Employee satisfaction is a term of huge importance for businesses’ life duration and quality – happy employees are the ones who are exceptionally loyal towards their organization and stick to it even in the worst circumstances.

Today’s companies and organizations aren’t a psychologist’s offices, neither learning facilities nor some kind of social clubs. Neither of those names describes nowadays’ fast-growing and challenging business units.  So why does it matter so much for companies to have happy and engaged workforce? The answer is very simple. It all comes down to cold and solid finances. Every successful business story worldwide witnesses one fact: companies that have satisfied employees have the greatest advantage over companies that don’t.

Boosting employee satisfaction is not only good for company’s drive, but it can be good for the company’s overall progress. That’s because happier employees are more productive, they come to work regularly, they are less likely to take time off, and they are more likely to remain loyal to the business avoiding the odds for them to leave for another job. That last point is particularly important, as hiring, on-boarding and training new employees, on average, costs much more than investing in the people who already work for the company.

Keeping employees satisfied and engaged takes more than just good salary and benefits. The following list exposes some of the key workplace satisfaction factors rated by employees:

• Appreciation and effort recognition are the job satisfaction’s birthmarks

Employees demonstrate strong engagement level when a unique, fair and respectful treatment is applicable to all employees in a company and that is the most vital factor for job satisfaction. Whether some assignment is done poorly or greatly, it should be proportionally treated with different type of reception by the management, but most of all – the excellent job submitter should be publically encouraged and appreciated for everything he did well, as an example for the other employees.

• The more we trust our front man, the harder we try

Maybe it happened because of the employment uncertainty in the years following the Great Recession, but employees signified that the trust between themselves and management is another highly important satisfaction factor that should not be underrated.

• Security and stability set the pace for long-term marathons

If you’ve ever had to go to work every day wondering if your job is secure, you know it can become the foundation of great anxiety. Companies can offer a sense of security through straightforward communication and transparency about the organization’s health and long-term feasibility. They can also provide motivational actions that increase employees’ life stability such as employee life insurance, retirement funds, saving funds, studying scholarships for the employees’ children or a possibility for the children to become the preferred candidates for future job openings at the same organization, in case they are competing for the same position with other similarly skilled candidates.

• Everyone wants to breathe in a healthy environment

Workspaces that are generally stress free, that do not face moral issues, harassment and discriminatory practices can create an encouraging and healthy environment for everyone. A little bit of stress can help employees to stay focused and active, but nobody imagines remaining on a job where the amounts of stress impact the employees’ physical and emotional wellbeing and massively affect their private relations misbalancing the work-life equilibrium.

• Career promotions build the winning teams

No one dreams to have a dead-end job. Employees are more likely to do extremely well and outshine when they are able to see an established upward passageway, with the opportunity to get a higher income and take on superior responsibilities. Companies’ growth happens only as a consequence of its employees’ development.

• Fair paycheck and benefits should be an issue taken off the table

The earnings aren’t the only reason employees get satisfaction in their jobs, but they usually grade them high on the list. Competitive incomes makes employees feel appreciated, and gives them less motivation to look elsewhere for a job shifting so salary grading and bonus schemes should be rational according to each employee’s job responsibilities and achievements.

At many companies throughout the world, employee disengagement is like a bad disease—difficult to diagnose and to cure, but also contagious. Unhappy means unproductive and unproductive employees are unlikely to make constructive involvements so their lack of enthusiasm tends to extend with alarming range. On the other hand, satisfied employees are more productive, have minor turnover rates, lower absenteeism and are the generators of higher profits—they are what every organization needs to prosper.

The pulse of the companies’ culture and employee satisfaction is mostly measured by annual employee surveys which are at the main orientation radar of every Human Resources department, yet only provide information on a one-time basis. Once a year, or even twice a year, surveys allow too much time to pass to guarantee the precision of the records received, as working ambiance and employee attitudes are in continuous fluctuation and momentous changes can happen in short periods of time. Employees often react on the basis of their work surroundings, the actions of their colleagues, the teamwork, and management policies. Management must be responsive to employees’ attitudes, satisfaction and opinions. All of them are critical and significant aspects of employee satisfaction that lead to a better forecast of winning achievements for many businesses.

Most companies strive for employee satisfaction, but not all conquer this target. That’s why it’s essential for Human Resources professionals to learn more about the factors that can enhance employee satisfaction, and how it fits into an organization’s overall success. The battle for talent has never been more brutal so in a world where money is no longer the number one factor attracting workforce to organizations, every business must concentrate on other factors to build a more attractive and engaging working atmosphere and to realize that the focus on the employees’ welfare is the crucial key to competitive advantage.

Many successful entrepreneurs have learnt several valuable lessons that have significantly changed their start up business. In retrospect, some wish they had learned the lessons sooner. We’ve put together some of the top tips entrepreneurs wished they had when they first started.

• Mentors Are Vital

Before launching your business, you should find a mentor with extensive experience in your industry niche or field.  Having a valuable mentor will enable you to match up to the high expectations placed on you and will also challenge you to reach your full potential.

It’s likely that, like most other new entrepreneurs, you are prone to making common mistakes. However, having a trustworthy mentor by your side can prevent any expensive business decisions.

It is imperative to put your ego aside and just listen. While choosing a mentor, keep in mind that the perfect mentor is not someone who is just successful but is someone who can provide you knowledge from their life experience and help you steer through the obstacles on your path.

A good mentor can teach you business values and tactics to overcome problems. Seeking guidance from a person who has industry knowhow and experience will help you to take action, rather than just worrying. Having somebody by your side willing to challenge you and raise the stakes will allow you to raise your game to another level.

As a beginner, there’s always going to be challenges and issues to overcome. The key to overcoming these obstacles is to remain true to yourself and listen carefully, as well as following the guidelines of your mentor.

• Branding is Important

Many people think that branding only applies to their products or services. However, that’s only half true as it’s also about the person representing the company.

To put this in context of the success of your business, you need to stand out from your competitors. If you want investors, you have to provide them something they would be interested in so they’d consider investing in your venture.

Business is all about relationships, and clients are looking for much more than just the service you offer. They need to feel comfortable and trust the person they are seeking services from, especially if you are new in the market.

You need to ensure that you are well-informed about your services and products. The more knowledge you have in your field, the more trustworthy and powerful you appear to customers.  At the same time, reliability will help you market your services/products and drive customer satisfaction.

You need to keep in mind that we live in times where everything is guided by opinion and perception. Being well dressed keeps you appealing to clients. This can also form personal branding as when you feel good about yourself, you tend to feel more confident; and it is no secret that confidence leads to success. This is just an instance of branding yourself; you can try your own ways to feel more confident. The best part is that there are no rules and guidelines about branding yourself. Go ahead and do your own research and development, anything that works to improve you and makes you feel more confident works. Remember that your business is a brand and so are you.

• Marketing is a Strong Word

You can have a great idea for a product or service, but if others don’t know about it, it’s not going to work.

Getting people to your website or shouting about your products on social media are a great way to get the word out to your target market, but there is an art to it.

Here’s the golden rule: target the right audience for your niche marketplace. This is important, for instance, you don’t want to be selling fat-burners to thin people. As a start-up business, PR is key to successful marketing. You need to make people aware that your product or services exist.

Strategies you implement to market your business can lead to more familiarity and favourability towards your brand name amongst your target audience through word of mouth, social media and getting featured on several vendor websites that highlight your services.

It may seem simple and ineffective but word of mouth can be an excellent way to build trust toward your brand, particularly within tight knit communities. This is why you must always place great emphasis on providing exceptional service to your clients and aim to leave them with an unforgettable experience.

Social media has become an excellent platform, that has immense business value. With the right strategy, you can access millions of potential customers in minutes.

Learn how to utilise social media platforms and create a stronger online presence to market your services or products. Engage people and you’ll notice the effect on sales.

• Having Emergency Funds Gives You Security

About 80% of start-ups fail in first few years due to financial instability. You can stave off such scenarios by planning for it beforehand and having emergency funds reserved for your business. During the early stages, businesses need to invest and it’s very easy to run out of funds in the quest of meeting all your requirements. It’s crucial to have reserve funds and more importantly, know where to get help if you need it. You can opt for alternative business fund such as Invoice finance, cash flow finance etc, as a great way to fill in your cash gap between business goals and reality. Look for a reputable business finance provider who can provide financial products such as cash flow finance, asset finance and invoice finance that are best suited for your business.

• Work Until Your Idols Become Rivals

Keep in mind that there’s always someone who is working just as hard as you or even harder. Make sure you’re on top of your game.

You need discipline, commitment and dedication to become a successful entrepreneur. There are always going to be people who don’t believe in your vision and they’re not worth bothering about. As humans we’re bound to make mistakes, which is how we learn and improve. There have been numerous success stories that started with mistakes and failure, but the key is to always keep fighting. Never back down or accept defeat in your pursuit.

In order to go ahead and realise your vision, you have to remove the negatives in your life and surround yourself with like-minded people. You need positive people who support you to truly succeed.

Find the right fuel for your business and it will sky-rocket you to success.

Increasingly, the lines between time spent at work and time spent outside of work are becoming blurred. It used to be the case that we went to work for a fixed number of hours every week, and then used our free time for things such as exercise, self-improvement, evening classes and domestic tasks, as well as leisure activities and just plain relaxing.

Now, we are all working longer hours and taking our work home with us, but the trade-off is that we expect greater flexibility and in-work benefits that help us to manage our out-of-work needs. These changes are enabled by the way that the private sector is taking on more areas that were once the responsibility of the state, such as healthcare and education. This situation can ultimately be made to work for both employers and employees if businesses put careful thought into the best resources that they offer their staff.

Better benefits 

These resources fall under the general heading of in-work benefits. Financial incentives such as higher wages, bonuses and overtime are always welcome, of course, but many SMEs simply don’t have the budget to effectively offer their employees more money. Thankfully, there are other ways to make your team feel valued and rewarded. Non-financial incentives can sometimes even work better as they are less divisive, more personal and longer-lasting. A surprise bonus in one month’s pay packet is all very well, but the opportunity to learn a new skill can be of benefit for a lifetime, and can help the recipient advance their career so that they are regularly earning more money each month – and, of course, a more capable and skilled employee is of greater benefit to the company.

Empowering employees 

Offering learning schemes and programs can also give employees greater self-confidence and can empower them to achieve more, to everyone’s benefit. Think about what skills it would benefit your employees to learn, and look around for a provider that your company can partner with. The Knowledge Academy, for example, offer courses in IT, business management and project management training both for individuals and company workforces as whole. Obviously, the courses offered should relate to the sector that your company works in in order to give the best advantage for the company and for the kind of person who wants to work for you.

Healthy and happy 

Free or reduced gym membership is another common benefit that companies offer their employees, and giving your staff the opportunity to look after their physical health benefits both parties. Longer working hours in office situations often mean less opportunities to exercise while stress mounts up, resulting in more cases of obesity and high blood pressure, as well as absenteeism and general poor health.

Health-based resources are a good thing, but why stop at the gym? Yoga, running classes and even weekend five-a-side football matches are all worthy alternatives. Looking after your employees’ mental health is just as important as encouraging them to take care of their bodies, so why not think about offering meditation or mindfulness sessions? At the end of the day (or even in the lunch break!), everyone should be able to choose the method of staying healthy that works best for them. To this end, you could consider offering wellness vouchers that can be used in a variety of ways. This approach is also fairer as it doesn’t discriminate against employees with disabilities or other special needs.

Insurance incentives

Workplace health insurance plans are another great incentive to keep staff loyal and attract the skilled, self-motivated workers that you need. Again, there’s no reason to stop at health insurance, as other forms of insurance could be just as valid. One could look at workplace pension plans. It’s now compulsory to offer some kind of workplace pension, but obviously some are better than others. An exceptional pension scheme can be a great way to attract and retain employees, but be sure to let them know about the extra benefits that you are offering.

Offering employee benefits is a great way to improve morale and so increase productivity. It also tends to reduce staff turnover as employees are more loyal, not only because the company offers them resources that are useful to them but also because they feel valued and part of the team. Being able to learn new skills and improve one’s health through work is empowering and motivating. As a result, everyone benefits, not just today but also tomorrow and further into the future.