Great atmosphere at work isn’t desirable just for the sake of our happy feelings. As numerous studies have shown, a happy worker is a productive worker. What is more, they are less tempted to leave the company and take their talents elsewhere. Therefore, it is vital to make employees feel valued and respected, and here are a couple of practical ways to achieve this.

Verbalize the value

Doing a great job and seeing its results isn’t reward enough on its own, and silent approval from the supervisor is not worth much either. When you have the chance, give praise to your employees as this is a sign of appreciation for all their hard work. Workers are inspired to maintain high-quality work if they see it recognized. Otherwise, they might think you do not notice the difference between a job well and badly done, which may result in diminishing both productivity and quality.

Ask the right questions

And more importantly, listen to their feedback. Try to genuinely ask for their opinion instead of imposing your own. For instance, instead of stating that the profit margin has to increase in this semester, simply ask a question what they suggest as the best solution for boosting the profit margin.

Share your hopes and dreams

In short, let the employees know what you are trying to achieve. Determine the short and long term goals. They will feel more motivated if they know what all the effort is for. As well as that, both of you will be able to monitor the success and feel the pride after a successfully executed task.

Give them the resources

Hardly any employee feels empowered when they are aware of their own skills and worth, conscious of the aims ahead, but lacking some basic tools. To achieve the best results, you had better do the following:

• Be informative – by this, we do not solely mean conferences and seminars. True, they can be valuable, but what should be your primal goal is establishing a culture of community learning. Entice the workers to gain new knowledge while at their workplace. Learning new things should be a habit rather than a once-a-month opportunity. 
• Provide the right tools – if there is one thing no worker can stand, that is expecting wonderful results with no investments in the right equipment. Also, it is a perfect excuse to do the job poorly. For instance, if your HR department is struggling with the increased amount of work due to the company’s growth, you had better know how to choose the right HRIS system, as this platform simplifies the training process and managing payrolls. Similarly, buying the latest software versions accelerates the production and improves communication among staff.

Show by doing

We have previously mentioned that you should praise the employees’ efforts, and though it is rewarding, it should also be backed up with some more tangible examples. For instance, it is perfectly acceptable for a good worker to occasionally get a long weekend approved. Actions speak louder than words, and your act of appreciation will ensure gratitude and inspire hard work.

Feel free to chat

Leaving the office door open and not being afraid to make (appropriate) small talk with your employees will certainly make them feel better and more attached to the company in general.

Some of our suggestions require certain financial assets, whereas others are basically parts of excellent management. Try applying at least some of them, and you’ll be able to witness productivity boost sooner than you realize.