Do you only manage your employees, or do you take care of their needs? Employees want to feel like more like gears in a machine; They want to be able to bring their whole self to work. Organizations that create opportunities for employees to thrive will be rewarded with increased productivity and reduced turnover. However, organizations that are not inclined to the experience of their employees will find their best people to come out the door.
According to a recent article in Forbes, care is “intentional relationship building that increases a sense of community and well-being.” Nurturing your workforce increases engagement, improves employee productivity, and can even attract top talent to your organization.
So how do you create a company culture that is employee-friendly and encourages them to thrive? These four methods are a great way to start taking care of your team:
1. Focus on growth opportunities
Providing growth opportunities is perhaps the most important way to improve the employee experience in your company. When top talents grow on their career path, it prevents them from looking for the same opportunities elsewhere. According to the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, an impressive 94% of employees would stay with the company longer if they invested in their careers.
Think about how significant this figure is. Almost all of your employees want growth opportunities in your organization. Stagnation is the perfect way to lose top players, maybe even in favor of your competition. For both company leaders and HR professionals, creating opportunities for growth in the workplace should be at the top of the to-do list.
Provide your workers with opportunities for professional development, whether it’s shading other departments within the company, undergoing training, or even just publishing internal jobs so that everyone has a chance to apply.
Show your people that there are opportunities to move forward within the company – they don’t have to look for a job in another organization that will take their career aspirations seriously. With the U.S. quitting rate at a 15-year high, now is the time to invest in growing your best people and not ignore them.
2. Offer feedback and advice
It’s hard for your team to grow if they don’t receive regular feedback, advice on how they can improve, and ways they can take responsibility and make a difference. Schedule recurring meetings where you discuss goals and listen to what your people have to say. Ask them about their career goals and their paths, and pay attention to what they say about your organization.
If you want to retain top talent, you need to keep them in the company. A great way for employers to achieve this is to ensure that each employee knows how their efforts align with their organizational strategy.
Find out about their personal goals and provide key action points that will benefit both the company’s goals and your employee’s career aspirations. It can be anything from working between functions to preparing a department move to completing key projects on a date that deserves a promotion.
If your employee knows how he can climb the corporate ladder, he will be much more likely to stay and try. Caring for employees is not just about meeting their needs; It’s also about giving them the tools to build their future and take control of employees’ experiences.
3. Provide smart benefits
The Great Benefits Package is a clever way to show that you care about your employees’ experience in the workplace. Excellent benefits can be the difference between a company that loses talent and a company that attracts the best people.
Flamboyant benefits like free lunches, a dry cleaner in a company, and billiard tables will never be as valuable as things like paying people as much as they have, providing flexible work schedules, and good health benefits. Treating your employees as human beings and not just a number in your payroll system will return to you with productive work and a positive attitude towards your company.
Wellness programs should not only focus on physical health, such as gym membership, but also on staying mentally healthy and avoiding burnout. Mindfulness programs have become popular in corporations because they give every employee the tools they need to manage stress.
In addition to mindfulness, it is also important for employees to know that they have access to mental health services if and when they may need them. Removing the stigma of mental health is vital, especially in the workplace, where stress can accumulate and then bleed into everyday life.
4. Improve the working environment of employees
An employee’s physical work environment can take a toll on their productivity, health and overall well-being. Companies that ignore the physical workplace do so at their own peril. Even simple solutions like natural light can make a big difference. In fact, one study found that 47% of employees say they feel tired or very tired at work due to a lack of natural light.
Creating a bright and welcoming office with spaces for collaboration and concentration is an easy way to get the best out of every employee. It doesn’t seem to matter, but office design can have a considerable impact on how your best people feel when they step in the door every morning.
In order to take care of your employees and improve their work experience, it is essential that you provide them with opportunities to develop and take care of their needs both inside and outside the office. By doing so, you will gain a loyal workforce and quickly brighten up the future of your company.
