What issues affect staff satisfaction?

Friday, 13 April 2012 03:17

Vouchers can boost staff satisfaction

Regardless of the industry you operate in or the number of people you employ, you will want your workforce to be happy. As a general rule, staff who are content with their working environment tend to be more productive, so it is worth taking action to ensure satisfaction levels stay high.

Although there are numerous factors that can impact on how fulfilled employees feel, many firms often experience the same issues with regards to staff sentiment, whether it's boosting morale or staff to always do their best.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, workers' satisfaction is often largely driven by how much money they are paid. However, it is not always easy to give your entire team a pay rise – in no small part because of the difficult economic climate of recent years – so it is worth considering employee schemes that have some kind of monetary value. This could take the shape of gift vouchers, as these can often be cheaper to implement than an across-the-board salary increase, and you'll be able to show your team that you are keen to reward them for their continued hard work.

Another factor that weighs heavily on staff motivation is recognition. No matter what their particular role is or how much they earn, employees like to know that the hard work they put in each day is valued by senior management. Offering a gift card or voucher to the member of staff who you feel has worked the hardest or gone above and beyond the call of duty over the course of a month can go someway to ensuring everyone is committed to giving their all.

In addition to making the effort to recognise your team's work, it is important that you can take the time to understand their concerns. Employees across all levels need to know any issues they have will be listened to and acted upon – indeed, those firms that fail to do this risk having a disaffected workforce – therefore listening to their worries can go some way towards boosting staff retention. By talking to your team, you'll be able to offer rewards that are relevant to their needs and this could ensure they want to continue working for you for many years to come.

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