Taking Care of Your Employees as a Small Business Owner: All You Need To Know
Your employees represent one of the main assets of your business, and taking care of them means taking care of your company. However, if you are a small business owner, the chances are that you have limited resources to provide additional benefits, sign up for pricey initiatives, and ensure that your employees are satisfied with their work lives.
Nonetheless, investing in your employees’ happiness and wellbeing is key to achieving more in business, reaching your goals, providing your customers with a stellar experience, and creating a sustainable, long-lasting business. In the sections below, you can find some affordable ways to promote happiness, safety, and satisfaction at work.
Invest in a Comprehensive Insurance Plan
Let’s start from the basics. Whether your employees deal with dangerous tasks and machinery at work or not, you should strive to protect them throughout their time on the job. Therefore, you should not think twice about investing in a comprehensive insurance plan that is tailored to your specific business needs.
For example, if you own or manage a gas and heat company, you should consider investing in insurance for gas engineers that allows your employees to work with total peace of mind.
Promote Physical Wellness and Mental Health
It is not uncommon for employees to experience the pressure of achieving, competing, and working hard while at work. While for some this is nothing more than mild stress, for some it can quickly turn into severe mental health issues.
In the UK, over 14% of workers report dealing with a mental health disorder, which significantly impacts their work performance. Investing in promoting mental health wellbeing at work can yield a return of 800%! Whether you wish to provide them with free counselling sessions or access to mindfulness apps such as Headspace, looking after your employees’ mental and emotional wellbeing is essential!
Engage Them With Initiatives and Activities
Keeping your employees engaged with your brand, company, and mission means that they will work harder to see the company succeed. While you might not be able to find space in your budget for after-work and bonding activities, you should consider running competitions or initiatives right within your office space. Something so simple as running a cost, quiz night, or volunteering program can yield great results!
Listen to Their Needs and Desires
Sometimes it is your responsibility to help your employees find purpose at work – and failing to do so might mean that your employees will leave your company to find it! There are many ways to help them on the right path, but it can be as simple as listening to them, asking for feedback, and understanding their desires. You might find that some of your talents actually had very different aspirations and needs than the ones you imagined!
Invest in Creating a Safe and Healthy Work Environment
Your employees are likely to spend most of their waking time at work. Therefore, it is essential to create an environment for them that is healthy, safe, and inspiring. To do so, there are many aspects that you will need to review, including your workspace design, quality of facility, support and resources, and operations. It might take time to create the perfect work environment, but it is certainly worth it!