You may have started your business as a sole entrepreneur. Working all hours to make the business what it is today. But like any anything, progression can often mean expansion, and with your company, this can mean that you hire people for certain job roles within your business.
It’s an exciting time, but as an employer, you now have the added responsibility of your employees. Not just how hard they work but also their welfare when in the workplace. So if you want to keep your employees happy then consider these things.
Take into account the working environment
One of the first things you should be doing is considering the working environment, and this is when health and safety policies that are put in place can help protect your staff from harm’s way. However, it isn’t just about danger elements being highlighted, it can be small things such as ensuring the office isn’t too hot or too cold, taking out extensive tests like legionella testing on your water supplies, or making sure air quality is good. These are standard things, and once in place, you can ensure that things are kept on top of to keep the working environment safe for your employees to work in.
Encourage team spirit
Hiring more than one person often means you now need to think about team morale and keeping the atmosphere a positive one. After all, a happy environment means high levels of productivity and motivation, which in turn suits your business. But how can you do that? There are things such as team bonding days you can organise, keeping things happy and motivated and avoiding issues with workplace bullying. Approach issues when they are raised rather than letting things fester and build up.
Consider their mental health
Meant health is a big thing these days, and the more it is talked about, the more people become aware of it. Which is only a good thing. But as an employer, you need to ensure that you keep on an eye on it in the workplace. After all, stress, anxiety and depression can all stem from issues within the working environment, such as extra responsibility or issues with colleagues. If you place importance on mental health, then you are more likely to have people working for you that will be open and honest. Which enables you to sort things out sooner rather than later.
Communicate regularly
Finally, communication is very important between employer and employee. It can help staff to feel valued and also encourage them to be more open with you. Communication can be done in various different ways. Regular team meetings can keep your staff up to date with the general day to day running of your business including targets and what needs to be done.
But also weekly or monthly one to one sessions can help you to train and improve staff ability and work manner. Lastly, be a boss that is approachable. This can help you when it comes to taking on ideas or generally moving the business forward with a team that not only works hard but also respects you.
Let’s hope these tips help you to keep your employees happy.
