As the end of another year draws closer, many businesses are looking back on 2023 and taking stock. Figuring out what went well, what they could improve, and what areas really need their attention. And employee performance is one of the big areas many companies will be looking to improve. Today, we’re going to share with you 3 ways you can boost employee performance next year, and why they will help your business as a whole.
Support Employee Health And Wellbeing
Between the pandemic, political turmoil and the cost of living crisis staff resilience is at an all-time low. The ability of staff to recover from adversity has been tested so many times in the last few years that we’re seeing higher cases of burnout, lower engagement at work and higher turnover. So if you want to get the best from your staff in 2024, you need to focus on supporting their health and wellbeing.
This is a pretty broad subject, that covers everything from providing mental health resources to appropriate benefits and tailored support. A few of the things we’ve noticed can really help improve workplace wellness include:
- Free or subsidised healthy meals at work
- Flexible working hours
- Subsidised gym memberships
- Healthcare
- Mental health support services
- Posture analysis, supported by the right office equipment and even in-house spinal care
- Anonymous reporting (with actions on those reports where appropriate)
- Financial education and support
- Creating greener office spaces
- In-office health checks
- Independent learning and development opportunities
- Childcare vouchers
The list goes on. In fact the NHS has a long list of tips to improve workplace wellbeing, which you can view here.
Another element many employers could focus on is financial wellbeing. 48% of employers feel that financial wellbeing is the biggest threat to employee performance, and it’s not surprising. If you’re facing financial difficulties, it can be hard to focus on anything else! So many employers have already started looking at ways to support their employees financially.
- 7 in 10 employers awarded staff a one-off payment to help with rising costs
- 60% increased wages
- 34% introduced a shopping discount scheme
Of course, it can be difficult for businesses to balance the support they offer with affordability. In some cases, less direct help can also make a difference. For example, making a financial advisor available for employees to discuss their situation with can also be helpful. If in doubt, talk to your employees and find out what would be most helpful for them.
Equip People With The Right Skills For Change
Did you know that 64% of employers struggle to retain the people they need. It’s one of the reasons we’ve been in a ‘skills shortage’ for the past few years, and it’s one of the biggest challenges faced by businesses right now. AI, along with other new technologies are changing the ways that businesses work, and this in turn is creating a need for new and different skills, and the people who have those skills are in very high demand.
But what if we told you there was a way to tackle both of those problems at the same time? By focusing on providing learning opportunities and skills development for your current employees, you can get the skills you need without needing to hire expensive experts or lose dedicated staff members. Allowing employees to explore areas of interest and develop skills in these new areas will also significantly improve engagement and retention rates. Add in some recognition and reward and you’ve got a winning formula!
Improving Staff Happiness
Employee unhappiness is, unfortunately, one of the most unrelenting problems in the corporate world right now. Almost all companies report they are dealing with unhappy, disengaged employees in some fashion, with studies showing that only 33% of employees are engaged at work (with the world best organisations still only making the 70% mark). But disengaged employees can quickly become unhappy, unproductive employees, which isn’t great for business.
As a business, you might think your employees’ happiness is out of your control. And while some areas (like their personal life, relationships or finances) might be, you can still make a big impact. Studies show people cite that their number one cause of stress is work, which is something you have a direct influence on. There are a lot of different ways to approach this, and it’s worth remembering that you might need to do a few things to achieve your goal. After all, not everyone is motivated by the same things! Here are just a few examples of ways you can improve the happiness of your employees:
Recognise good work: Realising and rewarding the hard work your employees put in is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve employee happiness and increase performance. No one enjoys feeling like their efforts aren’t being recognised, so praise your employees when they’re working hard!
Invest in a good wellbeing system: Show your employees that you genuinely care about their well-being. Find out what perks or benefits your employees would enjoy, and see what you could provide. This will probably look different for every company. For some it’s gym memberships, for others it’s in-office massages, access to holistic therapists or even just a fresh fruit bowl and a comfortable ‘quiet relaxation area’ and freedom to use it whenever they need to (check out what Google does for more inspiration).
Ask them how you could improve: And then actually listen. Make changes to your business that are feasible based on the suggestions made, and you will find your employees feel more involved and listened to, as well as happy that their changes are being made.
Offer opportunities for learning: whether they say it or not, most employees would like the opportunity to learn and develop professionally so that they can move forward in their career. Investing in employee learning and development is a great way to improve not only the quality of your employees, but their general satisfaction at work.
Create a safe environment: Nothing is worse for an employee than feeling they can’t talk about something that’s bothering them. Make sure you have multiple lines of communication open between employees and management, so that employees bring things up easily. This may need to include an anonymous option, so that workers with more sensitive issues can still report them comfortably.
If you want to make improvements in 2024 but you aren’t sure where to start, then we can help. We provide free HR reviews to business owners, going through paperwork, policies and people and providing feedback on key areas for improvement, as well as ongoing support. For more information, just get in touch with the team today.