Happy Employees Mean Greater Profits

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A number of studies have found a direct correlation between workplace morale and corporate results, so how can you improve employee morale – and, by extension, your bottom line?

Start by measuring how happy your employees are. Fred Reichheld’s Net Promoter feedback system was designed to measure customer service quality, but Apple uses it to measure employee engagement at its retail stores and to gauge what needs to be done to address the concerns of “internal customers.”

Greet employees at the start of each day with a gesture of appreciation, like a handshake or a hearty “good morning.” Free bagels and coffee wouldn’t hurt either, and could be the springboard for informal morning meetings to rally the troops and ease the transition from commute to work.

Use your employees’ skills appropriately. Don’t “reward” high performers by piling on extra responsibilities that pull them away from their favorite skills. At the same time, make sure they have time for personal and professional development. Reichheld recommends developing systems that help employees earn their own happiness.

And make sure you’re happy and involved in development and training too. Employees are more likely to follow leaders who walk the walk and are there in the trenches with them.

Adapted from Happy Offices Make More Money by Joe Taylor Jr. at Small Business Computing.