According to Gallup ‘ a staggering 87% of employees worldwide are not engaged.’ Workplaces with low engagement, also tend to have low productivity and profitability measures. As an accountancy firm, we’re interested in helping our clients achieve their profitability goals, so today we’re sharing with you our top ideas and activities to improve your company culture and engagement, inspired by Gallup’s Q12 survey.
1. Help employees know what is expected of them at work. When there’s no clarity about expectations, employees can be anxious about taking action or speaking up when they have an idea. You can give clarity by recognising work well done, provide constructive timely feedback when things don’t go well, and by specifically defining roles and responsibilities.
2. Remember to give praise and feedback in ways that best reflect how the employee prefers to be recognised. Some employees like to be recognised in public, others, more privately. Writing a thoughtful note is a great, memorable way to recognise all employees’ good work.
3. Give your employees the tools they need to do their job well. Whether it’s a computer that doesn’t take 15 minutes to turn on, or even a good quality tape measure that doesn’t bend and break regularly, providing tools to make the job easier makes everyone happier.
4. To help your employees do their best every day, setting goals and targets can help them to focus on achieving what’s important. The targets should be well defined, with recognition/rewards attached to achieving the result. You’ll need to budget for these rewards appropriately, to give fair rewards without going overboard.
5. Show you care. This doesn’t mean you need to be best friends with your employees, but it does mean you should genuinely be interested in what’s happening in their lives. Ask questions about the school concert, sporting events or birthdays. It helps to build a rapport, improving relationships and company culture.
6. Provide development opportunities, through training, courses, events, formal education or informal networking experiences. Providing access to these opportunities shows you are committed to employees personal development. We recommend setting an annual budget for training and development activities per person, or across the company.
7. Allow employees to have an opinion or share their observations. In what ways can employees in your company provide feedback back up the hierarchy? There are many stories about the janitor who had the million dollar idea for the company. When communication goes both ways, company culture thrives.
8. Get clear on your company mission and vision, then share it with your team. Supporting a company with a mission and vision that aligns with personal value can automatically boost culture.
9. Celebrate your success. Whether it’s a small result or a huge contract win, celebrating wins brings the team together, reminds people about the goals for the business and helps create new relationships. It can be as simple as a workplace BBQ or as big as a corporate weekend away.
At Tax Strategies Australia, we’re here to help you improve your business, through systems, processes and reviews that take into account the big picture of your business. If you’re worried about the culture and productivity levels of your business, talk to our team today about how we can help.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
