Photo by the talented @brookecagle
Keeping your team happy is important to maintaining a productive and positive work environment. However, it can be difficult to know what to do to keep your team content. Here're some tips for creating a happy and positive work environment.
Reward hard work and team success
Everyone likes to be rewarded for a job that's done well. Recognizing your team members will encourage them to work hard and provide great results, which is why it's important to give them praise and incentives for their good work. Make sure that the rewards are commensurate with their efforts.
A large bonus, such as a trip or a special event, is a great reward for someone who worked extremely hard and over-performed on their project. For an employee who consistently meets or slightly exceeds their goals, you might want to give them a gift card for a meal at a local restaurant as a token of your appreciation.
Communicate with your team
It's important to communicate with your team members about what they should be working on and how well they are doing. This will keep them up to date on what you expect of them, as well as how they are performing.
If there's a problem with performance or goals being met, let the person know so that it can be resolved.
By keeping your team up to date on what is going on, they will have the information that they need and you will be able to achieve your goals more efficiently.
Pay for the little things
If your company is doing well, you should be willing to pay for those "extras" that will make people happy. After all, it’s not that expensive to get some good whole bean coffee for everyone to use. Or some other snacks and beverages to have around the office kitchen. It’s little things like this that will show your team that you appreciate them and are willing to go out of your way for their happiness.
Get to know them
The best way to keep your team happy is to get to know them on a personal level. Get to know their preferences, hobbies, and interests so that you can do something special for them during the holidays or at least congratulate them when they meet certain milestones in life (marriage, birth of first child).
If you take the time to get to know your employees, you will be rewarded with higher productivity and overall happiness in the workplace.
Organize social activities
If your company is smaller, try to organize social activities outside of work. This will help employees connect on a more personal level, and it will give them some downtime where they can relax and have fun.
The important thing to remember is that you are all working towards the same goal. If everyone collaborates, then there should be no problems, and everyone can be happy.
Conclusion
Keeping employees happy is important to the success of any company. As you can see, many simple things can be done to keep employees on their toes and reward them for their hard work. Implementing some or all of these strategies will ensure that your team members are productive, satisfied, and most importantly - happy!
