Every company out there is competing for top talent. Why? Because having well-performing, happy employees can make all the difference when it comes to ensuring long-term business growth and success. Before we jump in, let's take a look at the numbers:
The stats on the importance of job satisfaction paint a clear picture - today's top professionals have different expectations about the types of companies they want to work for, the style of working they'd do and the offices they'd want to spend their time in. And if you don't offer that, they're willing to go to another company that does paint them a better picture of a happy workplace.
So what's a company to do? We've written articles before about creating an office of the future and perks to boost employee satisfaction. Now, we want to dig a little deeper into the motivation behind what employees want and how you as an organization can create a happy workplace that employees would love to work at!
When you offer employees the flexibility to choose their work hours or where they want to work, you provide a sense of control that is essential for boosting morale.
In the office, this means that employees don't want to be stuck working from a dedicated desk. Most young professionals these days value having the option to work however they feel best suits them, and that means having spaces in the office best suited for those tasks. This can be having a deep work session in a private office booth, brainstorming in a huddle room or having an informal get-together in a pantry or lounge area.
A key point in employee satisfaction is the number of learning opportunities an employee has. It's important that employees feel that they are given the time and space to grow as individuals - otherwise, they'll stagnate in their role and find those opportunities in a different company.
Start by identifying the skills your team members want to learn through regular 1-on-1s, then look for opportunities to help people develop them.
Here are a few things you could try:
So, build a work culture where 'learning moments' that push people out of their comfort zones are encouraged. With a healthy challenge, employees can work on what inspires them and deliver great work too.
Although some company leaders might think a monetary bonus is enough to keep employees happy, showing respect and giving recognition for your team's hard work where it's due is essential.
A few ways to show gratitude for excellent work could include verbally praising them, treating them to a meal, offering time off or offering a small appropriate gift. It might seem a bit over the top, but these acts to show employees that their work is valued will go a long way in retaining top talent.
Meaningful work accomplishes two things: it helps to communicate the long-term goals and objectives of your team and organization, and it boosts employee engagement. But just how important is it? As it turns out, very. Research shows that more than 9 out of 10 employees are willing to trade a percentage of their earnings for more meaningful work.
Next time you want to determine what meaningful work is, you can observe whether:
You might wonder 'what is company culture'? After all, it's not exactly a tangible item you can buy. Company culture relates to how employees interact with one another, and their shared ideals for how the company should operate.
With any number of stressed and unhappy employees, negative behaviour will spread, and that ultimately spells disaster for the work culture you're trying to build.
It's better to be proactive about caring about your employees' overall happiness with their workplace than trying to nip negativity in the bud as they arise. By then it might be too late.
We spend a large amount of our time at the office. Naturally, you'd want to create a space where employees feel comfortable and can be productive, but it takes more than some cool couches and standing desks.
A well-designed workspace needs to be well-lighted and inspiring. Ideally, it would be divided into activity-based areas for specific work, with some technology built-in to reduce the amount of admin work needed to get the job done (like booking a conference room).
The good news is that there are many options to help you best optimize space for collaboration and productivity. One option which has been rising in popularity in recent years is smart booths which can be adapted into soundproof focus rooms for individual work or meeting pods. With the right preparation, you too can curate a workspace that employees feel comfortable in and are excited to return to!
If you've made it this far, well done! It's a long list and you might not be able to provide absolutely every single thing working professionals want in one go, but as long as you keep considering their values and overall workplace happiness as you move forward, you'll find that in return, they'll offer you their loyalty and dedication in working towards your company's success.
If you're ready to start creating a place that your team would genuinely love to work in or have any questions about experimenting with new design-forward technologies such as smart booths, we'd love to hear from you. Check out our workplace solutions on our website or reach out to our team today!
