Everyone knows that happier employees means many things for a business, such as higher productivity, better retention, etc. That is why keeping employees happy is essential regardless of what your goal is for your business.
Employee satisfaction comes from all aspects of the job, not just the work itself. The environment, opportunities, colleagues, and even families are all factors affecting why your employees decide to come to work each day. If you are noticing a dip in your staff’s happiness, take a look at 5 ways to regain their spark for work.
In this article, Giftpack will show your examples of how each of these 5 ways can affect your employees.
5 ways to improve employees happiness
- Send a gift
- Prioritize work-life balance
- Create a safe space
- Communication
- Emphasize their value
1. Send a Gift
A good way to make your employees feel happier at work, or in general, is conveying your appreciation for their continued contributions to the company with meaningful gifts. You’d want to go a step beyond just verbal affirmation to give a tangible representation of your gratitude. In this case, gifts are an effective way of recognizing and rewarding employees for their efforts because it signals that you see them and that you are always thinking about them. A physical representation of your thanks rather than sticking to an email or chat message will be different. People might not remember what they ate for dinner last night, but they will remember receiving a gift at their doorstep.
Gifts can also serve as welcomed disruptions to a routine that make the day more memorable as the feelings of excitement and delight last long after the initial gift reception. Fit for any occasion, like reaching a personal milestone or fulfilling a quarterly goal, gifts reinforce the celebratory nature of the achievement.
Giving a gift sounds easy, but finding the right one is a challenge. There are a few factors to take into account before buying a gift:
- Cultural considerations
- Budget
- Practicality.
Gifting trends in 2022 indicate a decline in swag-related items and a rise in personalized or custom orders. To ensure your gifts are always what your recipient is looking for, you can hire experts to do the job. There are a number of corporate gifting platforms with various features and customizations to fit any occasion. For instance, Giftpack AI uses artificial intelligence technology to gather the digital footprint of recipients and generates personalized gift options for each individual at scale. Essentially, the purpose of a customized gift is to let the receiver feel valued as a unique person with their own likes and dislikes. Corporate gifting platforms aim to highlight individuality and choice by offering solutions fitting each business’ needs are exactly the solution for that.
2. Prioritize Work-Life Balance
Too often do we find ourselves getting caught in the rat race of life rather than taking time to pause and enjoy the moment. Finding a balance between managing work responsibilities and taking time off for personal well-being can be challenging. Taking visible steps to make changes that signal to your employees that you care about their health is another way to make your employees happier.
You can start by implementing mental health and well-being-focused guidelines to set standards for protecting employees. For instance, set no meeting days to help people get work done instead of attending meetings that could potentially be a roadblock for their priority work. Or you can set flexible working hours around child-care responsibilities as more people are transitioning to full-time remote work. Another thing is providing resources for seeking support and work towards establishing a non-judgemental environment to diminish the stigmas surrounding mental health.
Implementing well-being practices within the company can cultivate a strong sense of loyalty as employees feel their health is prioritized. Happiness correlates with employee retention as those who are more satisfied are likely to stay on longer over a period of time. Encourage your team to take time for themselves to prevent burnouts from affecting productivity.
Even taking a short walk outside to breathe in the fresh air for a break can clear their minds. Regularly unplugging and unwinding for a change of pace from work routines can spark creativity and improve overall focus.
3. Create a Safe Space
Back in the days, a safe space for the employees was considered a benefit beyond the top. But right now, almost every employer is starting with building an inclusive and open space where employees are comfortable sharing their thoughts freely without fear of judgment.
To achieve this, you will need to start by developing policies that align with current events and advocate for equality and diversity. Directly involve employees in the conversation and empower them to shape the company culture. Encourage actions and behaviors contributing to forming a supporting and transparent culture by setting expectations and communicating frequently.
Another thing is that leaders also need to be the examples by being held accountable for their commitments and principles passed down to other employees. Provide opportunities to join coffee chats or open office hours to strengthen connections with any employee, regardless of their titles. Being open and accessible for people to approach is key to fostering a comfortable environment where feedback is welcomed.
4. Communication
This is a bit similar to the third point. But even when you create a safe space for your employees to give feedback, etc, it is not 100% that you can get them to communicate. To make sure that your employees are willing to speak up, you have to build a strong culture for integrity.
Create a comfortable work environment that fosters a healthy company culture by emphasizing open and honest communication. Implement this into your hiring interview questions to filter those who qualify or at least have the will to execute such culture. Regardless of your employees’ positions within the company, communication is essential for working in teams and achieving company goals. Leaders should think about the way they manage a team and each individual’s preferred styles of communication. Prevent misunderstandings by clarifying tasks and relaying information often.
You will also want to regularly send out surveys for your employees to rate and give feedback to the company and their managers anonymously(to protect them). The main point here is to take their feedback seriously and make actual improvements. This way you not only make your company better, you’d also be showing your employees that their thoughts are as valuable as anyone else’s in the company.
5. Emphasize Their Value
Employees are the backbone of your company. Let them know how important they are through your actions and words. Share how they play a role in the big picture of the company’s direction and how important their work is to reach company goals.
Enhance their sense of value and purpose by offering opportunities for personal development and continued growth. Inspire employees to take on different responsibilities to widen their knowledge and explore new interests. Offer developmental support, such as career mentoring or training courses, to enhance their skills. These opportunities are a way of showing that you recognize their potential. Invest in your talent and in turn they will help the company grow by applying what they learned. Another way to emphasize their value is by gifting. Again, telling them how important they are to the company is simply not enough. You have to show them! The most direct way is sending them a personalized gift which will imprint a memorable moment when they receive the gift. Other ways such as improving employee benefits or pay raise are more long-term.
A happy employee is a productive employee. Happiness is a strong motivator for people to engage with their work and feel valued at their workplace as well as life in general. A great company culture embodies well-being support and open communication within safe spaces. Follow the above 5 ways to improve the happiness of you employees overall.
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