Every business owner should constantly be on the lookout for new and improved ways of doing business. They need to discover methods to become more efficient and productive, so they remain competitive in an ever-changing world. One aspect that should never be overlooked is staff satisfaction. The difference that having a team of motivated, interested and engaged team members makes when compared to a team of people who are disengaged, bored, and wishing the weekend would roll in is huge. According to the global workplace report, disengaged staff costs the world around $7.8 trillion a year.

So, you can see that this is a problem that needs to be solved. But you need not despair because there are many methods and techniques you can employ to motivate your staff. As long as you are driven, you can create this enthusiasm in your staff members. Let’s discover a few ways you can do this:

A Competitive Salary

Let’s start with the obvious, money. It is the reason people work, after all. Although pay is not everything in terms of job satisfaction, it does make an employee feel more valued when they are being rewarded competitively and fairly.

A competitive salary is also of benefit to you, as you will be able to attract better candidates who are naturally more motivated. Remember, it is very easy for your portal staff member to go online and see what the going rate is for the job description you are offering. Recruitment sites like Glassdoor, for example, also have ex-employee reviews which can be pretty damning if underpaid. If you want the best, then you need to pay appropriately. Otherwise, you will have dissatisfied staff who are not productive and a huge turnover.

Create a Vision

A good business owner knows that their staff needs something to believe in. Just going through the motions for a pay check will not sustain the kind of motivation you need. So you have to develop a vision. What this means is a future idea of something you are working towards. Maybe it could be sustainability, protecting an endangered species, or perhaps improving the lives of your customers. Whatever it is, you want your staff to believe in it. A shared vision is hard to create, but it can pay dividends. 

Your Brand

A vision is part of a brand narrative. It is ultimately the endpoint. So, as well as a vision, you need an entire brand complete with a company personality, philosophy, ethics, ethics, core values, etc.. If you have not given your brand much thought until now, then you need to devote some resources to it. It may even be an idea to hire a marking company to help you as it is so important.

Your brand will be on your website. It will be on all your marketing, it will be in every post on social media, and it is how you connect with your customers. Branding is, therefore, key to attracting people, including staff, to your company. It can make people proud to work for you or cause them embarrassment. So, it is up to you. 

Company Culture

Stemming from your brand, your company’s culture can be the deciding factor in whether your talent stays working for you or leaves for greener pastures. This is entirely down to you, and you must lead by example. If you want a motivated, open, and honest team who communicates and works well together, shares ideas, and is innovative, then you need to champion these things. There are many ways you can do this. One way is to learn the names of all your employees – if possible -and something personal about them and talk to them, ask how they are. The more personal you can be, the better.

When it is needed, discuss important details like their productivity and request feedback, ask why they have dropped off productivity, offer solutions, etc. It is a good idea to have team meetings fairly regularly where you keep them updated on the progress of the company and where you intend to take it. Again ask for ideas and listen to feedback. You could create innovation areas where people can post ideas that you may or may not take on. What you’re trying to create is the idea that you are all in it together, striving toward something that they are personally part of. This is how you create staff who feel valued and want to do their best work. 

Staff Benefits

It might be time to start getting creative with the staff benefits you offer. Benefits can make a big difference in how satisfied your staff are. Some quite popular benefits, yet low-cost benefit options that not every organization has implemented yet, are wellness and family-friendly benefits. Suppose you can offer flexible hours and more working-from-home options for everyone but specifically people with families. In that case, this is a pretty popular thing as it gives people the ability to care for their children better and can ultimately save them money on child-care. Also, consider healthcare and retirement packages too. You need to consider that saving on benefits is as if it were a pay rise. 

Rewards

Just like staff benefits, good rewards for productivity and other metrics are always important. Recognizing hard work keeps staff motivated and is good for morale. Consider the areas you want to improve and offer rewards in that area, for example. You need to make it possible for everyone to get a reward, not just your few top performers.

Every team has that person who just excels for some reason, but everyone can be recognized. You can reward people in many different ways, company points, shares, gift cards, and gift items. You can find out from your staff what kind of rewards they would like. Some staff may appreciate things like eyeshadow makeup others may prefer perfumes. Discover what would motivate staff would like and run with it for a time.

The Work Environment

Your workspace is vital to improve staff satisfaction. Imagine it; if you are working in a dull, dingy, smelly work environment, you are not going to feel very valued or cared about, are you?

No. So, you need to spend some revenue on doing up your workspace. First, does your workspace have curb appeal? Think a nicely cut lawn, flowers, sculptures, etc., whatever it takes to make the place look like a great place to work from the outside. This needs to be mirrored with the interior too. You need a lot of natural light in your workplace. So big windows and an open plan office space – possible. If there are internal walls, then use windows so that the light can pass through. Plants are a great addition. They improve the atmosphere of the interior, plus they look great, and they can actually improve the mood of your staff, as can natural light, for that matter. Use color. Some colors actually promote productivity, like reds, and others reduce stress, like blues and green.

So, do some investigation and try and use color in the workspace to create the right mood. You will also want good break-out rooms, and if you don’t offer tea and coffee already, you should do this. A little perk like coffee can go a long way. Also, consider seating. You want nice ergonomic chairs and adjustable desks. All to ensure that your staff are comfortable. Comfortable staff take fewer breaks or sick days. So it is in your best interests to make your staff as comfortable as possible,  but also make arriving easier for them too. Using a local paving service to repair, extend or correctly format your parking spaces can alleviate much frustration when arriving and departing, while also keeping your exterior safe.