In every organization, there are certain rules and regulations that the employees must always maintain. Perhaps the most common one is to maintain the hierarchy chain within the organization.
However, it is also very common that due to strict hierarchy chains, the relationship between employees—mostly between superiors and subordinates of the organization—gets hampered, and the overall environment becomes rather uncomfortable for many employees.
Fortunately, this is an issue that can easily be resolved through simple behavioral gestures and thought-out measures for the employees. Employers can easily resolve this by incorporating a few strategies into their organizational culture. The following steps are proven to ensure that all employees feel valued in the workplace.
1. Helpful and Positive Evaluation
The first step toward making your employees feel valued is by evaluating their actions positively. Even when an employee’s performance does not meet expectations, rather than simply criticizing and disciplining the employee, the supervisor should remark on the positive aspects of their performance, followed by feedback on how it can improve.
This will help the employee boost his performance and help to align his thoughts to the organizational goals without disheartening him and causing him to lose his motivation.
2. Assign Importance
Employees might feel undermined from time to time if they feel like their voice is not being heard or their opinions are being ignored. So it is important to notice their input and the insights they provide.
This can be about their contribution toward the improvement of the organizational culture or a valuable insight on an ongoing project.
If the opinions and the suggestions by the employees are listened to and taken seriously, they will feel more enthusiastic about work and be more motivated. Assigning importance and employee feedback should always be considered when creating an employee development plan.
3. Proper Communication
Commonly, the company’s hierarchy chain sometimes blocks the channel of communication. So when a problem occurs, employees might feel that they are being kept in the dark and their opinions ignored.
This can be resolved easily through addressing and communicating about the problem directly rather than waiting for the situation to be filtered through gossip and rumor.
4. Positive Reinforcement
All employees are valuable in the organization, but some employees are more valuable than others. They never spare any effort to complete the tasks they were assigned, and they always try to meet the goals of the organization by providing suggestions for improvement.
These efforts should be addressed and rewarded. This will not only make them feel valued and increase their motivation, but it will also encourage other employees to put more effort into their tasks.
5. Room for Growth
In most cases, employees are filled with enthusiasm and ambition when they start a new job. Their ambition should be recognized, and they should be given the room to learn and contribute. Even without ambition, an employee should get the facilities to improve their skills to benefit themselves and the organization.
This can be easily done by creating an employee development plan. If they are qualified and deserving, they should be given the chance to advance in the company.
6. Profound Encouragement
The work pressure in an organization does not always remain the same. Sometimes there is so much work that the employees feel overwhelmed and may begin thinking about leaving. Especially in times like these, there should not be a lack of encouragement. In their busiest or toughest times, management should be there to support and encourage them for the future.
7. Empathy
In an organization, employees can become like a family. This family should be caring toward each other and look out for each other’s well-being.
Alongside that, incorporating positive gestures in their daily behaviors and being updated on relevant information about the employees will make them feel more valued and important.
Moreover, in this manner, the organization can also keep track of any personal issues such as sick leave or family emergencies and take measures accordingly.
8. Building Connection
The employees might have all the goodwill to work with their heart and soul but they still might feel a bit out of place and lost if they do not have the proper connection with the organization.
The connection might be easier to build if the employee is well aware of the goals and objectives of the organization. The bigger goal of the organization must have a breakdown so that the employees working in different sectors can understand and associate their personal goals and objectives with the organization itself.
This will help to develop a better sense of belonging for the employees and help them adapt to their assigned tasks and increase productivity.
9. Strategic Breaks
Every organization has some time allocated for breaks. However, this break time and its duration must be assessed to measure its efficiency. Hypothetically speaking, a 40-minute break can lead to unsatisfactory results whereas a 20-minute lunchtime and a 20-minute afternoon snack break can result in a more positive outcome.
Strategic breaks can not only cheer the employees up a little by reducing their stress, but they can also increase productivity and provide a better outcome in terms of performance.
10. Respecting Personal Space
Even as a part of the organization, employees need personal space in the physical workplace or at their respective workstations. While there might be employees who do not mind sharing a space, there will also be employees who want their privacy and personal space.
This is not just a privacy issue; it is also related to the comfort of work. Some people perform better by working in a private space.
Space and privacy should be given to employees to enhance their performance and make them comfortable.
11. Performance Bonus
Last but not least, performance bonuses are always great motivators. Every employee expects something in return for going the extra mile. If the gain is worth the trouble, then it is natural for the employees to take the path of hard work.
This brings us to performance bonuses. Even if every employee does not deserve a performance bonus there is no harm in boosting their spirit with a little something extra. This will help to boost their loyalty to the company and encourage them a little for the future.
Benefits of Employee Involvement
From one point of view, going to these lengths to make employees feel valued might seem irrelevant. However, apart from the moral aspect of things, it is also quite beneficial for the organization itself.
While going through each point, the associated organizational benefit has also been discussed. However, some benefits are worth mentioning which in some cases can be game-changers.
1. Loyalty
By making the employees feel valued, the organization gains their loyalty, which is an important factor as each employee is an asset to the organization. Their loyalty will help in building trust and developing potential leaders.
2. Lower Turnover
If the employees are loyal to the organization, changes in the organizational structure will not significantly increase the turnover rate. Rather, the employees will stick to their beloved organization and work for its betterment.
3. Productivity Boost
Boosting the enthusiasm and morale of the employees will make them more focused and result in increased productivity. This will help to increase the success of the organization.
4. Enhancing Brand Value
Having good facilities and benefits for employees also establishes a certain brand image, which will attract better candidates in the future.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, employees are the most important asset of any company as they make the organization whole. Eventually, the organization will need its employees to achieve and attain its goals and fulfill its daily objectives. If the employees are properly validated and valued, they will also provide the organization benefits in return.
Making the employees feel valued is as important as working toward the goals and objectives of the organization. The organizational strategies and culture should be designed to value the employee and increase employee benefits for maximum output.
If the current strategy of the organization lacks employee benefits, then it is high time to revise the strategy and incorporate it the right way.