Effective Ways To Boost Employee Morale

Morale: It's what your employees need to get them out of bed in the morning.

You don't want to see them walking through your doors looking tired, unenthused, and annoyed that they have to work. You don't want to hear they whispered or very public grumblings.

Rather, you want to see them happy, joyous faces of your employees as they come into your workplace. You want to hear words of positivity, thanksgiving, and gratitude. In short, you want your employees to have a high level of morale, as your business will benefit if they do.

When the morale of your employees is high, they should:

• Work more productively and efficiently

• Pass on their enthusiasm to their colleagues

• Be nicer to your customers and clients

• Be more likely to stick around for the long-term 

• Improve your company reputation 

• Make your business look more attractive to new hires

To consider the effects of low morale, you need only consider the opposite of each of the points above. Productivity might be at an all-time low if your employees are miserable, for example, and the reputation of your business might be at an all-time low too if your employees have been overheard grumbling.

So, do what you can to improve your employees' morale, perhaps by adhering to the following. 

#1: Purchase quality items when buying workplace essentials

There will be things your employees need in the workplace, so make room in your budget for them. But when you're shopping around, don't assume cheap will be better. If you buy your team anything that doesn't make the grade, be it a low-level computer or an ill-fitting work uniform, you aren't going to do much to raise employee morale. Rather, they might assume you don't value them very highly if the value of your purchases is low, and they might become frustrated by what you have given them.

So, give your employees some love by putting quality first. If they need a computer, buy something that has the specs needed to help them work more efficiently. If they need a new uniform, buy them something that both looks and feels good, perhaps akin to those sold by Uniform Advantage if you're in the field of healthcare. And for anything else that you buy them, focus on the needs of your employees, even if you have to save up a little to buy something of better quality. 

#2: Go green in your business

Going green makes perfect business sense, as the measures you put in place can help you to save money, boost your reputation, and, in the context of this article, improve the morale of your employees. Surveys have shown that employees want to work for sustainable companies, and this is partly because they want to work for an employer that doesn't put into place anything that can damage the environment. A greener company can also make employees feel better about the impact they are having on the world.

So, do what you can to make your business better for the planet. Encourage recycling and energy-saving habits. Commit to greener processes within all aspects of your production and manufacturing. And work with eco-friendly suppliers too. 

When you take green steps in your business, your employees will feel happier about working for you. After all, would you want to work for a company that was contributing to the destruction of the planet? We're assuming not!

#3: Make your employees feel appreciated

There is much you can to make sure your employees feel appreciated. A simple thank you for a job well done will often suffice, although you can also reward your hard-working employees with cash bonuses and gifts.

When adding to your website or your company newsletters, you might also name those employees who have contributed to your profits. This is better than taking all the credit for yourself, especially when it is your employees who have put most of the work in. 

You could celebrate your employees' birthdays too, buy them the occasional lunch, and treat them to days off when targets have been met. Check out these other employee appreciation ideas, and use them regularly to show your employees how much you value them.

#4: Give your employees a voice

You might be the boss, but that doesn't mean you need to be in control of all of the ideas that can profit your workplace. It might be that your employees have ideas to contribute to, so give them the opportunity to share their thoughts, as you will improve their morale if you do. 

And when they come to your door with a question or a concern, listen to what it is they have to say. If you were to dismiss them with little recognition for their thoughts or feelings, you might lower the trust they have in you and reduce their morale. 

#5: Allow opportunities for growth

Is there room for promotion in your business? If so, give your employees the opportunity to progress upwards. When they know they have something to aim for, you will give them a greater sense of purpose. This, in itself, is an effective way to boost their morale.

But regardless of promotion possibilities, there are other things you can do to help your employees grow. You could send them on courses or conferences to help them improve their professional skills, and you could give them new challenges at work to boost their level of experience. Such opportunities for growth will boost your employees' morale, as they will feel as if they are progressing within their careers. The alternative is your employees believing that they are in a dead-end job, and that is not something that will increase their morale in any way. 

#6: Mind your tongue

Sure, you could rule your business with an iron fist and a critical tongue, but ask yourself: Is this really going to improve employee morale? They are more likely to fear you, and while they might work harder as a consequence, they are unlikely to stick around for long. 

So, be a boss that is firm but fair. Don't berate your employees too heavily for any mistakes they make. And don't criticize them when no criticism is due. Instead, be respectful in the way you speak to them. Use words that will lift them up and not put them down. And think before you speak, with the knowledge that your employees are human and not mindless worker drones that cater to your every whim.

#7: Bring fun into the workplace

Okay, so your employees are being paid to do their job, but as the saying goes, 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' It makes Jill a dull girl too, and when Jack and Jill aren't allowed to have a little bit of fun, their productivity might start to fall.

So, do what you can to bring fun into the workplace. You could organize team challenges, buy 'fun' items for the break room, or have times in the day when people are allowed to goof around a little. Check out these other ideas for having fun in the workplace, and implement anything that you think is appropriate. You will bring a smile to your employees' faces if you do, and in so doing, you might well boost both their morale and their productivity. 

#8: Don't overwork your employees

As we suggested a little earlier, your employees are not mindless worker drones. They don't have the capacity to work on full battery power at all hours of the day, and they don't have the ability to keep going without any rest! Like you, your employees get tired and weary, so you shouldn't push them beyond their limits. They will start to lose morale if you do overwork them, and they might well fall prey to burnout symptoms too!

So, do what you can to alleviate the workloads of your employees. It might be that you outsource some of what you give them to do, especially those tasks that aren't really befitting of their job descriptions. You could help them to streamline their to-do lists with those apps and pieces of software that can make light work of manual processes. And you could cut down the number of meetings in the day, as your employees would then have more opportunities to get work done before overtime rears its ugly head.

When your employees aren't burdened with massive workloads, and the need to work overtime on too-regular a basis, they should become happier in your employ. They will be physically and mentally healthier too, which is another way of ensuring their morale doesn't drop when they are in your workplace.

Finally

When you boost the morale of your employees, you also boost the chances of success for your business. Happier employees will always work harder and more diligently than those that are unhappy, and for you, that means bigger profits and the chance to grow your business.

So, consider your employees today. Are they happy? If you suspect their morale is low, do whatever you can to increase it, for their sake, as well as your own. 

Three Ways to Find Your Power as a Woman in a Leadership Position

Pursuing a career in a senior-level or executive leadership position can be extremely demanding yet rewarding. Here are some of our top tips for you to pursue a career as a senior-level executive in today’s highly competitive professional environment.

Although times might have moved evolved in favor of females becoming senior-level leaders and executives since the masculine power suits of the 80s, women in business still, unfortunately, face many obstacles in being taken seriously by colleagues and other industry professionals.

Women in leadership positions often face a double bind: an inclination towards collaboration could be mistaken as an inability to take charge or the initiative on a project; however, if she’s direct and straightforward, a trait seen as a positive quality in male colleagues could, in a woman, conversely be perceived as being aggressive, rude, and unfriendly.

Considering these kinds of challenges, how can you demystify prejudices and bias to be taken seriously in your professional life, especially as you climb the corporate ladder and move up the ranks as a female leader?

Here are three ways you can find your power as a woman in a leadership role. 

Expand Your Knowledge, Refine Your Skills, and Get a Women in Leadership Certificate to Move Up the Ranks

If you are not entirely confident in your leadership skills and do not feel that your colleagues and subordinates will respect you and take you seriously as a manager or a team leader, don’t worry – you can learn these skills through further education and training.

A Women in Leadership Online Business Certificate will teach you leadership and management skills to ensure that you can guide effectively and are perceived as both professional and friendly. For example, in order to reduce misunderstandings or miscommunications with your team, you will learn how to communicate effectively across genders, and learn how to plan and conduct professional negotiations with your male counterparts. You will also gain useful background knowledge regarding the differences between masculine and feminine ways of thinking, and the double bind of female leadership. So ultimately, a Women in Leadership Certificate will provide you with thorough knowledge and the skillset to feel confident in future managerial positions as well as developing and leading teams.

Mentor Female Colleagues and Train Junior Team Members to Enhance Your Own Skills and Build More Self-Confidence

As a woman in a leadership position—whether it’s in the private or public sector or in a startup or Fortune 500 company, you are an excellent role model for other women in your workplace. By experiencing and reflecting on your managerial style, they can learn the skills necessary to be a strong yet approachable female leader. You could take this further and professionally mentor a less-experienced colleague or team member who is interested in advancing her career.

While you might think mentoring is all about sharing your knowledge and experience with the younger generation, you can get huge benefits yourself. Being a mentor provides you with the opportunity to further hone your communication skills, improve your confidence and motivation, as well as develop your ability to encourage others while giving honest, critical feedback. As a mentor, you will hone your managerial skills while also passing on your knowledge and encouragement to the female leaders of tomorrow. 

Establish Yourself as an Expert Voice on Women in Leadership in Business and Other Sectors

In order for the business environment to change and become more accepting of women in senior-level leadership and executive positions, there need to be advocates and supporters to speak out about this issue. In addition to mentoring other female colleagues, you could offer training, both in-house at your company and online via a LinkedIn webinar about the unconscious bias women face in the workplace. This type of training can help break down those barriers by educating others on how effective female leaders really are.

By sharing your knowledge and expertise with other colleagues, your business and others can tackle such issues and work towards making the workplace a fairer place for women and increasing the number of women in leadership and executive-level positions. This awareness can also help educate those on the salary disparities between men and women in the workplace.

There you have it: three ways to find your power as a woman in a leadership role.

Leadership and Management Skills That Sports Are Teaching You

By: Jordan Fuller of www.golfinfluence.com

During our younger years, many of us participated in sports, and the experience gave us all a lot of sense about ourselves as individuals, along with teaching us about hand/eye coordination and the importance of exercise in being healthy.

Sports do far much more than just build athleticism. Athletes learn how to push themselves and strive as a team, working together towards a goal and learn the value of sportsmanship. Each player has a role to play that through the direction of the coach determines whether the team succeeds or not.

This all translates very well into one’s social and professional life, and the leadership lessons can be applied to today’s business world.

Time Management

Any football player, at any level, can tell you that practice is a daily occurrence. Teams come to practice and go through preparation, and then get to work. A good coach expects his team ready to practice at a set time, not arriving at that time. Good athletes show up early and are ready to go when the whistle blows.

In a work environment time is money, and balancing your workload between business commitments and personal time, among other distractions is important. Athletes learn to be prepared, on time, and how to have a schedule and a plan that is based on time and resources that are available to them.

Companies effectively manage their daily processes to ensure workplace efficiency, and learning early how to follow a schedule during participation in sports can help to learn early how to manage time and employees’ time, keeping clients satisfied.

Individuals Makeup the TEAM

One of the most popular cliches in all of the sports is “there is no “I” in TEAM,” and understanding the principle that success is better achieved if everyone works together, as a cohesive team, is just as important in the boardroom as on the field of play.  Like how most sports teams know that every athlete on the field is important to success, so is every member of the team putting together a large business deal.

Setting Goals and Expectations

All athletes have goals, whether it’s to win a game, better their statistics, or move into a new level of their game. Goal setting is a skill that is mastered in athletics and can easily be transferred to any business setting. From a client relationship-building standpoint, it’s also useful as by finding out your client’s goals, and what they are trying to achieve you can help them to achieve those goals. Once we know those, we can help to create a plan and develop processes to meet our clients’ goals.

Identifying Sources of Strategy

When playing a sport, the strategy taken by a coach or player can be the difference between winning and losing. Football is all about the style of offense your team runs, or how your defense takes on the approach of stopping the offense. In the business world, much of the time is spent developing strategies and coming up with new tools to implement ways to succeed with a new business venture, or how to market to new demographics to increase sales. 

Much like on the field, time is spent analyzing the competition strategy to ensure that we stay ahead of the game, effectively planning and executing our own plan to get or stay ahead.

The Numbers Tell the Tale

Athletes are driven by the scoreboard, along with the numbers that represent how they are succeeding or failing. Just as a scoreboard or stat sheet will tell you how effectively executing your play of the game, or realizing your goals to succeed, businesses collect similar data. Management teams collect, calculate, and analyze data all the time with respect to how successful their strategies are working, or failing. These results help to keep employees and staff accountable, as well as to motivate them to hit their objectives to do the best job they can.

Professional Representation

Watch sometime if you have the chance to see a college or high school basketball or football team heading to a game, you’ll usually see the players well dressed, sometimes in a suit coat and tie. Representing their school on the road in a respectful, professional manner is something that most of the best coaches try to impress upon their players. In the workplace, making an impression upon clients and customers in a professional manner is important, and usually translates to success. Even in a warehouse environment, a uniform or standard dress code which typically includes the company logo or colors can convey to clients that brand representation and presentation are priorities of the company.

Relationships are Key

In sports, coaches and captains know the importance of building relationships with their athletes and teammates. The time spent together as teammates, learning their interests outside the game and building relationships is a key step to building team chemistry, which leads to success on and off the field. Likewise, the importance of relationships in the work environment is a major factor in the success or failure of a business, creating a perfect team might be difficult but achievable. Having a business that runs like a “well-oiled machine” can make production numbers skyrocket and keep morale among managers and employees high. 

Determination and Empathy

In trying to get people to go the extra mile and enthusiastically jump on board with a project, keeping your level of enthusiasm high can be a big help. Also, show them you care about them, not just as an employee but as a person, and the message can get across that you want them to not only be satisfied with their job but that you care about them as a person. This attitude will be helpful when building a foundation of trust and camaraderie, making your team stronger in the end.

Finishing/Closing the Deal

When setting goals and working towards checking them off your list is all part of the process of improvement. Whether you're at practice trying to move into the starting lineup, or stay in the lineup, or working on a project to bring in new clients or expand the sales demographic, it’s important to keep working until the job is done.

4 Employment Laws All Businesses Need to Be Aware Of

Hiring your first or second employee? Need to outsource work to an independent contractor or agency?

Having a small knowledge base of employment law isn’t enough when you’re an entrepreneur who will be hiring support. You need to know the ins and outs of what’s legal and what isn’t to protect yourself, your business, and your employees.

Employment law is an essential factor that both small and large businesses should be aware of when they start the hiring or recruiting process. Unfortunately, many small businesses and large companies are completely oblivious to the fact that they are committing crimes by not paying attention to the most common and relevant employment laws. One wrong decision could cause your business to be dragged into legal disputes when it comes to managing your employees and their rights. Obeying with employment law will ensure your company is safe from having to undergo a tribunal, which could not only leave your business bankrupt but lead to a tarnished reputation. Be sure to stay apprised of the latest laws and trends and consult an experienced and capable employment law attorney, when needed.

Here are the most common employment laws and things to know in when you’re a business owner:

Don’t confuse independent contractors with employees. Make sure your independent contractors understand their position, tasks, and entitlements.

Some businesses refuse to hire employees, but instead, aim to integrate as many independent contractors into the company as possible for cost reasons. Businesses pay out thousands of dollars every year towards employee wages, vacation/parental leave, taxes, health benefits, and sick pay which can become extremely expensive for smaller businesses, (especially when the employee leaves).

In contrast, independent contractors have far fewer benefits and rely on the company a lot less. Businesses themselves don’t decide if individuals should become employees or contractors – this is in the hands of the authorities. It’s essential to ensure you have properly categorized the worker to prevent legal disputes occurring. Still, if you have made a mistake, it would be recommended to seek help from Spillane Law to win your business trial. Spillane Law lawyers are professionals in dealing with a range of employment disputes.

Ensure your employees and independent contractors understand your organizational health and safety policies and procedures. Ensuring the safety of your employees and other team members is of the utmost importance.

Employers are held accountable for the wellbeing of their employees (and independent contractors) when they at the workplace physically. This is especially true if they are required to use specific equipment, machinery, or hazardous chemicals that could pose of injury or illness. Workplace injuries occur daily, but all businesses should make sure that employees are kitted out with the necessary safety gear and ensure that risks are kept to an absolute minimum by putting health and safety strategies in place. Employers should also make sure to hang relevant signage for employees and independent contractors to see safety protocols.

Beware of discrimination, what’s legal and what’s not during the hiring and employment process, and how it can impact your business.

The Equality Act is a policy to ensure that all employees are treated with equal rights while in employment. Discrimination of all types is prohibited, and it doesn’t have to be intentional to be seen as illegal, leading to legal disputes. Some of the most common examples of discrimination in the workplace include:

·       Disabilities

·       Sexual orientation

·       Religion

·       Race

·       National origin

·       Marital status

·       Genetic information

·       Illnesses

·       Pregnancy or parental responsibility

·       Age

·       Gender identity

With this in mind, discrimination in the workplace isn’t always obvious and may be taken wrongly or misinterpreted by an employee. As an employer, you may have good reasons to put your point across without being discriminative. If the employee brings the matter up with you, it is your responsibility to try and resolve the issue as soon as possible, but they have every right to seek legal action if they aren’t satisfied with the outcome. It’s important to keep that in mind going through the hiring process.

Be fair to all employees when it comes to benefits, vacation, paid time, and wages. Pay according to skill level and job responsibility.

All employees are entitled to at least the minimum wage when hired on a full-time or part-time basis. To prevent being faced with a lawsuit, you must research and meet the current National Living Wage. Employees should also be entitled to around a four to five-week vacation allowance with full pay.

If you want to attract and retain the best team members to your business, then you need to ensure your organization is fully compliant with all employment laws. One little mistake or mishap can cause significant legal issues for your business.

What Does It Take To Be An Effective Leader

Being an effective leader takes a lot of learned skills. You need to have the right energy, and you need to know how to carry yourself as it can be a cutthroat world when you’re in business, and when you’re a new establishment and you’re trying to compete with the best of them, there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders to succeed! 

You can worry about how well you’re managing your team, and if you’re meeting the right quotas, and even if the office is set out right! You can doubt every single decision you make, but as time goes on, you’re going to get more and more confident in what you do, trust us on that one. But at the moment, it’s all about setting a good foundation that you can build your leadership skills off of, and what you can do with your time to get the most productive and useful results at the end of this process. 

So, what does it take to be an effective leader? We’ve collected a few points together below that might be a good place to start. Do your own research, make sure you know your own strengths, and then put yourself out there. It’s all about getting your head in the game, and doing what you do best, and as a business leader, that’s taking your company from strength to strength. 

Set an Example

You’re the leader here, and that means you set the example for your team to follow. The way you act, the things you say, and the actions you take are all equally important at this time - they send a message to anyone watching you (a.k.a., your employees) about what is expected, and what is wanted within your workplace. Sure, we think of bosses as sitting back and letting their team do most of the work, but that’s just an outdated cliche that you can do your bit in helping to break. Because you need to take part in the action, and you need to be able to put forth the kind of behavior you expect from those around you. Because if you don’t, who will? 

Being an effective leader is all about leading by example, and knowing your company’s message is ingrained so deeply that your employees know exactly what to do in any professional situation they could end up in. You’ve shown them what to do, you’ve let them know, each and every day, what you expect from them, and you hold yourself to those same standards. 

You’re no hypocrite, and you’re never dropping the ball or not pulling your weight. This is your company, after all, and you more than anyone else wants to see it succeed! Realizing this, and keeping it to heart, will help you to make informed decisions more than anything else. 

Prioritize Organisation 

Of course, you’re going to have a lot of top priorities on your list. But at the moment, in these early stages of establishing your authority within your business, you need to place quite a bit of emphasis on being organized. You need your company to run like clockwork, with only the occasional hiccup that you immediately know what to do about, and that means putting some systems in place. 

You need to file well, you need to create backups that are kept secured (but also easily accessible), and you even just need to ensure the office is clean and tidy too. You need to provide plenty of organized space to work and think, for everyone who works within your company. You definitely need to keep track of your cash flow, and any receipts that come in and out of your company. 

At a time like this, you could even turn to automation programs, and streamline systems, to ensure that your business is running well without your constant eye on it. Indeed, Payroll Services for Small Business are incredibly popular with small teams like yours, because it ensures your staff gets paid, on time every time, and that you can set up for good. 

Think of this as delegating out to technological team members - you’ve got a lot of software and hardware on hand that you can put to good use, and being able to use these programs to their full capacity is key to running a modern, functional business. As the leader of said business, you make the final decision on all implementations, so why not get some advice from your IT or HR department on what other software could be best for your business? 

Know Your Best Team Players

Speaking of taking advice and a bit of delegation, it’s time to get to know your best team players so you know their strengths and what weaknesses they need to develop. You need to know who you can rely on, and who you can turn to in times of trouble. You can ask yourself some questions for this; for example: Who is the most responsible on your team? Who’s always got their eye on the ball? Who stays calm in a crisis? Who is the best at holding and instructing in workshops?

It’s all about being able to identify the most obvious strengths within the people who work for and with you, and then encouraging them to use these strengths for the business’ benefit. 

And one of the best ways to do this is to hand out promotions or pay rises to ensure your team members are feeling inspired to achieve, and motivated to always do their best. It creates a culture of aiming high and landing high within your workplace. 

But at the same time, make sure you’re not setting apart the average Joes. You have some absolutely stellar team players, of course, but don’t forget about the others within your company. Try to look for more soft and subtle skills within these employees, and ensure your professional encouragement extends to them as well. An effective leader leaves no one behind, and if you want to be one well into the future, you need to think of your team like a chain and inspect each and every link separately. 

Be Open 

And finally, you need to be an open and honest sort of person to be an effective leader. Once again, lead by example here, and let your employees know that it’s OK to be themselves while at work. Health and wellness in the workplace need to be something you place a bit of priority on too, and despite how much preparation you can make with normal health and safety standards, you need to go one step further. 

Communication is key to be an effective leader, and if you can’t be open and honest with your employees, why should they do the same? You want working relationships to be positive and encouraging, and you want your team to want to show up to work with smiles on their faces and positive attitudes. It’s all about equal opportunities, and being able to have an open dialogue. 

So, let your team know that you understand. You know just how much mental toll a busy workday can have on a person, and you don’t want one of your team members to just push that kind of stress under the rug. You want them to come to you with it, or to know it’s perfectly fine to let their workplace know about their situation. 

Being an effective leader takes a lot of effort and patience, but you’re capable of it. Make sure you keep the tips above in mind when going about your days at work, be the best you know you can be, and always try to put your team’s well being first.

5 Ways To Protect Your Staff (So That They Can Protect Your Business)

The value of employees has never been as significant as it will be throughout the era of repairing the damage caused by COVID-19. However, if you want your team to perform to the best of their capabilities, you must go the extra mile to keep them protected. Otherwise, distractions and illnesses can cause serious problems. 

So, what are the best ways to safeguard your team during this time? Here's all you need to know about doing the best for workers and the brand alike.

1| Consider The Team Dynamics

The impacts of the coronavirus won't fade anytime soon, which is why adapting to situations is vital. Arguably the most effective solution is to reduce the number of on-site employees. You can do this by using remote workers and outsourced services to complement the work occurring in the company setting. Aside from keeping employees safer, it'll allow you to dedicate more time to on-site staff.

When added to the reduced operational costs, this can be a highly beneficial outcome.

2| Upgrade Your Data Security

Whether you choose to use remote workers, the use of data is at an all-time high. While cybersecurity is an issue that most entrepreneurs worry about due to client interactions, you must not forget the staff. Preventing hacks and using encryption is essential for internal data as well as external links. Otherwise, distractions could occur in addition to an increased risk of attacks.

It's always better to be safe than sorry in business. Do not forget this for a second.

3| Accept The Need For Cleanliness

Even with reduced foot traffic, employees need to be protected against germs and allergens. Investing in masks so that each person, staff, and employee has a clean, sterile face mask at all times and anti-bacterial gel is vital. This site for dispensers will provide a significant step in the right direction. As well as the right materials for personal hygiene, you must ensure that teams are regularly reminded about the need for cleaning. Otherwise, the efforts you make are redundant.

Naturally, all workspaces should be cleaned and disinfected frequently too.

4| Provide The Right Equipment

Protecting employees isn't all about adapting to new challenges posed by the coronavirus. The fundamentals of safeguarding remain. This link to flame-retardant pants can keep employees safe in a range of situations. Meanwhile, gloves, goggles, footwear, and harnesses may be required too. Without the best facilities in place, team members won't feel fully respected. And it can impact their output.

Besides, with fewer concerns to distract them, the employees will be less prone to mistakes.

5| Remember Human Elements

As the need for cleanliness shows, the human aspects are as significant to the process as business elements. Therefore, promoting incentives that keep employees in good health is crucial. This can cover lifestyle choices while also considering hydration during the shifts too. For the very best results, you can use staff healthcare. It is a clear display of respecting them as people, which goes a long way.

If you care for the employees, they will inevitably care for the business. It is that simple.

Why Employee Incentive Programs?

As much as any boss or manager would love to work with a team of driven self-starters, it’s often not the case. What to do then? How do you go about motivating a group of people who you know is most likely showing up to work only to keep paying their bills? It’s not easy, that’s for sure.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the psychological terms ‘negative reinforcement’ and ‘positive reinforcement.’ Negative reinforcement is the reinforcement of desirable outcomes with actions rooted in fear, such as punishment, shaming, or physical abuse. Positive reinforcement, on the other hand, is the reinforcement of desirable behavior with incentives, such as monetary bonuses, praise, and social acceptance. Do you have any idea which type of support is more likely to give you a hard-working team?

If you guess the latter, you’re right. Research shows that positive reinforcement will often generate more desired outcomes than negative reinforcement. It makes sense, then, that this theory would apply, if not flourish, in the workplace as well. But how exactly can a higher-up implement positive reinforcement to motivate his team.

Three words: employee incentives programs.

Employee incentives programs are the corporate version of a carrot on a stick. Well, a solid gold carrot that is. Your paycheck is most likely the regular carrot. Whatever kind of carrots are involved, it doesn’t take away from the fact that there are a lot of fabulous programs like these that get employees taking action and contributing more wholeheartedly to their company.

However, one question that remains is, how effective are these programs? The statistics are promising. Ninety percent of big-name companies already use employee incentive programs, and for a good reason, as 80 percent of employees would prefer incentives over a bigger paycheck. Moreover, 78 percent of employees are willing to stay in their current positions thanks to the fabulous incentives and rewards programs they have access to in their company. Think employee incentive programs are a crock? Think again.

Of course, not just any incentive will do; these programs should be designed with your average employee’s wants and needs in mind. After all, how much good would a hoop and stick be in this day and age? Unless there’s a viral video idea swirling around in one of your employee’s heads, chances are you should pass on this kind of incentive.

So if you’re in a managerial or leadership position at your company, stick around. Today, we’re going to talk a little bit about the wonderfully diverse employee incentive programs available right now.

Paid vacations of your choosing

There’s nothing like winning the lottery at work--the vacation lottery, that is. But how can you design a rewards program with customized vacations? Doesn’t that involve a lot of planning and extra work? It does, but you can streamline the process to make it easier for everyone. All you need to do is have your employees fill out a survey asking them questions about their preferred destinations, time frames, and travel budgets. That way, you’ll have their dream vacation info on file if they do end up winning one of these great trips. You can go one step further by creating a custom itinerary according to their preferences. It will also help your company to allocate an annual travel budget for this purpose.

Unlimited sick leaves

This incentive almost sounds too good to be true. Believe it or not, it isn’t, and it takes a few protective measures to make it that way. First, you’ll need to adjust your employee’s file to reflect their newly-minted status as an unlimited sick day-haver. Next, make sure you have a work management plan in place for when this employee decides to take sick days at will. This backup plan will help prevent any extra work buildup that may accumulate in the employee’s absence. Finally, allow for a two to three-day adjustment period where your employee is given half of their regular workload. This lighter schedule will facilitate their transition back into the office.

Streaming subscriptions

What better way to motivate your employees than by giving them something they can completely veg out to? Streaming subscriptions are now more valuable than ever, and they’re sure to be a hit with your employees. Before you do anything else, though, make sure you’ve allocated the amount for these streaming subscriptions in your budget. Don’t forget to give your employees options, too; we recommend the popular streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO+. Not only is this an amazingly relevant incentive, but it could even promote lively cultural discussions around the water cooler, or wherever employees like to take a break nowadays.

Spousal death benefits

Giving your employees’ spouses ample time to grieve their loved ones is an excellent way to demonstrate how much their husband or wife meant to your company. While this incentive works better for larger businesses, you can still retool it to work for small to mid-sized companies. Many companies with this incentive design it like this: stock benefits, $1000 monthly to the employee’s children until they turn 19, and half of the employee’s annual salary to the spouse for a decade.

Flexible schedules

Flextime is a beautiful reward for employees whose personal lives are a bit unpredictable. Moreover, giving your employees a sense of autonomy over their work schedules is an excellent way to convince them to keep working for you. However, it’s good to give your employees a set of options they can choose from rather than letting them have total full reign.

As the employer, you can design these options any way you’d like, but there are a few popular choices that seem to work well for several companies. Some of these options include four-day workweeks with ten-hour shifts each, rotating shifts, four days of nine-hour shifts, and then one day of a four-hour shift, or six and a half-hour shifts six days a week. Parents with school-age children will appreciate flexible schedules, especially, as they’ll be able to fit in their work around their hectic personal lives. If you want to get a better idea of what flexible shift options your team would prefer, conduct an office-wide survey.

Tuition reimbursement

The armed forces aren’t the only ones who can help people pay for their schooling; more and more companies are beginning to offer the same. This incentive might work best for companies whose workforce is younger than 40, as millennials tend to be the ones saddled with the most school debt. Furthermore, this kind of reward might function better in companies that demand specific training, such as engineering. That way, employees will be incentivized to continue working for the company, as the company will be the one footing most of the bill for the training that will help their company grow.

House cleaning services

Unless you have a team of neat freaks, this reward will be a hit with just about any of your employees. Who has time to clean their place after a long day at the office? Perhaps the aforementioned neat freaks do, but the vast majority of people don’t. This reward is powerful as it helps employees maintain their personal space outside of work. A housecleaning voucher signals to your team that you care for their wellbeing--both in and out of the workplace.

Now that you’ve learned a little bit about the fantastic benefits of employee incentive programs, what are you waiting for? For more ideas on rewards programs like these, visit this website: https://www.mtievents.com/employee-incentives/.

Employee Health And Wellbeing: It Matters More Than Ever

The health and wellbeing of your employees matter more now than ever. While many workplaces are closed, businesses are beginning to think about life after the pandemic and what it’s going to be like when colleagues start working together again.

There’ll be a lot of changes to make to policies and workspaces, but the health of your employees is what should take priority. Take the following into consideration and make sure your employees’ health and wellbeing come first.

Put new measures in place to keep employees safe

Coming back after periods of lockdown, remote working, and isolation, the workplace is going to be an entirely new landscape. Your company will need to look at its policies and ensure that employees are as safe as they can be when they return to work. From putting more sanitation products out for employees to being strict on quarantining, there are different measures you can put in place to maintain a healthy workplace and keep your teams safe.

Get ready to offer flexible working

Many employers have had to adjust their working practices to be able to survive the pandemic. It’s new territory for many businesses, but allowing employees to work from home is not only keeping them safe, but it’s demonstrating that it is something that businesses can implement successfully in the future. First, Twitter, and now Facebook has announced permanent work-from-home arrangements for employees, and it could be a trend that many other businesses adopt over the coming months. Flexible working could have many benefits for your business, and potentially save you money on your operating costs too. 

Consider changing employee benefits

People are starting to become more concerned about their health, and this is something your business should be thinking about too. There are various health benefits your business could be provided in lieu of others to help match their priorities. Private health, vision insurance, gym memberships, and other types of employee benefits could be of interest to your employees right now. Consult with your workers about any proposed changes to make sure they have a say.

Help employees keep on top of their mental health

Mental health is just as important as physical health. It’s been a difficult time for many recently, and as an employer, you could do a lot to boost employees’ mental health. There are ways you can support employee mental health during a pandemic and beyond, helping to build a happy and healthy workforce. It’s important to be understanding as people transition back into the office environment, so make allowances and be prepared for things to take time.

Employee health and wellbeing should always be a priority for your business, but it will be even more important going forward. To help build a strong team, you need to keep them healthy and motivated, and prioritizing health in the workplace will make a strong start. Focus on what you can do to improve employee health and wellbeing both now and for the future.