Top 5 Things Every Employee Wants from their Employer
Outside of Benefits and Fair Pay, there are a few things almost every employee satisfaction survey agrees on. Employees want to be empowered by their employers, feeling as though they have a voice, and feel appreciated. When it comes to empowerment and employee satisfaction there are a few things employers must do to retain and attract top talent.
Demonstrate Respect
Respect is essential in any relationship and is a requirement when dealing with management and staff. Ask anyone in your workplace what treatment they most want at work and they likely will say it is the desire to be treated with dignity and respect. You can demonstrate respect with simple, yet powerful actions.
An example of demonstrating respect is trusting employees to do the jobs they were hired to do without micromanaging. If something isn't being done correctly, address it in a straightforward and professional manner that details what needs to be corrected.
Develop Trust
Trust serves as the foundation for healthy relationships, including those at the workplace. It provides for effective communication, employee retention and employee motivation, and contribution of discretionary energy, the extra effort that people voluntarily invest in their work.
Do this by giving an employee added responsibility if you think he can handle it. Even if it might be a challenging task, he might rise to the occasion simply because he appreciates the trust you put in him and wants to show you he can handle the work.
Build a Mentoring Culture
Create a mentoring culture where employees share their skills and knowledge to help one another to learn and grow. Set up a training system and team bonding exercises that includes someone who has more experience and knowledge to act as an adviser or mentor to other employees.
This also encompasses several other tips for improving the workplace. By asking an employee to serve as a mentor, you are showing trust in that employee and re-enforcing your appreciation for her work. Those being mentored see this as a means of recognition to which they can aspire.
Provide Feedback
Feedback is an important communication tool in a healthy work environment. It helps the company by improving processes and shows employees that you care about their career. If phrased correctly, regular feedback can be a useful tool for helping employees and, hence, the company to grow.
Feedback can range from detailed and regularly scheduled performance reviews that let employees know where they stand to simply saying "good job" on occasion. It also involves constructive criticism. If employees are doing something wrong, they want to know, and they want to know how to correct the problem.
Show Appreciation
Feel free to tell your colleagues, co-workers, and staff how much you value them and their contributions any day of the year. In fact, small surprises and tokens of your appreciation spread throughout the year help the people in your work life feel valued throughout the year. Letting employees know they are valued is a great motivator that can drive productivity.
For example, during team meetings, highlighting the benefits of someone's recent project is a nice way to recognize her publicly and remind her that her work is valued. Offering incentive trips and team bonding activities for staff is another great way to reach a common goal while developing a sense of team comradery.