Engaged employees build successful businesses
Keeping employees engaged can be challenging, particularly if you’re running a small business with limited resources. There are, however, a number of easy steps you can take to make a difference, according to Page Kirk’s head of HR Imogen Eley.
When you’re running an SME, you’re inevitably focused on the day-to-day issues of finding and retaining new customers, delivering your product or service and ensuring a reliable cashflow. While you know that well-motivated employees are critical to your business success, it can be hard to have the time to devote to personnel issues. Particularly if you don’t have a dedicated HR function.
Here are seven quick wins that can help to improve the motivation and commitment of your staff.
- FOSTER OPEN COMMUNICATION
Surveys and suggestions boxes are great ways to keep in touch with opinion even when you don’t necessarily have time for regular meetings. Give your staff channels to communicate their point of view to management, creating a healthier and more constructive atmosphere.
- PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH
Your people will feel more committed if they sense they have an opportunity to develop their skills and have a chance to advance their career. What are you doing to help with their training and professional advancement? A six-monthly conversation and update can be very valuable.
- RECOGNISE ACHIEVEMENT
Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of psychological evidence that people respond well to recognition. Often they are looking for their manager to acknowledge their success and to say ‘you’ve done a good job there’. Think about taking the principle a little further with public acknowledgement of successes or small bonuses for staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
- ENCOURAGE WORK-LIFE BALANCE
If people feel that they are being asked to work long hours – or the stress of their daily routine is impacting on their life at home – they can easily become resentful. Keep an eye on the pressures and consider offering flexible working hours, hybrid working or even extra holiday.
- PROVIDE CLEAR GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS
Nothing is more frustrating and morale-sapping than the feeling you’re unclear what’s expected of you in a job. Try to develop clear goals for your employees that are aligned, wherever possible, with your wider vision and mission.
- OFFER COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
We can’t ignore the fundamentals of your contract with employees. If you staff are looking around and seeing other people being paid more for the same work or benefiting from more generous perks, they may start to become disillusioned. It’s useful to benchmark where you stand in relation to competitors and the wider jobs market.
- ENCOURAGE TEAM BUILDING
In a busy environment, people can often have their heads down, which makes it hard to forge close professional relationships with colleagues. But morale will be greatly improved if work is somewhere you meet friends each day. Whether it’s an after-hours drink, a lunch or a business-related workshop, try to bring people together and get them talking to one another.
As an accountancy practice, Page Kirk often ends up acting as a broader business partner for clients. We’re happy to offer advice and guidance on a range of issues impacting your company. So why not give us a call on 0115 955 5500 or email enquires@pagekirk.co.uk