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5 Easy Ways To Keep Your Employees Happy

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article | 5 Easy Ways To Keep Your Employees HappyA happy workforce is a productive workforce, so it’s vital to ensure you look after your employees throughout the highs and lows of your business journey. When people are feeling the strain, they become demotivated, and this can lead to low productivity levels, which is not right for overall company goals. However, there are some simple ways to make sure everyone stays chipper through the best and worst time.

Take a look at some of the critical areas to consider below:

1. Recognise and praise success

It’s easy to forget the little things in the workplace due to the amount of work going on. However, just saying ‘thank you’ for a job well done, or recognising a team on completion of a successful project can work wonders for self-esteem. When people feel they are going unnoticed, they will eventually lack the motivation to put the effort in. This, in turn, will affect levels of productivity and willingness to put maximum effort in.

2. Offer good benefits

Not all companies can afford to give an all-encompassing benefits package, but making small steps can be a huge motivational boost. Anything from supplying coffee on-site, implementing a cycle to work scheme and using eyecare plans, so employees don’t have to pay if they need glasses for VDU use is a great way to show you care about their health and wellbeing.

3. Create an inspiring work environment

No one likes to sit and stare at four walls all day so it could be time to start thinking about your office design. Optimising natural light is a great way to boost morale and happiness in a workspace. Plus, dedicating areas, so individuals don’t feel tied to their desk can give employees some freedom to move around and feel creative in a collaborative space. On an interior aspect, why not add colourful prints or incorporate a creative décor theme to add some fresh and vibrant vibes to often whitewashed walls.

4. Trust individuals

One of the main frustrations from many employees is that they feel management don’t trust them to make the best choices. In many cases, management cannot do and control everything on a daily level, so delegation is a must. Assigning trust and responsibility to people gives them a sense of pride in their work. It also helps people to strive for better results.

5. Communicate well

Communication is another sticking point in organisations, and many people always feel out of the loop. Of course, you can’t disclose everything to employees. Still, there will be times where sharing details of projects and plans is beneficial, so everyone understands the bigger picture. This can also work in business slumps as if you don’t share concerns and strategies for improvement; employees can feel vulnerable and out of control of their personal circumstances.

These are simple ways to get your whole team on track and get the best out of everyone daily. They are also easy to implement, and you’ll reap the rewards in loyal and trusting staff that want to see the business succeed.

How to Build Trust with Those You Lead

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StrategyDriven Management and Leadership Article | How to Build Trust with Those You LeadAs the author of Be Different! The Key to Business and Career Success and as a nationally syndicated columnist on leadership, I share my views on the traits of effective leaders. These views are based on over four decades of serving in the trenches advancing through 11 jobs to the position of CEO of a global company, and observing other leaders serving on numerous public, private, private equity and nonprofit boards.

I also have a window on the workplace issues that are on people’s minds. I post every article I write on LinkedIn. The articles that get the highest number of views are on the lack of trust between bosses and their direct reports.

Stephen Covey, the late motivational speaker, writer, and advisor, once wrote, “Without trust we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate. It is trust that transforms a group of people into a team.”

The CEO’s tone at the top and the culture they nurture determines the level of trust in the organization. So, how does one earn the trust of others?

Always lead with the highest standards of ethics and integrity

There should be no misunderstanding as to the tone and culture that you embrace. These reflect the values to which you hold yourself and your employees accountable. Employees want to be part of an organization with high ethical standards and work for a leader that lives by those standards.

Never lead through fear and intimidation

I once worked for a tyrant. His style took a huge toll on the morale of his people. I was promoted to be his peer and then promoted to be his boss. I then fired him. After appointing a very effective leader to replace him, it took months before the employees of that division started to make decisions on their own again.

Acknowledge the brutal facts of reality

Never shoot the messenger. You can’t solve a problem unless you know what it is. You want your people to feel comfortable when sharing bad news with you and confident that you will listen to them. Most problems can be solved if addressed as soon as they are known. They may become unsolvable if left unaddressed for too long.

Be consistent and readable by those you lead

As the leader, ensure your style is consistent and that your expectations are understood. Situations will arise when decisions need to be made by your employees for which there is no operating procedure or precedent. Employees will fall back on their common sense and good critical judgment, and proceed in a way consistent with your expectations, tone, and culture.

Don’t micromanage

Steve Jobs, the former chairman and CEO of Apple once said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Ensure your expectations are understood, negotiate goals, provide the needed resources and cut your people loose to do their thing.

Never publicly undermine your direct reports

Never criticize the people within your organization in public. It damages their ability to do their jobs. It only depowers them and makes them less effective. They lose credibility with those they will need to deal with in the future. Good employees won’t tolerate your behavior. They will leave the company and perhaps go to work for your competitor.

Don’t retaliate against those who follow their conscience and do the right thing

Retaliation shows you lack character. You may need those who you retaliate against in the future. What goes around comes around.

Organizations in which employees trust their leaders perform at a significantly higher level than those in which trust is lacking. Be sure you engender trust with those you lead.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Stan SilvermanStan Silverman is founder and CEO of Silverman Leadership and author of Be Different! The Key to Business and Career Success. He is also a speaker, advisor and widely read nationally syndicated columnist on leadership, entrepreneurship and corporate governance. For more information please visit www.SilvermanLeadership.com.

Why Professional Mentorship is a Highly Underrated Business Tool

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article | Why Professional Mentorship is a Highly Underrated Business ToolIf you’ve never heard of a mentorship program, look no further.

Mentorship programs are often overlooked by business owners because they’re seen as an expense instead of a beneficial investment. You should understand the importance of mentorship because it will help you and your company.

Mentors can provide a plethora of benefits to employees and business owners that allow them to make better decisions and improve their workspace. This will allow any business owner to earn more money in the long run.

Keep on reading to learn more about mentorship programs and what they can do for your business!

What Is a Mentor?

A mentor is someone that can enter a company and guide both the employees and owners. They act as the eyes and ears of the operations because they’re constantly involved with employees and see what goes on daily.

Depending on the size of a company, there may be multiple mentors. The more employees you have, the more mentors you’ll want so that everyone can get mentored equally.

Mentors typically go to school to learn how to deal with people. They’re effective at providing support to others and giving business recommendations when needed. You can learn more about the experience that mentors have if you’re interested in hiring them.

Asking Questions and Getting Advice

One of the main benefits of mentorship programs is that they allow employees to ask a question and get advice whenever they need assistance.

Many employees, especially newer ones, struggle to get the hang of things when they enter a new job. This is because they’ll go through a standard training procedure that all employees do and will be expected to start working efficiently right away.

The problem with this is that each role needs to be trained in a certain way so that employees aren’t confused about what their job is.

Bringing in someone to mentor employees will ensure that they do their jobs consistently and effectively because they’ll have someone that’s always available to answer questions.

Receiving a Different Perspective

It’s important to hear from another perspective before deciding to do something because it helps you guarantee that what you’re doing makes sense.

One of the mentorship program goals that most programs have is to provide unbiased and useful information. Whether a business owner or an employee is looking to hear from someone else, a mentor can give them their thoughts and explain other scenarios.

Improving Key Skills

The main purpose of mentoring is to guide someone through a process by helping them improve their key skills.

If you have a new IT employee that doesn’t know how to repair a broken motherboard, a mentor can show them what they need to do. In this case, the mentor would act as a trainer.

Should your employees constantly complain about not knowing how to do things, your mentors will tell you how you can make the training process better.

Venting with a Trusted Person

Although a mentor will often assist employees with tasks, they’ll also be a person that employees can go to when they want to vent. If an employee feels as though they can’t express themselves, you’ll usually see a decline in their work because they’ll feel stressed.

Similar to a counselor-patient relationship, mentors won’t disclose the personal information that’s shared between them and the person they’re mentoring.

Expanding Networks

Mentors give employees and business owners the opportunity to expand their networks by introducing them to new people. Most mentors have worked with several companies, so they can give you contact details and mention you to others.

Even inside a business, a mentor can expand a new employee’s network by introducing them to other coworkers. It’s common for employees to not know everyone within a company, especially if it’s larger.

This benefits business owners because they can start partnering with other companies, and it benefits employees because they’ll be able to interact with more people and feel included.

Methods and Strategies

Every business has a set of methods and strategies that they employ to fulfill their services. A mentor can drill these things into employees, making them better employees as they won’t feel lost when they’re working.

If a strategy is outdated or isn’t working as effectively as it should, mentors will make recommendations to improve the system. They’ll have a better idea of what’s working because they’ll be interacting with various employees daily.

Confidence to Make Better Decisions

Having a mentor gives employees the confidence to make better decisions because they’ll know they can fall back on someone if they mess up.

Their guidance encourages employees to make bolder decisions, even if there’s a lot of risks involved. They’ll do the same with a business owner that’s struggling to decide on something.

Start Looking Into Mentorship Programs Today

Investing in a mentorship program is one of the best things you can do as a business owner because you’ll save a lot of time and money in the process. Instead of having to deal with employees when they’re stressed or don’t know what to do on the job, a mentor will take care of that.

If you own a business, we encourage you to start looking into mentorship programs in your area to help you take your business to another level. You’ll quickly notice that the company is more productive, ultimately allowing you to maximize your profits.

Browse our articles to learn more about mentorship programs and other business ideas.

How to Reduce Employee Turnover Rate

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article | How to Reduce Employee Turnover RateEmployee turnover rate refers to the number or percentage of employees who leave an organization and have to be replaced by new workers. Employee turnover is a common issue affecting both big and small firms. The problem with employee turnover is that it costs a lot of money and time to replace an employee.

According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost of replacing a single employee can be as high as $4,425. The cost of replacing an employee may include the onboarding and training expenses, severance benefits, and fees for processing technical details and documents. The figure also includes any time lost during the recruitment and onboarding process. So, how can you reduce or prevent employee turnover and avoid losing valuable time and resources?

Hire the Right People

The very first step towards avoiding a high turnover rate is hiring the right people to begin with. Create thorough hiring, recruitment, and onboarding process that sieves through the job applicants to find the most suitable candidates to work in your company.

Although skills and qualifications are important, selecting the right staff goes beyond examining academic and professional achievements. Scrutinize candidates on soft skills that would come in handy for the job position. Also, ask about the candidates’ career paths and goals to see if they align with what your company has to offer. These are excellent criteria to measure whether a candidate will be happy and satisfied with their position in the business.

Create A Flexible Work Environment

The 9-to-5 workplace regimen seems like an outdated and traditional workplace arrangement nowadays. Many employees are now looking for more flexible workplaces where they can balance their work and personal life more easily and conveniently. In fact, most employees value workplace flexibility more than other job descriptions.

Flexibility defines things like working hours, collaborations, workload, deadlines, and rules about absenteeism and reporting to work.  With modern IT solutions, you can have employees working from home, on a contract or freelancing basis, or even during odd hours. In such a case, however, you have to implement work from home policy guidelines to ensure accountability. Remember, the goal is to create a relaxed atmosphere without compromising productivity.

Offer Competitive Salaries and Benefits

One of the main reasons why people go to work is to earn money. Offering competitive salaries and benefits can help your business attract exceptional talent and retain employees. Money is a great incentive that you can use to lure employees into dedicating their time and effort to meeting the company’s goals.

You don’ even have to raise your salaries and benefits by thousands of dollars. Just take a look at what other employers in the same industry are paying their staff and raise your offering by a noticeable margin – and that should be enough to discourage competitors from poaching your employees.

Praise and Reward Exceptional Employees

Besides compensations, benefits, and salaries, you should also look into recognizing and rewarding exceptional work and employees. Recognizing your workers’ efforts and rewarding their hard work accordingly makes them feel valuable and important to the company. This gradually develops into building trust and long-lasting relationships between the employees and the employer. Plus, a fair reward and recognition system helps motivate morale and determination among the workers, which leads to higher employee satisfaction and productivity.

Many employers fail to see the importance of their employees, probably because they think they’re dispensable. However, your employees are most certainly one of the essential assets that your business has. Employees are the lifeblood of any organization that needs human input or labor, which is why they must be valued and appreciated. And although employees can be replaced, it’s a costly process, and a high turnover rate can hurt your operational costs and productivity significantly. So, work on ways of retaining your employees to avoid expensive surprises along the way.

Do You Have What It Takes to Hack It as a Female Founder?

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship ArticleWomen’s curiosity and interest in entrepreneurship is at an all-time high. Getty Images has seen a fourfold increase in searches for “woman entrepreneur” photos in the last year alone. With the popularity of television shows such as Shark Tank and The Profit, more and more women are wondering if they have what it takes to be a female founder.

It takes more than having a good idea to be a successful entrepreneur. While there are a vast range of personalities, educations, and backgrounds among female founders, there are a few personality traits that are paramount to hacking it as a woman entrepreneur.

Passion is one such trait. To be a female founder, you must be passionate about the product or service you have devised to solve a problem. Authentic passion is what helps women find the best employees, sell their customers, and sell potential investors. If you don’t believe in yourself and your idea, no one else will, no matter how good it is.

Having enough grit and self-motivation to overcome setbacks and disprove early nay-sayers is another important characteristic of successful women entrepreneurs. The women who use negative statements as fuel for success instead of self-doubt are the ones who build ideas into thriving companies. Entrepreneurship is a high-contact emotional sport. If you get knocked down or denied seven times, you need to stand up eight times and keep pushing to make your dream a reality.

Long-term vision is needed for women to make the leap into entrepreneurship. Our tendency to be risk adverse serves us well after we launch a company, but that same tendency can having us making lists of reasons why we shouldn’t launch our own businesses. Female founders typically have the ability to see the big picture and justify the risks and challenges that come with startups because they know they will be successful.

If you have an amazing idea as well as the traits outlined in this article, you have what it takes to hack it as a female founder. Take the time to validate your idea and market, map your business plan, and prepare for the ride of your life!

About the Author

Danielle Tate is the author of Elegant Entrepreneur and founder and CEO of MissNowMrs.com, a multimillion dollar online name-change company. As a female founder in her 20s she noticed that few business guides offered step-by-step advice to smart but inexperienced entrepreneurial woman.

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