3 Employee Satisfaction Techniques That Don't Cost a Dime
Happy employees make for happy bosses. Studies show that happy workers are more productive, and satisfied employees are less likely to leave. These are, of course, financial benefits to treating your team well, but a happy team makes daily office life infinitely better. Would you rather work in a sunny office, or in a room buried under a dark cloud?
Global corporations keep their employees happy with things like unlimited PTO, on-site daycare and free lunches. While these techniques may be effective, they’re out of reach for companies that don’t have a billion dollars to spend. Instead, small business owners have to be creative with employee engagement techniques. But a small budget doesn’t have to mean small results. Here’s how we keep our employees happy - without spending a dime.
Lunch & learns
Last year we started hosting informative lunch and learns. These were a great tool for educating our team, but they didn’t necessarily fall into the “fun” category of office events. And while we’ll still hold lunchtime meetings about things like data analytics and social media strategy, we’re starting to host just-for-fun lunch and learns too.
One of our team members has beautiful handwriting, so he’s teaching the office calligraphy one Friday. Another employee is a part-time photographer, so she’ll give the team a rundown on iPhone photography. These events are BYOL (bring your own lunch), so they’re totally free to the company.
Think about what unique skills your team has. Is someone an artist? An interior design expert? A top-notch cook? An origami master? Invite them to host a lunch and learn of their own!
Work from home days
We’re big believers in workplace flexibility. The HDco team works from home every Tuesday, and they’re encouraged to schedule appointments and run errands during WFH days. Not only does this keep them happy, but it decreases office disruption throughout the rest of the week.
Most companies have had to introduce remote work because of the coronavirus pandemic, and we encourage you to continue with this momentum even after returning to the office. If having a dedicated WFH day isn’t a good fit for your company, consider WFH afternoons, or encourage employees to step out to a coffee shop if they’re feeling uninspired. A little flexibility goes a long way - and it doesn’t hurt your pocketbook at all.
Encourage out-of-work activities
If your team likes each other, they’ll want to spend time together. But sometimes, they need a little push! Don’t be afraid to facilitate activities, even if the company isn’t footing the bill. By encouraging out-of-work activities, you’ll create a tight-knit and engaged team. Ideas include:
Workout classes (look for free ones in your community!)
Happy hours
Bike rides
Pot lucks
Bonus: book club
Our office book club completely transformed our office culture. It’s been an effective, and work appropriate, team building exercise. We don’t sit around reading 50 Shades of Gray - we choose self improvement books that benefit our personal and professional lives. HDco does buy each team member a copy of the book, but the benefits far outweigh the cost. And you can always ask employees to get the books themselves, or check out your local library for copies!
Books we read - and loved:
Happy and engaged employees make our business better - and makes working with us more fun. Find out why we’re different.