Good staff management is the key to creating a happy workplace. When your team is working with you, rather than against you, everyone benefits, and you are more likely to reach your business goals.
When staff members are trustworthy, reliable and flexible they are more likely to do a good job. They are successful because clear communication between managers and staff has managed their expectations.
However, few people turn up to work just because there is a good workplace culture. Money talks and transparent processes around wages, predictable payments and accurate records ensure staff stay happy.
Business owners and managers want to spend time on growing their business not problem-solving staff issues. When staff do not turn up, complain about wages or perform poorly, it creates a rut.
A reactive approach to addressing issues leads to further problems. These business owners fall into the trap of: “I’ve got so much to do; I’ll just keep going while everything is fine.” Until it’s not and then they spend all day putting out fires. Or rather: “Losing money, not making money”.
Running out of time during the workday becomes the norm. Elevated stress and frustration lead to more errors. Wasting time picking up the slack leads to the business missing out on making higher profits.
Workplace stress tends to be contagious and makes for unhappy staff that are hard to retain. It’s a win-win if the business owner is in control of costs and staff are happy.
Your 7 tips to create a happy workplace
- Keep in regular contact with staff
Let your staff do their job but check in on them at intervals. This helps staff to feel visible and valued and establishes a dialogue for ongoing feedback.
- Minimise negative interactions by making it a habit to share positive feedback
Nobody wants a boss who only talks to them when things go wrong. Take the time to recognise good work habits and share successes with staff. Increasing the number of positive interactions will reduce the likelihood of negative responses when resolving issues.
- Make time to document job descriptions and processes
Documenting job roles provides clarity on your business structure and sets expectations. Developing clear written instructions on relevant business processes also helps to standardise your product or service regardless of which staff member is following the task.
- Be consistent by keeping accurate records
Make your life easier by adopting an easy to use and adaptable records system that ends the chore of back-office administration that keeps you up late at night. Labour costs will become more predictable and you will have ready access to a daily business dashboard.
- Adopt a user-friendly process to communicate staff hours and wages
Your staff will be happier if they have real-time access to their rosters and timesheets and be more responsive to last minute changes. Predictable payments lead to happier and more loyal staff.
- Be transparent in how you comply with staff allowances etc
Support your staff by having a clear and organised system to track work hours and record their working history. By increasing your capacity to respond to staff inquiries simply and accurately, you will demonstrate your compliance to workforce regulations and make leave management easier.
- Develop trust by being predictable in your actions
Make it easy for staff to support your business objectives by establishing a stable and consistent workflow. Every business will have curve balls thrown at it but managing difficult customers or staff crises are easier to shock-absorb if you have a steady baseline. Having processes in place and an action plan that can keep the wheels turning provides a sense of security for staff.
What workplace solution do I need?
Proactive business owners are transforming their businesses by adopting workplace solutions that reduce the time it takes to keep staff rosters and costs on track.
Staff are more “workplace ready” when they sense how their contribution fits within the bigger picture. They are happier if they can predict that their time and effort will be acknowledged and rewarded.
Digital workplace solutions that simplify rostering, time sheeting and staff entitlements are the modern-day alternative to labour-intensive linear record keeping. Streamlining your processes means more time to work on growing your business.
The best digital workplace solutions are the ones that offer you a commonsense cost for benefit. They do not ramp up the premium by packaging a suite of unused “features” in one product. Online rostering, digital sign-ins with a time clock app and integrated timesheet management can transform your business. These solutions are easily available for a small monthly fee.
Time is money and choosing a smart alternative to repetitive and time-consuming admin will give you back control of your workplace. Happy staff, happy days!
