11 Things That Make Workers Happy

What strategies are you overlooking to keep your employees productive?

By: David Mielach, BusinessNewsDaily Staff Writer

Strategy Index1. Employee Growth: Good or Bad?2. Training from Within3. Just how big does a bonus need to be?4. Offer Autonomy To Workers5. Tricks to improve your office living6. The Home Office7. Cutting the Waste8. Give Workers Balance In Their Lives9. Offer Unique Benefits Package10. The Fitness Program11. The Productivity Break

Offer room for growthEmployees are unlikely to be happy if they continue to come to a job that offers no room for growth and advancement.

New studies have proven those who felt there was a lack of advancement opportunity began searching for a new job.

Maria Kraimer, co-author of one of these studies mentioned that by providing developmental support and career mentoring, you are able to reduce the amount of employees preparing to leave your organization in favor of better opportunities.

For more information on increasing employee productivity in 2013 check out our latest countdown.

Offer a good training program Greater engagement between the organization and employees has been found in companies where a sponsored training session or mentorship is already in place.

Socialized by Default vs. Socialized by Design: Helping new hires adjust to the corporate culture is key for productivity. According to Professor Jamie Gruman at the University of Guelph, in Guelph, Ontario who conducted research into this experience, by reducing the “fend for yourself” mentality, newcomers to an organization can become empowered and leads to greater engagement and productivity for the future.

Just how big does a bonus have to be? A new study reveals that 60% of workers would be happy with a bonus of just $25. Would this work in your organization?

With businesses continuing to struggle in this economy, this is positive news for employers hoping to retain loyal employees despite their financial situation. This may be a simple solution to help maintain a productive workforce and competitive business.

For more information on increasing employee productivity in 2013 check out our latest countdown.

Waiting for Approval?Motivate your employees from within. Research has found that performance, engagement and confidence will spike if employees have the freedom to get the job done in their own way.

Approvals should be used sparingly to show that new hires have the ability and trust from their senior managers. This boosts productivity and streamlines the reporting function so that employees won’t waste time waiting for an approval from management.

For more information on increasing employee productivity in 2013 check out our latest countdown.

Tricks to improve your office livingIt’s shouldn’t come as a surprise but employees are happier if they like where they work. Here’s some quick ideas that may be able to boost morale and recognize a job well done:

Communication is key with employees as it helps to alleviate many concerns they may have about their job. It doesn’t matter how you communicate - in person, in an email or with a handwritten note all helped to make workers feel better at work.

Providing Food during breaks Playing Music

Reduce Meeting Length Recognizing Employee Achievement

The Home OfficeMany workers today believe that a home office could become the wave of the future as it allows you to still be productive while achieving that level of comfort that so many organizations are striving for in hopes of retaining talent.

Cutting the WasteAllowing workers to keep focused on their jobs without constant interruption is another way to keep employees happy and productive. Employees were found to spend 100 hours a year dealing with pointless emails leading to increased stress and inbox overload.

Many employers are considering email blackout periods or timeouts to help deal with this overload and keep levels of productivity on the rise.

With pointless emails eliminated, workers can focus only on relevant items related to work. That can lead to employees who are happier since they will not need to deal with pointless and time-consuming issues.

Creating the Ultimate Work-Life Balance

Just how important is your own work-life balance and would you accept a new opportunity that only focused on career benefits?Balancing the work-life relationship presents an opportunity for companies trying to keep their workers happy. Research has shown that employers who excel at this balancing act are able to retain employees who feel connected to the organization which in turn boosts morale and levels of output.

Something to consider: Over 67% of workers said they would stay at a company because of the balance that it offers them in their lives.

Benefits that make senseCompanies can help workers improve their work life balance with the perks that they offer. Benefits that now stretch beyond traditional vacation days and 401K’s include:

Care.com offered solutions like these above and the feedback was overwhelming:

"Across the board, the feedback we get from our clients is that Care.com really helps them manage their personal and professional obligations," said Chris Duchesne, vice president of workplace solutions at Care.com. "The net benefit there to the employee and the organization is increased productivity, work hours and decreased absenteeism. Workers were also more loyal and engaged at work."

Child Care Tutors

Senior Care Housekeepers

Pet Care Personal convenience providers

The Fitness ProgramKeeping workers healthy is key to their overall happiness and productivity. Many companies now included programs to help control health care costs and keep employee stress at all time lows.

Program advancements in employee health can now include biometric screenings, health risk assessments, on-site clinics and pharmacies and employee assistance programs.

Workers who participated in this research were found to be less stressed and therefore happier and healthier at work. Though many of these programs are in their infancy, workers are beginning to look to them as an attractive option to keep healthy.

The Productivity Break

New research is showing that there is a value to employees that take short breaks during the course of their workday .

Many companies are now loosening their perceptions on break times for employees. Whether its surfing the internet or taking a quick walk outside, employers are seeing increased productivity and better morale through these experiments.

Workers, however, should not get overly excited about long breaks from work to use social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The research suggests that breaks of just 10 minutes are enough to elicit positive benefits.

For more information on increasing employee productivity in 2013 check out our latest countdown.

Thank You&

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