Read the full post on the SharedHR blog.

How do you keep your employees happy? While many employers think employee happiness revolves around the almighty dollar, there are many other ways you can inspire and motivate your employees. By incorporating a few of these simple suggestions you can offer your staff an environment where they feel valued and appreciated which in turn will provide the company with increased results and productivity. If you have any questions about implementing any of these strategies, your Human Resources professional can assist.

1) Ask for Feedback

Your employees are usually the first line of contact with customers. Ask your employees for suggestions for improvement. Many of your employees probably have new thoughts and ideas to improve existing processes. Your staff also want to feel like they are part of the success of your company. Employees can give valuable feedback on what’s working and what’s not. The key is to take the feedback seriously. If staff invest time and effort to offer their advice, it’s critical to take their suggestions seriously and implement them whenever possible.

2) Be Flexible

Obviously you need your staff to get all their required work done, but does it need to be done 9am-5pm every day? Offering staff the flexibility of starting earlier or coming in later can be very advantageous to employees. As a mom I know how important it is to be available to help with homework and be able to take kids to their after school activities. Having the flexibility to come in early and leave earlier is a huge bonus for me. Look at Best Buy as another example. In 2002 they changed their headquarters staff in Minneapolis to a ROWE (Results only Work plan). In this scenario employees determine their own work schedules as long as their work is consistently completed on time. This resulted in a 35% increase in productivity.

3) Be transparent

Make sure to be as open and honest as possible with staff and keep them in the loop whenever possible. Employees appreciate being told what is happening with the company and where the future is headed. They also know when you’re feeding them the same old lines. Make a point to show that it is important that they know the company goals. If you make them a part of these goals and explain how the work they accomplish contributes to these goals, employees will value them and work hard to achieve them.

4) Set clear goals and reward Success

Employees that work hard and accomplish the goals you set for them should be recognized. That doesn’t mean you have to send them on a lavish trip or reward them monetarily. A simple recognition in a group setting can be sufficient. Your staff needs to know that you see their extra effort.

5) Offer Growth Opportunities

One of the biggest things employees look for in a job is whether they will have growth opportunities available to them. Not too many employees want to sit around and do the same thing for the next twenty years. For the staff that consistently perform well, and are looking for new challenges, it’s important to offer them additional...

Read the full post on the SharedHR blog.
</br>