Attracting, and hiring great people for your organization is never the easiest thing to do. That’s why boutique executive search firms exist. But time, and time again, the consistent narrative that emerges during the talent acquisition process is how your current employees feel about you. Bad reviews, lawsuits, and controversial decisions can dent even the shiniest corporate armor within minutes. Because it is impossible for our firm to help every company in need, we’ve decided to try to help through our blog with articles that will “mostly” be centered around meeting your hiring goals.
In our previous blog post, we tackled investing in your employees and provided six practical ways to implement the strategy. Today, prioritizing employee happiness is our focus. Prioritizing Employee happiness refers to the intentional focus on creating a work environment that values the overall well-being and contentment of employees. It encompasses understanding and addressing their needs, expectations, and challenges, while fostering a positive culture that promotes engagement and satisfaction. This approach underscores the recognition that happy employees are more likely to be productive, committed, and loyal.
It involves providing opportunities for professional growth, acknowledging achievements, and ensuring work-life balance. A bottom-up communication channel is established where employees' opinions and concerns are heard empathetically by management to foster trust and open dialogue. Additionally, it necessitates empathy from leaders to recognize individual differences within the workforce to tailor experiences accordingly. Prioritizing employee happiness is not merely about perks or benefits; rather, it entails establishing an inclusive, supportive workplace atmosphere that values well-being as much as performance results.
Prioritizing employee happiness can be an effective recruitment tool or strategy for several reasons. Firstly, a happy workforce is likely to be more engaged, productive, and motivated, leading to higher overall job satisfaction and performance. This positive work environment can attract top talent who seek fulfilling and rewarding careers. Additionally, when employees are happy, they are more likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work, which in turn increases the company's reputation and attractiveness to potential candidates.
Moreover, prioritizing employee happiness signals that the company cares about its employees' well-being and values work-life balance, which is increasingly important for many individuals seeking employment opportunities. In today's competitive job market where talented candidates have multiple options available to them, offering a supportive and positive workplace can give companies a distinct advantage in attracting and retaining skilled professionals.
Here are five ways to prioritize employee happiness.
1.Be Honest
It sounds like a no-brainer, but some companies consistently keep information from their employees. Can you imagine finding out your employer is under investigation or about to lay off thousands of employees through a newspaper article or Twitter because the company did not make the information available previously to its employees?
This does not set a good precedent and erodes confidence in the company’s leaders.. Being honest with employees fosters trust, loyalty, and a positive work environment. When employees feel that they are being treated fairly and are kept well-informed about company decisions, they are more likely to be committed to their work, exhibit higher levels of job satisfaction, and demonstrate increased productivity.
Moreover, promoting honesty within the organization helps to build a healthy corporate culture centered on integrity and ethical behavior. This not only positively impacts employee morale but also enhances the company's reputation among customers, investors, and prospective candidates. Additionally, being truthful with the public is crucial as it creates a sense of accountability and reliability for the company's products or services. Transparency builds confidence in consumers' minds, leading to long-term customer relationships based on trust.
Overall, honesty with both employees and the public ensures long-term sustainability and success for companies while promoting ethical business practices in society. People want to work for companies they trust, and transparent honesty is one of the ways to do it.
2. Celebrate Successes
Recognizing and acknowledging achievements not only boosts the morale and motivation of employees but also fosters a positive work culture. When a company celebrates employee success, it sends a powerful message that hard work, dedication, and exceptional performance are valued and appreciated. This recognition can significantly contribute to increasing employee engagement, loyalty, and productivity levels.
Furthermore, celebrating success helps create a sense of camaraderie among team members as they witness their colleagues being recognized for their accomplishments. It promotes healthy competition and encourages others to strive for personal growth and professional development within the organization.
By publicly acknowledging individual achievements, companies demonstrate that they genuinely care about their employees' well-being and career progression while further establishing themselves as an employer of choice in the competitive job market. In summary, celebrating employee success is a fundamental aspect of building a thriving organization that prioritizes its workforce's happiness and fulfillment.
One of the best ways to ensure this is being done equitably is to have employees submit their scalable successes to their manager, who can in turn share it with the team. You can create an inter department or team board where anyone can post what they accomplished this past week. The idea is to make it safe, non intimidating and fun. You might even include a whimsical award or badge to acknowledge the employee milestone. Clients have shared that their employees keep going back to read the board to stay encouraged and motivated.
3. Hire Leaders
Several studies have uncovered why employees leave a company. One of the top answers is always due to a manager. We’ve explored the differences between a Leader and a Taskrabbit in a previous post. One of the most distinctive differences is Leaders build up their direct reports.
They identify areas of strength and capitalize on them by providing opportunities to ascend further. They also stand up for the members of the team, and align them with professional goals and company priorities. Most importantly, Leaders are seen as go-to subject matter experts, and trusted advisors. A recent Gallup poll shared that employees with great managers will not leave their roles. And once they do, it is for a significant increase in pay. In other words, a good manager will keep their teams happy.
4. Custom Career Plans
A unique way to prioritize employee happiness is by implementing a personalized career development program that focuses on individual aspirations and growth. This approach involves conducting regular assessments to identify employees' strengths, passions, and areas for improvement. With this information in hand, leaders can create tailored plans that align with their employees' goals and ambitions.
Providing opportunities for upskilling or promoting initiatives like job rotation within the organization not only helps employees gain new skills but also exposes them to diverse experiences and challenges, ensuring their personal and professional growth.
Additionally, leaders should encourage an open and transparent communication culture where employees feel comfortable expressing their concerns or ideas. By prioritizing individual aspirations and fostering genuine conversations, employers show a commitment to their well-being, which leads to increased job satisfaction and overall happiness among the workforce.
5. Flex Time
One unusual, but effective way to prioritize employee happiness is by implementing a flextime policy. Flextime allows employees to have more control over their work hours, enabling them to align their work schedules with their personal commitments and preferences. This approach recognizes the diverse needs and circumstances of employees by promoting wellness, and reducing stress levels.
By giving individuals the ability to choose when they start and finish their workday, it fosters a sense of trust, autonomy, and empowerment. Flextime can improve job satisfaction as staff members feel valued and respected for having control over their own time. Furthermore, it boosts productivity as employees are more likely to be engaged during hours that suit their natural energy cycles. Although unconventional in some industries, implementing a flextime policy demonstrates an organization's commitment towards employee well-being while nurturing a positive workplace culture.
Implementing some or all of these strategies will help your organization ton reduce attrition rates and optimize employee happiness. Candidates want to work at happy companies where they will be treated well, and where their colleagues exude joy.
About Recruiting Awesome. We are a top rated boutique executive search firm with a hyper focus on confidential and discreet search services globally. We bring a highly personalized touch to your leadership engagements. We network with fresh visionaries, and our projects are never outsourced. You partner with one key contact for the entirety of your search.
We welcome assisting you on your internal leadership opportunities. Do not hesitate in reaching out here. Some of the greatest breakthroughs happen in times like these. If your organization wants to hire results oriented compassionate leaders then our search firm is for you. If you are a leader passively entertaining new opportunities, feel free connect with us. We would love to hear from you.. Let's start this exciting journey together.
Contact: inquiries@recruitingawesome.net
(800) 748-0518