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How does an organization train employees to have a friendly, polite, and happy attitude?
Ensuring that your best employees are happy and productive is important to the success of your business. Whether you are a major corporation or a small shop, the costs of hiring and training new staff members are often higher than the costs of investing in and retaining your current employees. In order to attract and keep the best workers in the labor force, employee satisfaction should be a priority. Keep employees happy by finding out what will help them feel like they are part of a team and contributing to the success of the company.
1.Take an employee satisfaction survey. This can be done anonymously and voluntarily. Invite your employees to share what they like and dislike about their jobs and their work environment.
· Pay attention to the survey results. There might be some things you cannot do anything about right now, such as providing raises or better benefits. However, pay attention to the things that will cost nothing, such as a dress code that includes casual Fridays.
· Continue to invite suggestions from employees. A suggestion box can go a long way in keeping your staff feeling like they can provide ideas for a more positive working environment.
2. Establish predictable and consistent schedules and routines. This is especially important when you have employees who do shift work, such as at factories or hospitals.
· Keep employees on a single shift, either day or evening, and rotate the number of weekends and holidays that people are required to work. No employee is going to be happy if she has to work on Christmas every year or every Saturday night shift.
3. Encourage a creative and pleasant environment. People will appreciate displaying family pictures or their kids' artwork in cubicles. Simply request that they keep it professional.
4. Trust your employees. Most human resource professionals agree that employees do not like to be micro managed. Allow them to do their jobs and trust that they will do good work.
5. Hold regular reviews. Even if a salary increase only comes annually, supervisors and managers should provide performance reviews at least every few months.
· Praise the staff who are doing well. Hearing they are doing good work will motivate your best employees and keep them happy.
6. Provide gifts and giveaways when you can. Some companies offer concert or sports tickets to their employees. Others hold drawings for restaurant gift cards
7. Bring in bagels for breakfast once a week, or host a pizza lunch for high performing departments once a month.
8. Promote work and life balance. Employees are happy when their employers understand their responsibilities and lives outside of work.
· Introduce flexible working schedules. Some of your staff might work better in the mornings but mentally check out by3:00 p.m. Others work better later.
· Make it easy for employees to work from home when they need to. Caring for a sick child or staying home during a snowstorm instead of fighting their way into the office will keep employees a lot happier, especially if they can stay on top of their work while at home.
9. Encourage your employees to socialize. Host a happy hour, hold a company picnic in the summer and celebrate the holidays as a team at the end of the year.
10. Promote professional development. Whether you provide tuition reimbursement or a chance to train for a new role, employees who see opportunities for growth within a company are more likely to be happy and stay where they are.
11. Communicate openly. Your employees will be happy when they are getting accurate information directly from the company. They do not want to hear about news or developments from the media, your competition or other people.
12. Include employees any time policy reviews are made. Staff will be happier if they feel like they have input when it comes to making changes or improvements in the way the business is run.
· Invite a few employees work with your benefits department during open enrollment will help you provide benefits that everyone appreciates.
· Recruit employees from all levels to serve on committees. Engage your staff when it comes to strategic planning, holiday planning, hiring and annual reviews.
The list goes on. But the most important aspect is to be genuinely interested keeping the employees happy. Be transparent. Be unbiased and uphold meritocracy and recognize and reward good work and talent. Involve employees in all that you do. After all they are the true assets of an organization.
