Putting the “Human” in Human Resources

With the current events that continue to be shared on the news daily, sometimes it is better to just stay in bed on a Monday morning versus going to work.  Whether it is COVID, Racial Division or Financial Stress; employee morale has a chance of being at an all-time low.  However, your business can take advantage of outside influences and truly make your company one of the most sought after places for people to attend.  Who would have ever thought?

 Employee morale has a direct effect on employee engagement, productivity, and retention.  When employee morale is high, satisfaction and productivity rise. When employee morale is low, progress sinks, and it’s time for employers to reevaluate how they can better connect with and motivate their teams. Communication, collaboration, feedback exchange, recognition, and social bonds are all crucial features of a company culture that values its people and can move them to achieve their best work.

Satisfaction and retention are common key performance indicators for business success, but beyond a surface level, how well do you know your employees? Isn’t there a work-life balance for a reason? Past generations of employers have gone by the mantra of “Leave your personal life at home where it belongs” to employee and employer detriment.

The new generations of employers understand that the dash between work and life in the term “work-life balance” is critical to the success of the company beyond a surface level. These employers realize how an employee’s personal life directly impacts their professional life through morale, environment and productivity. Promoting positive employee morale and getting to know more about your employees on a personal level directly benefits your business.

Allowing your people to concentrate on doing work that drives them is a win-win for both the employee and the employer.  In order to get your team to be not just productive and efficient, but actually doing their work in a way that brings them satisfaction, help them focus on doing more and more of what they want to do and what they are good at. In other words, let the copywriter concentrate on copywriting and let the sales team focus on making the sale.

The more engaged in work and in life your people are, the more their entrepreneurial impulses will be encouraged and nurtured. When we engage in activities and learning that feed our passions, we bring that passion to work with us. So pay for courses, classes, and activities that spark curiosity, build confidence, and may well lead to ideas and innovations that will boost performance and profits.

Recognition keeps your workforce motivated. When you create an environment in which good work is appreciated, your people will feel empowered in their ability to contribute to your company. The purpose of employee recognition is to reinforce what you’d like to see the employee do more of… Offer employee recognition as close to the event you are recognizing as possible. When a person performs positively, provide recognition and a thank you immediately… This positively affects the employee’s confidence in their ability to do well in your organization.

One of the most valued aspects of corporate culture across the board is transparency. Employees tend to feel much better about their organization when management is transparent with the company’s progress, goals, and actions. The more transparent a company is about its actions, the more employees will feel comfortable.  Of course always open the floor for feedback and listen to your employees.  They have great ideas that can benefit your company.

Creativity and innovation happen when people change their environment… staying in the same location is really detrimental to creative thinking… You need to get the top managers to be part of this community of taking time off in the middle of the day to eat lunch, to go for a walk, to have a coffee break. They need to be included in the community and model that behavior for the rest of the workforce.  You can also build a strong team by giving back to the community together.  Productivity increases when employees work together toward a common goal.

Most of all, celebrate together.   Employee performance soars when people are happy and healthy… Celebrate success and milestones that happen outside of the workplace. Everyone will have a lot more fun if they feel they can be themselves at work.  Employees simply having the knowledge of support systems is enough to boost morale, but employers can go the extra mile by being willing to provide realistic and flexible work plans and actively promoting a positive, healthy work environment.

Questco is there to help you rebuild your labor force through a plethora of HR Services such as: Payroll Services, Benefit Plans, Benefits Administration, HR Technology and Workers’ Comp & Safety Services.  Utilizing Questco’s vast experience, your company can thrive in today’s environment.

Charlie Reeves, Senior Business Development Manager, has decades of experience in Human Resource Solutions.  He is one of the most senior members at Questco and recognized for helping clients of all sizes save money, improve labor efficiency and provide the strongest support for HR Services.  As an entrepreneurs himself, he has lived the long days and sleepless nights on the road to success.  He brings the skill and scale to support you in the pursuit of your goals.  For more information on payroll services, benefit plans, benefits administration, HR technology, workers’ comp and safety services email Charlie.Reeves@questco.net or contact him directly at 936.521.5841.