It doesn’t take much to create happy and satisfied employees, yet a lot of employers struggle with quick turnover rates because their people keep leaving for better opportunities. But this won’t be happening in the first place if they listened to what their employees have to say and addressed their concerns.
Most employees will be satisfied with their jobs if they are given enough growth opportunities and chances to do better than yesterday. Contrary to popular belief, employees don’t necessarily stay in a company just because the pay is good. Of course, a good-paying job is always welcome, but other factors can come into play during the decision-making.
One of the biggest reasons employees have for leaving despite the high salary is because their employers don’t care about their health and welfare. In such situations, the employers may be seeing their employees as nothing more than machines that they pay to work hard without giving them any room for errors.
However, your employees are only human; they get exhausted and make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t add value to the company because of these. Instead of looking at your employees’ humanity as weaknesses, help them become more productive by eliminating the obstacles that are hindering them from showing their full potential, such as:
The Physical Environment
Much like how you find it difficult to focus on the task at hand when your environment is noisy or uncomfortable, your employees are probably the same. For instance, if the air-conditioning unit in the main workspace is malfunctioning, it can either be too hot or too cold for your employees to continue working undisturbed.
Or imagine that the building next door is undergoing construction during working hours, so there are constant hammering and drilling sounds that engulf your workspace. When there are a lot of disturbances in the environment, it would be impossible for your employees to find the concentration they need to stay productive.
As an employer, you must provide your employees with an environment that’s conducive to working. So, if the office temperature is affecting your employees’ productivity, don’t hesitate to call a technician for an air-conditioning system repair. Or speak to the contractor next door to compromise on a good time for them to start working.
The Mental Environment
Aside from the physical environment, the mental headspace of your employees is just as important, if not more. And because you don’t know all your employees personally, it would be impossible for you to learn about their home lives or relationships, which can affect their productivity.
Although you’re not required to worry about what’s going on in their personal lives, it may help them keep it together for their jobs if you don’t force them to jump through hoops or take part in your mind games. Don’t place unnecessary pressure where it’s not warranted because that can count as your employee’s last straw before they reach their breaking point.
Try to remember that you’re working with human beings, not machines. Of course, you shouldn’t allow their mistakes to be swept under the rug, but give them a chance to prove themselves again, even more so if they aren’t normally this way because they might just be dealing with something no one knows about.
You may think that putting enough pressure and instilling fear will work when your employees are underperforming, but these might just do the complete opposite of what you want to achieve. That’s why you have to make sure that you’re not the source of negativity and toxicity in the workplace.
The Digital Environment
Once you’ve taken care of the physical and mental spaces, the last aspect you need to prioritize is the digital environment. This is especially true if your business is dependent on software solutions and other technologies for your day-to-day operations because if one thing falters, the rest will soon follow.
For example, your company was targeted in a cyberattack that caused all your computers to malfunction simultaneously because you don’t have a cybersecurity protocol in place. Not only will this event cause you to lose all your business data in the process, but it will also hinder you from moving forward to reach your goals because the attack will set you back.
A cyberattack can easily dampen your employees’ productivity, affect your company’s reputation, and even lead to financial losses. So, don’t take cybersecurity for granted. By preparing for the worst when it comes to protecting your data and digital environment, you’ll be ensuring that your business can continue operating no matter what.
It doesn’t take much to create happy and satisfied employees, which is why you should always do your best to show them that you’re willing to adjust to their needs. But it’s a give-and-take relationship. By providing your employees with everything they need to do their jobs, they should be willing to uphold their end of the bargain. This way, you can quickly improve your company’s bottom line.
