One of the main ways to keep your staff happy, motivated and productive will be to give them opportunities to make important decisions, so they feel trusted and valued. According to research by Warwick University, being happy at work leads to a 12 percent spike in productivity. The more your staff develop and thrive, the more you will reap the rewards because business growth always results from a group of people working successfully together, rather than anyone in isolation.
Here are six tips to inspire and empower your employees, to create a positive and successful workplace.
Communicate expectations clearly
Communication is key to any business success and it is essential that you define clear boundaries for your staff in which they can work. Communicate what you want them to do, whilst giving them free reign to execute plans as they wish. Be direct, clear and concise, so there is less room for mistakes or confusion. Also put any requests in context, so employees understand the bigger picture, both about a company’s core values  and how their work will feed into the growth of the business.
Encourage self-improvement
When your team gather new skills, it will have a knock-on effect for the whole company. By encouraging development and self-improvement programmes, your staff will become more educated and productive. However, training is not one-size-fits-all. There are specialist companies, like Impact Factory, that can offer unique professional training programmes for businesses. It’s a great opportunity to have trainers work with your staff to develop new skills and those most important to the success of your company.
Foster open communication channels
Encourage open communication and establish clear two-way communication practices, to show staff that all ideas are valued and welcome. Give employees clear ways that they can regularly express any feedback, thoughts or observations. Harvard Business Review found that 71 percent of respondents ranked employee engagement as the most important aspect in the overall success of an organisation.
Keep staff accountable
It is essential that staff know when they are meeting expectations but it is equally important to communicate to them if they are not, with clear measures of success. Ownership of work is a powerful productivity driver and staff are more likely to complete tasks successfully if they can see them through to completion. When accountability is central to a company’s processes and culture, employees will feel more empowered to take ownership.
Be flexible
Flexibility allows staff to manage their personal life and issues around their work, so they have a better work-life balance. This could mean working from home occasionally, working flexible hours around childcare or other commitments or job-sharing. Many studies have shown that being able to be more flexible significantly improves productivity and it boosts morale and employee retention.
Show appreciation
People who are recognised and rewarded for hard work will always feel happier and more appreciated. From small tasks, like handling difficult conversations, through to projects that have been executed excellently, find different ways of saying ‘thank you’ for a job well done. If someone feels like have done a job well, they are more likely to complete the next task in the same way or even better.
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