Can Happy Employees Be Good for Your Bottom Line?
Which would you rather have- happy employees or a strong bottom line? Great news- you can have both! In fact, the evidence is mounting that your company will be more productive and more profitable if you start with happy employees.
Research suggests that happy, engaged employees outperform the competition by 20% and engaged salesforces do even better- outperforming their disengaged counterparts by 37%.
It’s true that you can’t force anyone to be happy and personal attitude is an individual decision. Leaders, however, can create a workplace that supports and contributes to employee happiness levels. Here are three tips to implement beginning today.
- Prioritize Personal DevelopmentA recent survey conducted by a Washington, D.C.-area human resource firm found that job candidates in the U.S. look for one thing above all others when applying for jobs- opportunities for growth and professional development. In short, if you want to attract and retain engaged, productive workers, embrace learning at all levels. Don’t limit your options here. People learn differently and need variety. Classroom training, conferences, book clubs, and hands-on opportunities are all great ways to help your team members develop.
- Provide Regular Feedback and Coaching Long gone are the days when employees receive feedback at their annual review and consider “no-news” as “good news.” Social media has conditioned employees to expect regular input- both positive and constructive. This doesn’t mean employees expect to be pampered with medals and trophies. It does mean that employees want to know that their time and resources are being directed toward the right objectives. Most employees would rather be given the chance to course-correct if they aren’t meeting expectations rather than being surprised by the news 11 months too late to fix it. Coach your people and provide them regular feedback, allowing them to grow, develop, and feel confident they are headed for success.
- Encourage Employees to Use Their StrengthsWhen people are allowed to use their strengths every day engagement and productivity rise by as much as 15%. For sales teams’- sales can increase even more- by up to 19%.The challenge is that most people can’t name anything they do well and so success is chalked up to luck and not always repeated. While not the only method, the Clifton StrengthFinders Assessment from Gallup is an easy-to-use and highly respected tool that assists work groups and leadership teams recognize, use, and leverage their natural strengths on a daily basis. This, in turn, results in decreased turnover, increased engagement, and improved profitability for the entire company.Are you interested in harnessing the advantages of an engaged workforce? Would you like to learn more about development opportunities and coaching? Are you ready to leverage the power of the Clifton StrengthFinders Assessment with your team? Let’s talk. I am here to help your group discover their strengths and leverage their possibilities.