A motivated employee is a valuable employee and one of the hardest to find. According to a study by Dale Carnegie Training, disengaged employees outnumber engaged employees by a significant margin. Only 45 percent of managers and supervisors and 23 percent of people at other levels feel “engaged”—enthusiastic, creative, and confident in their work.
The biggest factor affecting employee loyalty from supervisor is not being satisfied. Studies have shown that people who have problems with their bosses are 80 percent disengaged from their workplaces.
Five things you can do to be a good boss and encourage happy and productive employees
1. Use your manners.
People are happier, more productive employees when they feel appreciated. In addition to saying “please” and “thank you,” simply saying “hi” to employees when you arrive at work is crucial to making your employees feel valued. “If upper management or bosses don’t greet employees appropriately when they arrive at work, or don’t greet them at all, employees can feel uncomfortable or unimportant,” says Peplow. Approachability is important to employees. As Eliza Browning points out in her popular story, Business Etiquette: 5 Rules That Matter Now , the nicest people in today’s digital, crazy world know how to hang up and care about the person they’re with. Or consider the fact that the CEO of one of the top recruiting firms in the gaming industry only hires people who are humble, polite, respectful, attractive, and coachable.
2. Respect it.
Considering the time your employees spend at work, often more than their families, it’s important to tell them when they’re doing a great job on a project or going above and beyond the call of duty. It’s like catching employees doing something good rather than looking for things to complain about.
3. Encourage fun in the workplace.
Work doesn’t have to be a four-letter word. It’s important to have employee events that have nothing to do with work but are fun and team building. These types of events show that you care about employees and their well-being and that you appreciate the work that goes into them, rather than just a company-focused event.
4. Strive to communicate clearly, consistently, and frequently
Communication It’s an integral part of any relationship, as well as the workplace. When you communicate with your employees, they will be completely clear about what you expect from them, and they will also receive frequent feedback on how they are doing in meeting goals. Not to mention understanding and embracing the company’s vision. If an employee seems lost, you should ask if they need help. A well-timed pep talk is well received and often encourages more open communication. Remember, if an employee writes something to their manager, and it’s forwarded to the next manager, and then to the CEO, and the CEO responds, all four people are involved in the conversation.
5. Offer great benefits.
Whether it’s health insurance, bonuses, or generous vacation policies, you can’t underestimate how important benefits are to employee happiness and retention. That’s why Silicon Valley—where talent is so important to find and keep—go overboard by giving employees all of those things and more. Companies like Google, Facebook, Evernote, Airbnb, and Zynga offer perks like company-paid cleaning, free haircuts, legal advice, travel assistance and dry cleaning, and dog-friendly work.
In fact, at Google, an employee death benefit includes the spouse receiving half of the employee’s salary for 10 years. If you want your staff to be at the top of their game, they will keep their investment with you if you invest in them. If you continue to provide them with training or certification in their field, they will know that you care about their well-being. They will feel valued as individuals and will be less likely to go elsewhere.
