Any business owner knows that profit is the most important part of keeping a company above water. Without a profit, nothing else is possible. But even with the importance of your profit, it isn’t always easy to achieve. You need the help of the entire company to increase sales and grow your business.
Simply hiring a team of employees isn’t enough to get them on board and invested in your company’s profit.
While they may show up to work each day and put in the hours, unhappy employees will drag your company right down into the ground. While your first thought when increasing profit may not be to consider the atmosphere of your office, it’s a major key to finding success.
But just how does your employees’ happiness level play into your profit and what can you do to please unhappy workers? This guide will help you out.
Motivating Employees and Your Bottom Line
To begin looking at how to increase business sales, let’s take a look at two different scenarios revolving around potential employees.
First, consider what an employee may do when they’re unhappy in their position.
While they come in to work most days, they probably show up late, leave early, and may take frequent sick days or vacation days.
When your employees are out of the office, projects fall behind, other employees need to step in to help, and you’ll have trouble moving forward. If they are particularly unhappy, they may look for a new position and leave your company without much warning.
The days that they are in the office, they aren’t giving their all to their work. They find distractions, complete their work just enough to check it off their to-do list, and they are unwilling to go above average.
Their brainpower and talent is lost because they simply don’t care enough about the job to step up. Unhappy individuals are also more stressed at work, which can lead to injury and a workers compensation claim.
But employees that are happy with their job become invested in their work and look for ways to improve their tasks and the company as a whole. They engage with customers and clients and provide insights to more efficient or different ways tasks can be completed.
They show up early or on time and are more willing to stay later at the end of the day.
Happy employees are much more likely to stay in their jobs as well. With a lower turn around rate, you are able to create a solid team of workers who mesh well together and play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
When you have happy employees, you spend less time and money on training and you can keep your sights on growing your company and your business.
But just how do you turn unhappy employees into happy employees?
How to Improve Your Employees’ Happiness
There are a few things that you can do to encourage and motivate your employees. Here are just a few options to consider.
Recognize Their Accomplishments
A major reason employees feel unhappy is because they feel like their bosses and managers are not appreciative of their hard work. While it is their job to complete their tasks, recognize when a particularly great job as been completed. Employees will be more likely to go above and beyond the next time.
Give Them Time Away
To help reduce work related stress, give your employees enough vacation time to truly come back recharged and refreshed. Not only will this keep them from sustaining a workplace injury, but it can also keep employees from burning out and feeling unhappy.
Provide Feedback
Have an annual employee performance evaluation to cover the work the employee has completed and how they are doing.
With these meetings, you and your employee can better understand each other and what is expected of them. Having clear business goals and responsibilities allow employees to feel happier and more satisfied with their jobs.
Show How They Can Grow
Employees work for companies that they feel will help them grow, so if you’re not providing growth opportunities for your employees, they will probably feel stuck and leave for something new. Other growth options include education or mentorship opportunities.
If you want to see your business profit grow, you need to start looking at the people who will help you get there. Pay attention to your team, listen to their needs, and do what you can to make them happy in their positions.
About The Author
This is a guest post by Riya Sander, a writer for Carter Capner Law, a progressive, innovative and strongly motivated law firm based in Queensland, Australia. With spending her years working in management, Riya is very delighted to work with aspiring small business owners. Follow her Twitter.
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