We are all aware that investing in your business is a core necessity. But have you ever thought of investing in your employees, as something as much crucial? At the end of the day, your team is the body of your company, and no matter how modern and expensive technology you invest in, it cannot diminish the importance your employees have.
With all that different companies have to offer today, if you want to create a lasting business that bursts with energy and productivity, it is time to rethink its investment priorities.
Here is how modern companies invest in their workforce, that you can incorporate and take the success of your company to the whole another level.
1. Incentive for personal and professional improvement
You can often hear the sentence “Leave your work when you arrive home, and vice versa”, but we all know that it does not really work that way. We are all humans, after all, and our overall emotional well-being and feeling of personal success significantly determine how effective and productive we will be.
Surveys show that many employees do not feel as if the working environment encourages them to develop, both professionally and personally, and that leads to low retention rates as they are trying to find best work environment they can. That is contradictory to a common concern that investing in your people will make them more attractive to the marketplace and that they will leave. The truth is, that investing in them will make them feel appreciated and it will more likely make them want to stay.
One of the few things that you can do is incorporate self-development and career development courses alongside with the regular training programs. For example, many companies are willing to send their employees to take quality English courses. This can help their staff’s personal improvement but also better their contribution to the company.
Create a healthy environment for your employees where they can grow more and be productive in their job. They are as vital as the bosses, yet less powerful and more vulnerable to discrimination and abuse. Employment law exists to keep them secured and compensated for all the possible damages and harm that may occur.
2. Nurturing interpersonal relationships
In the days where technology threatens dehumanize a great part of human interactions, making your team a team has never been more important. Many studies show that people who have friends in their workplace are much more satisfied with their job and thus they show increased productivity.
There are a lot of team building activities that you could incorporate, like organizing off-site meetings, gatherings at networking events, arranging all-day sports days, etc.
It is important to encourage your employees to express themselves, share ideas and be cooperative.
3. Personalize the benefits your offer
With such strong competition, making your company unique is very important. One of the very effective ways is creating personalized perks that will help each of your employees in the way that is the best for them. Tailoring the way you show gratitude for their effort is very thoughtful, and after all, it is small things that make people feel appreciated, and recognizing their effort and hard work is very important in creating a healthy, humane work environment.
4. Putting mental and physical health a priority
Stress at work, depression, anxiety… Those are all silent disorders that have become so common that are considered as something normal, with workplace being the cause number one. With greater responsibilities comes greater worry, but there is a point at which that worry significantly starts to decrease their efficiency. As silly as it sounds, but encouraging your employees to speak about their problems and feelings (professional as well as personal) will give you the chance to maybe help them in the appropriate way if there is one, or simply tuning in with their needs and desires. Not only that it will help you build humane core values at your workplace, but it will also prevent employees’ burnout which is one of the leading causes of low retention rates.
This also goes along with personalized benefits, since it will help you know your employees and their needs much more on a personal level.
Putting efforts in boosting energy and productivity within your workforce is something that is becoming more and more important, and young people more than ever are in the search of a meaningful job that will give them satisfaction in their personal life as well. So, creating a distinguishable culture and strong core values within your company is the first step you can take to set your company up for a success.
Author Bio:
Leila Dorari is an entrepreneur, freelance writer and business-improvement enthusiast from Sydney. Currently, she is consulting companies on the positive effects investing in their employees can have on their business performance. In her spare time you can usually find her hiking with her furry four-legged friend.
