Your business may exist primarily to make money, but you cannot make much money without present, motivated employees. How do you create a workplace that helps your employees feel appreciated and important?
How do you ensure that the workplace is friendly to them and meets their needs so that they can stay focused while they work rather than stressed and worried?
Take Time to Listen
It starts by hearing what your employees have to say. They will have concerns from time to time, and you should set aside some time to listen to them. Schedule regular meetings with your employees to hear them out and let them express their ideas and concerns.
You don’t want to have too many of these, as that will cut into your productivity, but you can get together with your employees once a month or so and let them voice their opinions.
You may need to make these meetings private so that your employees can feel open to discuss what they like. You should also make this a judgement-free zone as much as possible.
Instead of meetings, you could use a suggestion box, if that works better. This allows your employees to say what they are thinking without putting them on the spot. If your employees feel like you care about what they have to say, they will feel more valued.
Express Verbal Appreciation
Do you appreciate your employees? If so, do they know that you appreciate them? You may think that your workers will automatically know if you are happy with them, but that is not always the case. They might not pick up on your nonverbal cues, and they may need more than what you are giving them right now.
It will help your relationship with your employees if you show them verbal appreciation. If they do a job well, let them know, and it is perfectly okay to say your thanks loud enough for others to hear. This lets other employees know that you are happy with those who do well.
Show appreciation often and publicly, and if you do, you will have stronger bonds with your employees. They will likely become more loyal and will be more liable to work hard.
Keep the Workplace Clean
No one likes a dirty work space, and if you are doing your best to keep the work area tidy and sanitary, your employees will appreciate it. Everyone can be involved in keeping the place clean and neat, picking up after themselves and making good use of garbage bins and spill stations.
However, you will need to have the place professionally cleaned from time to time.
Use the cleaning service that is voted the Top-rated company in NYC and get great results in your workplace. Professional cleaning services will have a huge impact on how tidy your workplace looks and how well cared for it is.
A clean workplace makes for a safer area for your employees. If you can keep up with the cleaning tasks that need to be done, you can cut down on sicknesses in the workplace and help your employees feel safer.
Cater for Comfort
Think about your employees when choosing office supplies. What carpet will be comfortable and help them to feel relaxed? Which colors of paint on the wall will create a welcoming environment? What kind of office chairs will be comfortable to sit in and use for hours at a time?
When you take your employees into consideration, you do them a great favor. You are thinking about their well being and not just your own or the well being of the company. This is very important if you are going to make your employees feel truly valued.
You can tell them that they are valuable, but you show them their value by considering them with each decision you make that affects them and their comfort.
Promote Exercise
You want your employees to be healthy, and one of the best ways to do that is to get them to exercise frequently. Your workplace can be a location that promotes exercise and healthy living. You could set up a space to exercise, like a small gym. You don’t have to do anything expensive or complicated, but you can set aside a room or part of a room to be used for exercise.
Just add in an exercise bike, workout mat, and a few pieces of equipment, and you are set. Your employees will be happy to have the option to exercise in the workplace, and they will be more likely to exercise often if they have this kind of space so easily available to them.
Take opportunities to talk about the benefits of exercise with your employees, promoting healthy living as you have meetings or discuss what needs to be done for the day.
You can help your employees be more focused, become sick less often, and feel more motivated and energized by simply promoting an exercise routine and then supplying them with a place to do that routine.
Create Balance in the Workplace
Many workplaces are not very well balanced. There is little consideration for employees’ home and family lives. You can bring those outside lives into the workplace in a healthy way that promotes high quality work.
One way to do that is to encourage employees to personalize their workspace and set up photos of family members. You can also give them some allowance for personal calls during the day. This enables them to worry less because they can stay connected with their families over important matters.
Talk to your employees about their expectations for a workplace balance with their family lives. Ask them what kind of changes or improvements you can make, and then be willing to implement some of the more reasonable ones.
Your employees often know what they need in order to be happy, productive, and focused, and it is your job to make smart choices in that area.