How Do I Keep a Healthy Workplace and Boost Employee Satisfaction?

It’s highly unlikely that any small business owner got into business ownership with the intent of making their employees unhappy or unsafe. Yet, around 64 percent of people are looking for new jobs. That suggests that more than half of employees are dissatisfied, unhappy, or feel unsafe in their current positions.

With the labor market so tight right now, that is troubling news for everyone from the small business owner to the corporate magnate. So, what can you do to keep a healthy workplace and boost employee satisfaction?

Keep reading for some key tips that will you upgrade your business on these fronts.

Safety Training

Many businesses cover safety training exactly once during orientation. After that, it’s never heard of again. If you want employees to stay healthy, they need safety training at least once a year on things like safe lifting.

You can also encourage people to embrace safety standards by rewarding people you see following safety rules and protocols.

While no one expects it, people do occasionally get cut at work. Do you know what to do about blood on the floor or on a desk?

At least some people in your business should know what to do. Consider getting them bloodborne pathogens training online.

Offer Training

Few things kill motivation and happiness in employees like the sense that they’ve hit a dead end with their job. Not every business is large enough to offer promotions to every employee. What you can do is offer employees training opportunities.

You can offer to subsidize certifications or training programs or pay for them outright up to a certain dollar amount. If someone picks up an especially useful skill, you might even transition them into a role you didn’t have before.

Recognition

People want their bosses to recognize the effort they put in, especially when things get demanding. Unfortunately, that’s the time when bosses often neglect to acknowledge employee contributions. It’s not malicious, so much that bosses get overwhelmed too.

Still, it’s smart management to make those kinds of acknowledgments part of your routine. If you can do it right after someone does something good, even better.

Do Some Little Things

You can improve employee satisfaction without going bankrupt. Look for small ways you can break up the daily routine. Order in a pizza or bring in a veggie snack tray a couple of times a month. You can even give a deserving employee a gift card out of the blue.

Building a Healthy Workplace

Building a healthy workplace and boosting employee satisfaction aren’t distinct areas. When employees know you care about their health and safety, that improves satisfaction all by itself.

You can double down on the satisfaction with a number of gestures. You can help fund training and certifications, provide recognition, and do things that break up the monotony. These kinds of actions tell employees that appreciate their efforts and will invest in them.

Looking for more tips on boosting satisfaction and improving safety? check out the posts in our Improve Yourself and Get Healthy sections.