally. Allowing your employees to stray within reason from the 9 to 5 could mean you benefit from a less distracted, and more engaged employee.
If flexible hours aren’t possible, you could also consider allowing flexibility in your workplace environment. Many companies saw huge and positive shifts in productivity and employee advocacy when they took their employees off their tight leash and gave back a little freedom. Traditional office culture can often stunt creativity, all it could take to spark those brilliant ideas is a change of scenery from time to time. This doesn’t always mean working from home, it could be a new co-working space, a vibrant coffee shop or taking advantage of a rare occasion that the weather permits working outside!
Pave the way for progression and communication
Structure is always helpful to businesses, however solid structures within organisations can often lead to employees feeling trapped in their current position without opportunity to grow. Building a culture of transformation will empower your employees to grow professionally. This can be done by cultivating a strong culture of learning within your organisation and building a clear career path that allows your employees to reach their full potential. You can do this by setting up workshops, mentorship programs, promotion schemes, networking sessions or even allowing your employees to set aside time in their day to learn a new skill.The key point is to inspire your employees to achieve their career goals.
Ensuring to maintain an open and regular communication between management and employees will also help to keep engagement levels high. It is important to consider the formality of this communication, while a quarterly conference could work well, in order to build upon trust and loyalty you should seek to make more personal connections. A weekly group lunch will encourage more casual conversations and help you to build meaningful relationships between leadership and employees.
Money doesn’t always buy happiness
Recognition and rewards can come in many forms, such as a salary raise or bonus. However, money doesn’t always equal happiness. When you have a happy and healthy workforce, they will thrive. Often access to non-monetary benefits goes a long way to ensuring the happiness and health of your employees. Just a few popular examples include offering flex-time, additional annual leave, free or discounted parking, gym memberships, mentoring programs, tuition assistance, and childcare.
If money is tight, for many employees, simply acknowledging their hard work in front of the team or an email sent to the office highlighting what makes them a great employee can mean the world. Motivating employees to improve their performance ultimately strengthens your company's culture.
Getting the right candidates through the door can be tricky, and if you do, how do you ensure that they remain happy and loyal? By taking the time to carefully consider your offering you can ensure that you win the war for talent and beat out your competition. If you require any help, please get in touch with our team today. Our expert consultants can assist right from your initial search, to signing on the dotted line.