We all know those who are satisfied with their jobs report being happier overall, however, the benefits of being a satisfied employee may extend even further than previously thought

Employee satisfaction means lower staff turnover and increased productivity, sure, but recent studies suggest that, for those that love what they do, it even has long-term health benefits. Workplace satisfaction speaks into concentration, focus, physical and mental health, and the ability to manage personal finances and relationships outside of work.

Engaged employees provide better experiences for your customers, approach their job with energy, creativity and deliver better service. They remain with their employers for longer, and ultimately deliver enormous payoffs to the Triple-Bottom-Line (people, planet and profits.)

Retaining these employees is fundamental in your efforts to boost productivity levels in the workplace. Studies have shown that 78% of employees work harder and with more drive when their efforts are being effectively rewarded.

The more you focus on acknowledging your employee’s hard work, the more chances you have to keep them happier and more committed to your company’s objectives, values and end goals. It’s tough to please everyone in the same way though. Below are some guidelines and recommendations to consider in helping you increase productivity and engagement in your workplace. 

Share Your Vision & Values

Strong cultures of engaged employees have a defined and well communicated mission. Your corporate leadership is responsible for communicating that vision and keeping it in the employees front of mind. Employees that are emotionally attached to the vision believe in what they do and are committed and loyal to your company, resulting in increased sales performance and brand engagement and improved communication

Communicate Consistently

Good communication can be one of the most important things an organisation can do to foster a culture of engaged employees. Create a process for communicating with employees and always assume that the more information, the better. If you do, expect health and wellness gains and a decrease in accidents and staff churn

Healthy Team Environment

Employee engagement is dependent on how well employees get along, interact with each other and participate in a team environment. Developing a strong team helps to foster engaged employees. Everyone wants to feel like they belong to a community, a team and a family

Encourage Learning & Development

Employees strive to do meaningful work and want to know that what they do makes a difference. They also yearn for the opportunity to develop professionally and need opportunities to grow within an organisation. Managers should be constantly coaching their employees to fine tune skills and develop new ones

Leadership

There is a lot of research that suggests that most often employees leave organisations because of bad or insufficient leadership. Good direction and leadership will encourage employees to work harder and smarter to deliver better results for your company

Trust & Integrity

Trust is the foundation for healthy work environments and employees need to trust each other, as well as their leadership. Create a code of ethics and teach employees and leadership the value of operating the organisation with integrity

Clearly Communicate Expectations

Employees come to work desiring to do a good job, but to do that they need to know what is expected of them. Once expectations are clearly communicated, employees need to be held accountable for achieving their goals through a structured performance management process

Encourage Feedback

Employees need to feel like they are part of the process, that their thoughts and ideas matter and that they have a voice in how their work is performed. Actively encouraging employee feedback and incorporating those employee thoughts and ideas is a great way to engage employees

Reward & Recognition

Employees need to feel validated and acknowledged as a part of the organisation, and a well-conceived reward and recognition program has become valued within the working environment. Rewards and recognition should be integrated into the way employees are managed on a day-to-day basis

Look After Your Employees!

Developing a culture that supports employee engagement takes time. But spending the time, energy and resources to improve how employees perceive their work environment can not only have a positive effect on employees, and your clients, but ultimately your business and its triple bottom line!

At incentivesmart we work with you to build a reward focused employee engagement strategy that will drive a culture of learning, engagement, productivity and growth. Our solutions will feed news and company information in an interactive and enjoyable way to encourage suggestions and feedback, brand buy-in and product knowledge. Book a demo today to see how our platform works.