12 Things Employees Appreciate the Most at a Workplace

workplaceHiring good employees is hard, but retaining those talents is even harder. You as a business owner need to find a way in which you can keep hard-working employees happy with the workplace. Keeping your employees satisfied is one of the essential aspects of business success. 

Even though a raise or a promotion are strong motivators, you can’t always materially reward your employees. You need to come up with other ways of keeping your employees happy. Do you really know what employees want? Here are 12 things employees appreciate the most at the workplace. If you take them into consideration, your company will become a more pleasant workplace.

1. Workplace Appreciation

Appreciation is one of the key aspects of employee satisfaction. They invest their time and knowledge in your business. The least you can do is be grateful for their hard work and show appreciation. By acknowledging their efforts, your employees will be more likely to stay loyal to your business, put more effort and indulge in the company’s culture. 

How can you show appreciation? Provide your employees with timely feedback. Whether it’s a praise or constructive criticism, they will know that their work is valued and appreciated. When they sense that they are valued, their sense of accomplishment will rise. Alongside this, workers’ productivity, motivation and creativity will increase, leading to even better performance.

2. Being part of the bigger picture

The business you run is the organisation your employee wants to be the part for. Many companies rely on teamwork that gives amazing results. If your employees don’t feel like they are part of the team, they won’t nurture that culture not be loyal to their organisation. Is there a way to change that?

To make your employees feel like they are a part of a bigger picture, make them feel included. Ask for their opinion and let them make some of the decisions. If they have the opportunity to decide, they will feel motivated to go on with their tasks. Besides that, try to nurture good communication and connection between everybody who works for your company. 

3. Flexibility

Not everyone thrives under the same conditions. Working strictly from 9 to 5 may be great for some but dreadful for the others. Many claim that personality plays a big role in your most productive hours, but that shouldn’t matter if you allow your employees some flexibility. 

If you decide to let your employees work from home or come in later than expected, make sure that the same rule applies to everyone. Even though the organisation and order should exist, as long as the tasks are done promptly it shouldn’t matter where are your employees working from. To keep things under the control, allow your employees 3-5 days per month to work remotely or go home earlier. 

4. Respect

How many times have you heard that employees are being disrespected by their managers? If you want to retain your employees, you need to respect their work and the time they invest in your business. The way managers treat their employees’ influences their attitude towards their work. This means that employees who feel respected by their managers often put more effort into the work which results in better outcomes for the employee and the company they work for.

Did you know that employees who feel respected tend to report that they are physically and mentally healthier than those who are not respected? Besides that, respect is one strong motivator. It keeps employees satisfied with their workplace and is exactly what they need to work efficiently during the day.

5. Autonomy

Nobody likes to be bossed around or told what to do. Many employees find such environment toxic and suffocating. Instead of giving them orders, change the approach. Assign them tasks responsibly, and allow them to accept or decline. Try to meet them halfway. Both sides need to make concessions to make that professional relationship functional.

When working on important projects, employees like to be left alone. They can manage to do the task on their own without having anyone breathing down their necks. Different organisations and company define autonomy differently. For some, it’s the freedom of doing the tasks however you like. For the others, autonomy means being able to set your own schedule or working hours. Talk with your employees and compromise for better understanding and better work efficiency.

6. Trust

Trust is closely correlated to autonomy. You can’t provide workplace autonomy unless you trust your employees. Considering that, trust is a medal with two sides. You need to trust your employees that they will do their tasks efficiently and with excellency, but they need to have trust in you that you’ll keep your promises and agreements.

Trust doesn’t come overnight. It takes time to build it and effort to earn it. If you want to make a change in your workplace, start by changing yourself. Is it possible to make your employees trust you if you don’t have trust in your workplace? The answer is simple: no. Trustworthiness is crucial for the business’s success.

7. Development and growth

It’s commonly known that people learn while they are alive. That’s why so many employees are eager to learn more from their workplace. Their goal is to learn, develop and master new skills while they are working. If you want to retain talents, make sure to pay attention to their development and growth.

How can a company help? The first thing one company can do is provide good mentors for new employees. Besides that, just like employees invest in the business, business owners need to invest in the employees. How? Buy them courses and books that are useful for their positions, let them attend seminars to improve their knowledge. They will grow as persons and use their new skills and knowledge to help your business thrive.

8. Workplace Challenges

Nobody likes boring tasks and environment. Most people peak when they challenge their abilities and learn from the tasks they’ve been given. If you think your employees aren’t satisfied with the tasks they’ve been given, try to challenge them more.

Don’t assign them tasks you’re sure they can’t solve. Challenge is a good motivator that helps your employees use their knowledge and display their qualities through various tasks. Tasks like these make your employees feel engaged which directly leads to a more positive and more efficient work environment.

9. Security

Let’s face it, everyone likes security and to feel secured. Greater and better job security brings more innovative ideas to the table. Employees are more eager to indulge in problem-solving activities if they perceive their job brings them security. Job security isn’t only beneficial to the employees, but to your business as well.

If you offer long-term job security, you’ll motivate your employees to be more productive and creative. Believe it or not, job security has more impact on employees’ behaviour than salary. Secure jobs nurture productive employees that are proud to be part of that organisation. In addition to that, job security engages employees and creates a positive picture of the workplace environment.

10. Good work-life balance

Many employers and managers often neglect employees’ life outside of the work. Employees indeed dedicate most hours of their day to task related to work. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have a life outside their workplace. Respect that.

You as an employer need to encourage them to balance their work and life well. Work-life balance is based solely on the benefits for employees and for the business. If you encourage work-life balance, employees will come to work rested and ready to tackle new challenges.

11. Frequent breaks

Many managers overlook the importance of breaks during work. Employees that work without breaks tend to be more tired, more depressed, less focus and less productive, which negatively affect the way the company works. Instead of risking the company’s success, encourage your employees to take frequent breaks during their working hours.

Work breaks aren’t complete without the coffee. If you want to boost productivity and creativity at your workplace, consider offering your employees free coffee and snacks. For better work experience, get coffee pod machines for your cafeteria. Coffee pod machines serve only high-quality coffee that boosts employees’ productivity and morale. Coffee capsules contain the best Italian coffee and keep your employees satisfied and inspired to work.  

12. Rewards

Who doesn’t like receiving rewards? Rewards can be in a form of money, praises, more vacation days or anything you think is alluring to your employees.  Not many workplaces are rewarding itself, but that shouldn’t bother you. You need to find a way to increase employee motivation using rewards which aren’t as hard as it seems. 

Employees stay loyal to organisations that value and reward their efforts and hard work. When they receive the reward, their self-esteem and motivation to continue working increases right away. Rewards are strong motivators that lead to increased productivity and quality of the work. For many employees, the type of reward is less important than that wonderful feeling of fulfilment and self-accomplishment that comes with well-done tasks. On the other hand, many other employees are motivated by the type of reward, so, keep in mind that what is being offered as prise matters.

Conclusion

These 12 things employees appreciate the most at their workplace can help you get to know your workplace better. These aspects can help you find how you can improve the workplace experience and retain and create the best employees for your company. So, take care and invest in your employees and they will stay motivated, satisfied and work hard.

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