Happy staff means more productive staff
No matter what type of business you run – it could be a family business, a startup or micro business, an established company, SME, or a large organisation, you would find it hard to continue without the help of the people you employ.
The team of employees you have working for you are the people who keep your business afloat which means they need to be motivated, happy and willing to do as much as they can to see your business go forward. Knowing how to ensure your workforce engage in their own well-being is just one aspect of being a good “boss”. There are other aspects which I will share with you over the coming weeks….
Improved Productivity When Staff are Happy & Healthy
It goes without saying that happy, healthy staff will work that much harder and take fewer days off which at the end of the day equates to improved productivity all round. Too many days off could prove a headache for you as the boss with absence management becoming a real issue. A good way of getting a team together is to ensure they have a feeling of “belonging” to the company which in turn means they want the responsibility of seeing to it that customers are always happy with the level of service they receive.
Creating a Team Spirit is Essential
It’s really important for the people you employ to work as a closely knit team and a good way of encouraging this is to organise sporting weekends away where they can build up a team relationship with each other when competing at any given sport. If your employees form a team spirit at “play” they are more likely to work closely together in their working environment. The added bonus of organising interactive sports weekends for your staff is they are sure to be a whole lot fitter and healthier as a result of the activities they do. This is particularly true if the events are organised on a regular basis. There’s a much better chance of individual employees not wanting to let other people they work with down which they would if they took a day off.
Offer Memberships to Local Gyms and Encourage Health Experts to come onsite.
Encouraging employees to stay healthy means giving them your support
Many people these days like to join their local gym so they can spend a few hours there every week to help keep in shape. However, the cost of joining a gym can be expensive which might deter a few of your employees. There is a solution, though because as the boss you could organise a group membership with a local gym so that your employers get to go whenever they want to. You may think of this as just another overhead, but if your employees are fit and healthy, then you won’t have to cope with so many “days off sick” which ultimately costs companies a lot more money than the price of joining a gym!
You could also think about inviting local nutritional and health/wellbeing professionals to come onsite, where they can offer advice on diet, fitness, nutrition supplements, and even offer health checks. Low antioxidant levels in our bodies are what leads to colds and flu. Experts can help with this and the benefits include increased energy, more focus, increased concentration, resistance to fatigue, increased resistance to colds and flu – all resulting in your staff providing better results, improving your profits!
Keep Your Employees Happy by Keeping Them in the Picture
All employees like to know what’s going on. If they are left in the dark about anything that could impact them or which is considered to be important, then stress takes hold and you can bet that a few staff will take days off to cope with their anxieties. Keeping the people who work for you in the picture is really important and this is particularly true when it comes to situations that may have an impact on your business and therefore your staff.
Conclusion
Businesses all over the country lose money when their employees take time off work due to illness which is why it’s so important for bosses to try to encourage staff to take care of their health and well-being. Employees like to feel they belong and as such it’s crucial for them to feel important, no matter what position they hold within your company.
It’s only a few weeks ago since the Chancellor announced that we will have to work longer before we retire. This means your staff will be working longer and if it’s physically demanding or manual work, it’s unrealistic to expect them to be as productive as they were 10 years ago. This will only deteriorate further in the future, therefore as a business owner, it’s your responsibility to take a proactive approach. This not only helps your existing staff but also sends a positive message to prospective employees, making you an employer of choice.
Keeping your staff informed of business developments is essential because it gives them peace of mind and avoids any stress and incorrect gossip. Contacting a local gym and arranging for your company to have a group membership could be a great “perk” to offer employees whilst at the same time motivating them to stay fit and healthy but it’s also a good idea to offer staff free HR health checks on a regular basis.
