5 Ways to Make Your Employees Love Their Jobs
5 Ways to Make Your Employees Love Their Jobs
During the month of February, not even the workplace is immune to the hearts, chocolates, and flowers associated with Valentine’s Day. The L-word is everywhere, and while you may not want to hear about your employees’ love interests, there is actually one that you should be concerned about. More and more, workers desire to find jobs and employers they love. Simply putting in the hours in order to get a paycheck isn’t enough anymore.
Employees want to L-O-V-E their jobs, and it’s up to employers to help make that happen. In the past 10 years alone, the research has made it abundantly clear that happy employees benefit their companies. After all, it’s not surprising that workers who enjoy their responsibilities, like their work environment, and admire their employers are going to perform better. And while love can be fickle, there are five sure-fire ways to make your employees fall in love with their jobs.
Bump Up Compensation
You may not be able to buy love, but employees’ salaries and overall compensation packages do impact their feelings toward their employers. Garry Spinks, co-founder of a human capital and marketing analytics firm, told Forbes, “The more attractive the package, the more employees will feel engaged with the organization for which they work. The result is a more productive workforce and a positive boost to the organization’s bottom line.” But, this really even goes beyond just engaging employees – it can be a deal breaker. Forbes predicted that “2015 would have been the year of choice for employees and choosing they will. Employers may not have a choice but to raise wages if they want to prevent people from leaving.” In our local area we have never seen this to be more true. Understandably so that Blair and Centre county employers are holding on to the mindset of doing more with less as the recession stagnated in our area a bit longer than other areas, but 2017 is the time. With nearly 17 Million openings nation wide, a widening skills gap and 3 openings per job seeker.
Bring Equipment Up To Date
Gifts are always a good way to someone’s heart, and for many employees, the simple gift of updated software or an upgraded computer may be just the key. According to Inc.com, a survey by PGi, a leading global provider of collaboration software and services, showed that almost 20 percent of employees surveyed want better technology from their employers. Old, outdated equipment can leave employees feeling frustrated and undervalued, and that’s not good for performance or retention.
Cancel Those Meetings
Alone time is important in all relationships, and that includes within the workplace. The majority of employees, especially top performers, are sick and tired of attending meeting after meeting. The article from Inc.com claims that “American businesses waste an estimated $37 billion each day on unnecessary meetings, with employees suffering as a result.” In fact, the article names wasting time in meetings as one of the top three things businesses should stop doing this year.
Support Their Personal Goals
In order for workers to love and support their employers, they need to feel supported in return. And that support needs to extend past workplace goals and bolster their efforts to meet personal goals as well. A writer for Entrepreneur cites a personal example of some team members saying weight management and exercise were big personal goals, for the year. “My company then arranged for its employee benefits to include a gym membership and health allowance.” PGi’s survey also reported that more than one out of 10 employees hoped to pursue additional education opportunities this year, which gives employers the opportunity to extend tuition reimbursement programs and accommodate class schedules with flex-times. Also to note, life is more than work. Your employees can still be sold out on their career, love what they do and still have other passions. There are 2 dynamics impacting the workforce right now. Millennials and Baby boomers. When your talking passion both have it and will express these desires in alike ways. We are in an age right now that from the cradle to the grave we are busy always doing something and involved from soccer to ballet to business afterhours. Key point I’m making here is your employees are going to have passions outside their nine to five.
Listen To Their Suggestions
Fostering and maintaining love requires a lot of listening. Few employers seem to be listening to the frustrations and opinions employees have shared over the years, according to Forbes. “Employers conduct annual employee engagement surveys year after year, even though nothing is done with the information. Or if something is done, employees are never told or they don’t see the results.” So, in order to avoid conflicts and painful break-ups, companies need to really listen to their workers, implement as many of the requests as possible, and make their attempts very visible.
People like being in love, and most employees wish they were in love with their jobs. Nobody likes going to work five days a week and feeling disengaged, unappreciated, and passionless. But, by making just a few changes, employers can make it much easier for employees to fall in love with their businesses. And those changes will be well worth it when businesses then experience the results of the power of love.
By: Ami Ingold
Express Employment Professionals
State College, PA