The importance of keeping staff and keeping staff happy in a modern SME

It isn’t difficult to find a slew of quotes from the biggest business owners in the world about the importance of keeping staff and keeping them happy in order to grow a successful business, but you might be asking yourself “Why?”. 

Why is it considered so important to retain good staff and have them as happy as possible in their position? The answer is as simple as a single word: Trust. 

You need to be able to trust that every one of your staff has the best interest of your business at heart. In any given situation you need to have complete trust that a staff member will act as you would when faced with a potentially crucial business decision – whether good or bad. 

Do as I would do AND as I would say

Consider for a moment that your staff are the people that your customers – existing as well as potential – deal with in most if not all interactions with your company and ask yourself if they would act as you would or say what you would say. 

Will they encourage a return visit, will they leave a good impression on the customer? Will they upsell, will they relay the correct information? 

Will they care as much about the satisfaction of each and every customer as you would? 

The successful growth of any and all companies the world over is through continued and widespread support of a loyal customer base, which means keeping them happy. And you need to trust that your staff will keep those customers happy while keeping the wellbeing and success of your business at the forefront of their minds and actions. 

A quick guide to building trust in your staff 

Fundamentally, you want to create an environment that encourages staff to thrive – not just your company – ultimately building a base of happy, loyal and trustworthy staff members. 

Employees want security, clarity, consistency and freedom, but remember, what works for one business doesn’t always work for them all. Here are a few ways to start ensuring you keep staff and keep them happy: 

Show your appreciation

Try to pinpoint the most important people or roles in the company – If they’re happy, clients are happy. Encourage feedback and ideas from those on the frontline of your business and who know what the clients want: Listening to that feedback – and acting on it – can have incredible benefits (commercially too). Flatter hierarchies leave staff feeling trusted, engaged and appreciated. 

Set clear expectations

Each employee in a small business has to bring their A-game and always perform to the best of their ability – and it’s a leader’s responsibility to ensure the team knows what great looks like. Understanding what’s expected, how important their actions are, and how you’ll help and support them is key.

Create a comfortable environment

We all spend a lot of time at work, so encouraging staff to create their own comfortable home from home can go a long way in creating a happy workplace. And it’s not just the right equipment – good chairs, screens without glare, etc – it also means personalising your space. What does that look like if your business is still working remotely? Why not ask your staff. 

Reward the small achievements

Recognising milestones and showing appreciation for things is one of the easiest ways to help people feel happy, and so often businesses miss easy chances to do it. Showing you care can make a big difference to the way your staff feel about their jobs.

Create opportunities for socialising

It’s very important to create opportunities for your staff to get to know each other outside of work hours. You should always encourage safe socialising in some aspect – especially with the way the world has been working for the last 2 years.

Renting a venue or taking staff out somewhere nice is always a good idea and when done right will show a massive ROI. 

At the end of the day, it’s all about recognising that your staff are your business. Take care of them and they’ll take care of their business and you’ll all reap the rewards.

At Bridgement, we endeavour to make the running of a business, your business, possible. 

We’re here to help you make a success of your business by providing insight and understanding to a complex landscape and offering much-needed funding to make that success a possibility.  

Bridgement Business Funding

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