What the Top Employers Do to Keep Their Staff Happy and Productive

It is no secret that every business is only as good as its employees. Each employee has an essential role as part of a broader strategy. But if one or more of your employees aren’t working at their best, the whole ‘machine’ usually suffers. A happy employee is a productive employee and keeping their morale up should be on every manager’s to-do list.

Motivation is the key to success in almost every corporate environment. Keeping motivation at optimum levels for an indeterminate period is no easy task, nor is something that will sort itself out on its own if it starts waning. Statistics show that companies known for looking out after their employees have seen their shares rise by as much as 14% per year on average, as opposed to 6% by the overall market.

With that said, here are some examples of how to keep your staff motivated, happy, and productive.

Fairness

Nothing stifles progress more than an unfair working environment. Revenue was shown to increase substantially faster in companies where inclusion and equal treatment were a high priority. Employees always work harder if they know that the possibility of promotion isn’t left to office politics or an arbitrary opinion by a manager and is, instead, tied mainly to performance.

Adobe, the multinational computer software company, has scrapped its annual employee reviews for a slightly more informal, two-way feedback system between employees and managers. The resulting improvement in morale has led to 30% fewer staff members quitting, as well as a 50% increase in involuntary departures (those who were underperforming but were somehow able to slip through the cracks).

Addressing the Work-Life Balance Issue

Some 94% of working professionals have said that they work more than 50 hours per week, while nearly 50% work over 65 hours. This many hours of work time put a lot of strain on personal relationships, overall happiness, and health. As imagined, these long hours add up, increasing stress and lowering productivity. Several companies have begun addressing this growing concern in various ways.

NIKE, for instance, offers some of its employees paid sabbaticals, fitness discounts and tuition assistance. Southwest Airlines employees, on the other hand, have free unlimited travel privileges. At Intuit, everyone is encouraged to spend up to 10% of their working time pursuing something they are passionate about.

Rewards When the Company Succeeds

The best companies give credit where credit is due, and they show their appreciation in big ways. Dr. Noelle Nelson described in her book, “Make More Money by Making Your Employees Happy.” In 2011, Apple gave its employees several days off through the week of Thanksgiving. Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a company-wide memo, wrote that “In recognition of the hard work you’ve put in this year, we’re going to take some extra time off for Thanksgiving. We will shut down with pay on November 21, 22 and 23 so our teams can spend the entire week with their families and friends.” 

In a similar example, Dr. Nelson talked about Procter & Gamble, and how it too offers its employees extra free days on occasion for a job well done. “It ate a little bit of their bottom line, a little bit from the stockholders, but oh my God what it bought them in employee loyalty and productivity,” said Dr. Nelson.

Conclusion

Employee loyalty and productivity is strongly linked to how your company is making them feel. If they see that you are treating them like humans with their wants and needs instead of mere statistics, they will respond with hard work and dedication.