Are you doing this to keep your workers happy?

A recent survey of 2000 workers provided insights as to what employees want from their employer. Some are not surprising, some are impossible, and others are more than feasible. Would you implement these to keep your employees happy?

Performance? More important than happiness?

Of course, an employee’s performance and ability are of the up most importance, but happiness cannot be ignored. It is a fact that unhappy and disengaged employees do not perform as well. If they have lost their drive, interest and motivation, they cannot deliver to their best ability. Therefore, happiness and performance are interlinked.

Attraction and retention rates may sore!

In this digital world, the thoughts and opinions of your employees are spreading further. Negative comments will reach potential future employees. Think about it. Would you go to a company for a job if all you heard were negative reviews from others? Probably not.

On the other foot, talent shortages and an increase in competition can mean your employees are in demand. If they get the Monday Morning dread on a Sunday evening, chances are they are not going to stick around for much longer.

Have the smiles turned upside down?

Look around. Are your employees happy? A few changes could create an environment of happiness. Of course, it is always impossible to keep everyone happy at the same time.

So, what are these changes? A survey by reed.co.uk stated that respondents ideally wanted a 24 hour working week and a salary of £61k. Unrealistic for most. However, there are insights from the survey that are easier to implement.

Free fruit, relaxed dress code, gym access, social groups and regular reviews were also listed. Of course, every business and organisation are unique. Down to shear impracticality and cost some of these changes would be impossible. However, could you tweak these to adapt them to suit your environment? Perhaps a dress down day on a Friday? A team night out once a month?

What’s the key to happiness?

A key theme that comes up regularly when surveying employees is the work life balance. This can mean something different to everyone. To parents, this may mean flexible working, the ability to attend school performances or an accommodating employer when their child is sick. For others, it may mean they have the time to enjoy and develop their interests and hobbies outside of work. Others it means they can adapt their working schedule to care for a relative or simply to spend time with friends and families. While everyone has different demands, commitments and interests, the work life balance is of key importance.

Flexible working, an understanding by their employer that there is life outside of work and the option to work from home rates highly in satisfaction surveys.

In the Glass Door 2017 survey for the best employer, Expedia was rated number 1. Read their employee’ reviews, many state the work life balance as a positive theme in their environment.

Getting the balance right.

Keeping your employees happy is important, but this cannot be at the sacrifice of business needs and company performance. It is important to get the balance right so that happiness and performance complement each other in the workplace and create a positive environment. What changes could you make today?

Of course, to set the foundations for happy and engaged employees, you need to ensure you hire the right people. A square peg is not going to sit comfortably in a round hole. At Exacta, we use a range of research techniques to find and engage the best people for your hard to fill and senior positions. Give us a call today on 0800 085 6618 to discuss how we can help you.