Employee satisfaction is one of the crucial components of a strong corporate organization. Happy workers produce good work while disgruntled, unsatisfied individuals are less productive and are more likely to compromise work quality.
According to a 2013 Gallup poll on the state of US workplaces, unhappy employees cost companies between $450 and $550 billion in productivity losses annually. This CIO gives you nine reasons why workers are dissatisfied in the workplace, but all of these can be summed up into one sole reason: work-life imbalance.
Being able to separate your work life from one’s personal life is a key skill in maintaining a happy life, not only in the workplace. Unfortunately, it’s not a very easy skill to master. This is why many companies today seek to incorporate practices that would help improve and encourage a healthy work-life balance for their employees.
Gym access
Nothing beats stress like a good exercise. Per the US National Library of Medicine, a full grown adult should get at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity on a daily basis. Regular exercise boosts your body’s immune system, making you less at risk of getting sick or developing debilitating diseases.
In many building offices that have gym facilities nearby or onsite, companies encourage their employees to participate in routine exercise activities either individually or as a team. Some shoulder the cost of membership to get their most reserved teammates to join in on the fun. Not only does it promote individual fitness, but it can also be an avenue that promotes cohesive team relationships.
Remote work
A recent study released by Switzerland-based IWG found that about 70 percent of professionals work remotely. Indeed, remote work is becoming the trend as it simply slashes overhaul, saves overhead expenses, and generally are an instant click to workers who mostly spend the majority of their days in an office.
Remote work is an incentive that benefits both employer and employee.
Strict office hours
It can be a bit of a downer to receive work email on a Sunday while you’re having a picnic in the park with your kids. The last thing you’d want to do is read that email. Perhaps a bit of hounding more and employees would start hating the very thought of emails.
A good work-life balance practice is to restrict office hours, encouraging workers to finish their day’s job within the specified time frame and drop it off when the clock hits the dot. Most people don’t want to work more than they should, especially without expecting compensation. A good work restriction may need a little adjustment at first, but it’s effective in letting workers have their own lives outside the office.
Custom perks
Incentives work. And they especially work when done right. A pick-your-perk scheme that allows a good-performing employee to customize their performance benefits is a practical, tactical strategy that lets the employees know their hard work is recognized and rewarded. Some of the common pick-your-perk benefits include vacations, school tuition aid, or working remote.
Strict hiring policies
This is perhaps the primary proactive engagement of the employer when it comes to ensuring a healthy workplace environment. By hiring people who are passionate about the job, the work environment is less likely to degrade into a fiery pit of workplace despair. While this is not an easy task, a strict review of qualifications such as comprehensive reference checking and panel-based interview are important processes that ensure you only hire good talent.
When it comes to workplace safety, drug testing is most of the time part of the hiring process. But with the legalization of marijuana in some states, failing or passing a marijuana drug test is gradually becoming irrelevant to some companies as long as the individual test negative to all other drugs. Still, maintaining a drug-free workplace and not allowing the use of marijuana in the workplace is essential for everyone’s safety.
A win-win investment
A flexible working environment that respects the boundaries of personal and corporate life is key in securing productive and efficient company assets. Keeping your workers happy at their jobs or ensuring a challenging workplace where they are encouraged to grow and participate do not only improve workplace ambiance, it’s also one of the best strategies to hitting your market goals.
