Work used to mean simply getting the job done. Employers didn’t care what might be going on at home or what it would take to get the job done.
That’s not the case anymore.
Many studies have shown that caring for employee well-being can actually drive up profits for businesses. It should come as no surprise then that companies today are willing to do a lot more for their employees than just provide them with a desk to work at from nine to five, Monday through Friday.
If you want to support your employees so they actually enjoy coming to work every day to give you their best, improve their well-being with these five ideas.
Plan a Fun Event
All work and no play makes us all dull people. Life is especially dull if you know you’ll be stuck at your desk all day, every day. That’s not a good incentive to want to keep hopping out of bed every morning!
Break up the monotony by planning a fun event. There is an endless supply of online ideas for corporate event planning, no matter what your budget.
Events can be for employees alone, but some of the most memorable events are those that include employees and customers. Not only will you make the workday a little more fun for your employees, you can also make positive connections with customers and clients!
Show Your Appreciation Randomly
Everyone likes to feel appreciated. There are tons of employee appreciation ideas like:
– Handing out awards
– Paying for breakfast or lunch
– Letting everyone leave early
– Winning prizes for a job well done
To get the most bang for your appreciation buck, try and make the perks as random as possible. It’s true that everyone will be excited to take off early the day before Thanksgiving, but the excitement will wear off as the date approaches. Instead, surprise everyone in the morning the day-of and the same amount of time off will have an even greater impact.
Provide Plenty of Opportunities for Professional Development
Contrary to popular belief, most employees don’t want to do the same exact thing day-in and day-out for years. If your employees seem disengaged or uninspired when sitting at the desks, it’s probably because they need to be challenged.
Providing your employees with the ability to develop professionally can provide them with new skills, which is a benefit for your business, but it can also provide them with more confidence and excitement to get the job done.
Just make sure you allow employees to learn their own way. For example, most employees won’t be excited about more professional development meetings, but they are likely to be excited about tuition reimbursement opportunities.
Find Ways to Support Employees off the Clock
Your employees are people who have full lives outside of work. Caring for their well-being means caring about what they do even when they aren’t on the clock. Surprisingly, it can boost profits and increase productivity, which is great for business!
Support employee well-being by finding ways to support their hobbies and interests. For example, a workplace could pay for gym memberships for employees who want to get in shape, or an art class as an employee outing for those who are interested.
Rethink the Way Everyone Works
Rethinking how everyone works is one of the most challenging ways to boost employee well-being, but it’s also one of the best.
The vast majority of workers say that job flexibility motivates them to succeed. It can boost productivity, and it can show employees that the company they work for truly cares about them, which can greatly decrease turnover.
Flexibility can mean different things to different companies, so there is plenty of room to create a schedule that works for your employees. You could allow workers to work from home a few days a week, you could alter the workweek so everyone has Fridays off, or you could allow employees to choose from multiple shift times.
Flexibility in the workplace also means understanding that people have lives outside of work. Plenty of time off and understanding when an emergency comes up are both things employees will appreciate.
It’s true that you have to supply your employees with the right tools to get the job done, but if you really want to increase your bottom line and create the kind of environment people want to work in, care for their well-being with the ideas on this list.