If you’re frustrated with how your company is performing, stop tugging at your hair for a moment. Solutions in business are often more obvious than you think, if you lift your eyes off the spreadsheets and look at what’s around you: your people.
What’s going on in the office could be key to improving your bottom-line. Instead of only spending time with your accountant, try fixing your productivity and numbers with unorthodox remedies. With resources like thank you cards and embroidery Sydney businesses are improving how they perform in comparison to the competition. Isn’t it time you start too?
Why Office Morale Matters
You can get so wrapped up in getting work done that you forget about the people doing the work. Unfortunately, this can lead to workers feeling less engaged with your vision. Studies show when workers aren’t engaged their productivity drops and this is costing companies millions.
Studies show that with a more engaged team you can boost profits by over 20%. Engagement refers to how emotionally committed a team member is to a company. This can prompt them to do more, work harder and help achieve company goals.
Imagine you’re a worker heading to the office. If you’re not excited about what you’re doing or about what the company is achieving, you won’t be very committed to outcomes. Add to this the problems of not getting along with your co-workers or a boss that doesn’t care about you as an individual and there won’t be much work getting done. To prevent this from happening and managing the level of engagement, maintaining a positive work environment and cultivating the culture your team works in should be a priority for any business owner.
5 Steps to a More Engaged Team
Open Up Channels of Communication
A first step in getting people more engaged and boosting how people feel about coming to work is to improve communication. Ask yourself these questions:
- How are you communicating? Invest in software and apps that distribute information and make it easily accessible even when people are off site. For example, off site workers should be kept up to date without even having to call someone at the office.
- Do workers feel they can talk to you? You may need to change your policy and become more approachable as an owner or manager. If someone has a problem, they should feel they can come to you at any time for advice. Having your support and feeling their feedback matters will help them feel more part of the team that makes things happen.
- What do you communicate? Instead of only communicating when there’s a problem to solve, also share victory stories. This makes workers more positive about what they’re part of.
Care About their Futures
Your workers may be excited about joining your team at first, but after a while they will develop a new need for change. Make sure there are always opportunities for them to grow, whether you promote in-house or offer training.
Helping your team grow will improve the level of service your company can deliver but you’re also helping workers meet their need for reaching goals and having purpose.
Find Ways to Build Team Spirit
Your team needs to feel connected to your brand as well as each other.
Help them feel proud of the company they’re working for, especially if they engage with clients and have to represent you. Have your team wear branded clothing with your logo embroidered on a cap or shirt pocket. Use quality embroidery services Sydney business trust so you’re assured of a classy look. Apart from improving your marketing campaign, the visual reminder of the company tends to spark loyalty and a sense of pride in their work.
There’s a reason team building days are so popular in the modern business environment. Your team members must get to know each other in order to improve synergy. Organising a day with fun team building activities may require sacrificing a day’s work but you’ll get a return on investment in the form of enhanced productivity.
Find Out from Them What They Need
You can read a lot online about improving company morale and boosting engagement but there’s no better source of information than your team members.
Before you initiate a new idea, ask their feedback and make sure it’s relevant to their needs. You may spend a lot of money on a new cafeteria to boost interaction while their more prominent need is healthier living. For the latter, employee wellness days would be a better investment.
Small Things Matter
Not all your new ideas have to take a lot of time and money to implement. Simply prioritising saying thank you or asking feedback instead of only enforcing your own ideas can instantly transform the atmosphere in the office.
Summary
Your workers form a valuable asset that will help you reach your business goals. If you don’t add their wellbeing and level of engagement to your priority list, you’ll never be able to improve the numbers on those financial reports you’re agonising over.
Do you have more questions—or tips—on the topic of business and staff matters?