Employees spend most of their time in the workplace, ensuring that your company thrives. For this reason, they need to get a sense of belonging within your organization. But, what makes your staff feel like they aren’t wanted?
You may be the boss, but the moment you don’t value your staff, or reprimand them for small things done wrong, is the beginning of your troubles. To get the best results from your staff, they first need to feel that they are part of your company. When your employees feel like they don’t belong in your organization, the consequences will be:
- Reduced morale to work
- Increased absenteeism
- Low desire to try something new
- Increased staff turnover
So, how do you make your staff feel valued? Here are five tips to do it:
1. Embrace staff individuality. People are different in the way they think and the approaches they take to tackle challenges in the workplace. As a leader, you need to recognize this distinction and encourage your staff to be themselves.
Whenever you overlook people’s individuality, the parts of themselves that make them unique will be suppressed. In this case, the worst thing that could happen is having people pretend to be something they’re not. Putting up this act will not only hurt your staff, but frustrate them as well. Therefore, you should strive to foster a culture that recognizes and values individuality to make your staff feel like they truly belong in your company. It doesn’t cost anything to achieve this culture; it only takes acknowledging that people are different and supporting them.
2. Get them a coffee area. To get a sense of belonging, your employees need to feel like you care for them. If your office is one of those workplaces where staff members work for long hours, you may need to invest in a coffee area. When people are working for an extended duration, they may need to boost their energy to keep going, and a cup of coffee will do the trick. The coffee area doesn’t need to be fancy – you only need to make sure that it has enough space for your team. Suppose your company is in California, you may want to get kitchen cabinets in Sacramento, and have a contractor fit them. You may then allow your staff to bring their snacks and coffee, and stock them in the kitchen cabinets for their use.
3. Encourage staff contribution. We all like it when our opinions are heard. One of the ways to demonstrate to your employees that they matter is through encouraging their contribution, whether it’s during meetings or the day-to-day activities in the office. Having your staff give their input makes them feel valued and appreciated. Encouraging employee contribution is one step toward creating an equitable and inclusive work environment, which is everyone’s ideal place of work.
4. Champion for staff growth. When people work for you, they are helping you realize your goals. It’s only fair that you help them achieve some of the professional goals that they may have. The best way to go about this is by getting your staff to take part in short professional courses. If your organization has the right amount of funding, you could reward your staff with scholarships to do some courses that will help them improve how they do their jobs.
5. Offer benefits and celebrate them. Apart from professional growth, you could schedule emotional wellness programs to help your staff cope with whatever stress they may have. You would not want your team importing the home-related stress to work. When you have them participate in such programs, they get the feeling that you care for their needs within the workplace and outside.
Additionally, you could promote celebratory events of the most underrepresented groups, such as women or the LGBTQ community. When you celebrate these individuals, you are demonstrating that you value diversity. Your employees will have no reason not to bring their A-game to work.
