The majority of employers believe that in order to make their employees happy, they have to constantly hand out raises. But there’s a problem with this strategy. For one, money doesn’t buy happiness. It doesn’t matter how much employees get paid, if they’re not happy at work, it won’t make a bit of difference. And second, giving employees a raise when they haven’t earned it can put your business in the hole. There’s nothing worse for your bottom line than paying employees more money than they produce in value for the company.
It seems, then that we are at an impasse. On the one hand, we want our employees to be happy and successful. But on the other, just paying them more money doesn’t work. So what should we do? Here’s what HR hiring managers say about keeping employees happy without increasing their pay.
Organize The Office To Facilitate Communication
Tom Heisroth is vice president at Staples Advantage. He believes that staff need social interaction in order to feel comfortable and good about what they’re doing. He says that casual conversations on breaks can turn into collaborative action on projects. He recommends making shared spaces as open and as friendly as possible. Having snacks, beverages, and the right furniture goes a long way to facilitating conversation.
Break The Monotony Of Work With An Event
As a responsible business owner, you probably track your employee satisfaction levels through feedback. You ask questions about the length of holidays and work life balance. But often you’ll neglect to ask questions about the quality of the work itself. Is work at your company an exciting challenge? Or is it an endless drudgery, only ended by the clock at 5 pm?
Sometimes work can be repetitive; and for many employees, this is a challenge. But the good news is that you can mix things up a bit. One way to enrich the working lives of your employees is to host an event. Events can be for any purpose, from launching a new product to simply meeting clients. They help to break up the monotony of working in the office. They are a chance for your employees to do something different and perhaps practice their presentation skills. Companies like Riverhouse Catering can provide the food.
Be Transparent About The State Of The Company
B.J. Shannon is a manager at TINYpulse. It’s an organization dedicated to making employees happier. Shannon says that the thing that is most important to employee happiness isn’t the pay or benefits. It’s knowing about the state of the company that employees are working for. The great news, she says, is that the cost of actually improving transparency is zero. It takes nothing, to be honest, and upfront about how the company is doing and the direction in which it is being taken.
A Healthy Employee Is A Happy Employee
Health is our most valuable asset. Without it, our lives are miserable. Wendy Poirier from Towers Watson believes that companies should focus on employee health if they want a happy work force. She says that the best companies have multi-faceted programs that help get a good return on their health investment.
