What Your Employees Need From You to Reach Their Full Potential
Employers take note!
If you’re looking to motivate your employees to reach their full potential, you would do well to find ways to improve their satisfaction.
Research suggest that there’s a link between employee engagement and their happiyness at work. According to a case study by the University of Warwick, happiness led to a 12 percent increase in productivity. Unhappy workers, on the other hand, proved to be 10 percent less productive.
Professor Andrew Oswald, a researcher on the team who led the University of Warwick study said companies that invest in team member support and satisfaction tend to generate happier workers.
Smart companies are making development plans to help employees, and seeing a payoff.
While employee happiness can seem like a difficult and unclear project, the fact is that even small things can have a big impact on your workers’ well-being.
Worker satisfaction is a joint effort between employee and employer, for the vast majority of high-achieving and self-motivated workers, helping them to reach their full potential will cause them to be more motivated, driven, productive, and committed to their job. This job satisfaction will be reflected in every aspect of their work, whether it’s going the extra mile with customer service, or working extra hard to win over that customer. In short, you can turn any employee into a top performer if you place a focus on happiness and personal development.
If you want to have a thriving and motivated workforce, there’s a lot that you can do to boost worker satisfaction. Here are a few things employers can do to make use of an employee’s potential.
Value and Respect
Your workers need to feel respected – and valued. According to a survey by Glassdoor, 81 percent of employees said that they’re motivated to work harder when their boss shows appreciation for their work. Common courtesy, talking with workers politely, and saying “please” and “thank you” doesn’t cost anything, and can go a long way towards helping a worker to feel appreciated. On the other hand, treating a worker like they are dispensable will negatively impact their job satisfaction.
If you want to build a strong team, make sure you show them appreciation when they act in ways you’d like them to continue. Cultivate a workplace culture where an employee attempting to reach their high potential is rewarded with acknowledgment at the very least.
An Investment in Their Growth
An excellent way to improve job satisfaction is by encouraging, and supporting your workers’ career and educational advancements. They should be kept aware of opportunities to hone new skills, work on their existing skill sets, or close skill gaps so that they might better serve your company. Some employees might need some nudging to leave their comfort zone, however.
Consider reimbursing them for training for qualifications, or for continued education. Investing in their training will help them to feel more vested in their job, and more satisfied in their role at work. If you push them towards leadership skills in particular, they can help you train more workers through mentoring.
Opportunities for Advancement
No one wants to be stuck in a dead end job. Driven workers who feel that they are going nowhere in their career will burn out fast. Combat this by offering workers opportunities for advancement. Whenever possible, try to hire from within, rather than bringing in outside hires for management positions. Opportunities to advance their career will give them something to work towards, and encourage them to stay with the company.
Competitive Salaries
Studies show that workplace happiness isn’t directly tied to salary, and to a certain extent, this is true. If a worker is very happy at their job, they may not mind too much if the pay is at, or perhaps slightly below average. However, in many cases, people will consider leaving their job if they’re offered an opportunity that pays better. Consider paying your team competitive salaries, as well as offering bonuses for high performers who reach a certain predetermined quota. Just make sure the objectives are realistic and achievable to avoid frustrating your workers.
A Positive Work Environment
Finally, workers need to be a part of a positive workplace environment, where they feel that they matter, and are part of something bigger. Create an optimistic workplace by encouraging your team, providing positive feedback, and entrusting your workers with responsibilities. Avoid harsh criticism, skepticism, and micromanagement.
It’s important to maintain a positive workplace –where workers feel respected, and are rewarded with competitive salaries and opportunities to advance their education and careers. Continue to look for ways to create an environment that draws out the best in people, and you’ll be able to reap the benefits of a team that’s happy –and thriving.
