Keeping employees happy in a large company is generally a matter of making them feel valued. It doesn’t mean that your company has to allow every employee to bring a dog to the office or set up a cappuccino machine on every floor, but there are ways to structure company culture towards recognizing each individual’s value to the company and worth as a human.
Mentor new hires
Start at the beginning. When a new employee is hired, make sure they have the resources they need to be successful from day one. This can take several formats depending on the layout of your company. An excellent and comprehensive training program is key to giving new hires a running start. But instead of feeding them copious amounts of information leading to overload, let them spend time building relationships with others who can help them find answers to the inevitable questions that will arise. Nobody likes to feel stupid and it’s especially daunting to ask for information when you’re not even sure who to talk to. Strive to help each employee create a network of support that involves not just where to look for answers but who to reach out to if the way is unclear.
Recognize stressful situations
Most businesses have a busy time whether it’s the holiday season, asc 606 reporting time or just yearly inventory. Understand that employees are under greater stress during these days, weeks or months and may need extra cheerleading to work at their best. Just because a report is due doesn’t mean that a child isn’t going to get sick or a tire won’t go flat at the worst possible time. Make sure there is a system to check in on employees who are working extra hard meeting the company’s deadlines. Sometimes just remembering to ask how someone is doing and being available to listen to the answer (even if it’s a litany of complaints) can make a big difference in how someone handles stress.
Randomize treats
The company picnic or annual awards ceremony might be put on the calendar months in advance, but consider randomizing treats for employees just because you value them. Unlike a calendared event that has been scheduled around and often gets compared to how it was done the year before, randomized treats are unexpected and thus boost morale partly out of their surprise factor. At the beginning of the year, the HR department should budget a handful of special events that occur not for any particular reason and on no timetable. Examples might be boxes of ice cream sandwiches in the break room on a Thursday in July. A couple of massage students could be hired for a few days in November to give five-minute chair massages. Give each employee a baggy of hard candy with an encouraging note after a particularly busy time. The treats don’t have to be overly expensive. They just need to show your employees that you appreciate them.
Prioritize training
Nothing says you believe in your employees’ value to the company more than by providing them relevant training. By giving them time to keep their skills up to date, you show trust in their ability to serve your company long term and that they are worth investing time and money in.
Embrace flexibility
Allowing your employees the flexibility to work staggered hours creates a company culture of confidence in those working for you. Because of childcare or elder care issues, flexible start and end times are often a must for those with families. Knowing that you can see your child safely to school in the morning cuts down on stress for those who have that concern, making them better able to focus on work when they arrive. Allowing flex time supports workers who must take time off to attend doctor’s appointments with family members. This sort of caring atmosphere makes employees loyal and loathe to look for other jobs even if the pay is better elsewhere.
There are several ways you can make your company a great one to work for. Instituting a few value-added policies will give you the choice of the best employees who stay the longest.
