Happy Employees = Happy Customers

Rewarding and keeping your employees happy has a direct impact on your customers. If your employees are taken care of, respected, empowered and trusted, they will pass that along to your customers creating a better customer experience.

Building a strong culture is more than offering free drinks it is about you as a person, pushing you to achieve greater good and the freedoms to do that.

The culture is one where it is company-wide, supported by leadership and something that is natural and not forced.

As part of that culture, employees have a clear career path and advancement opportunities are everywhere.

The culture should also challenge you to be a better person both at work and outside of work.

Part of the culture is also being part of the team where everyone is working together, challenging you to be a better, supporting each other and encouraging each other to achieve the team and personal goals.

Some examples of organizations that have a great culture, that ultimately touches their customers; Texas Roadhouse, Chick-fil-A, KFC, Nike, and Starbucks.

We all strive for that harmony that keeps the company moving forward – sometimes it is the little things outside of bonuses, perks and paid days off that will make a difference for your teams.

Some of the little things that go towards building a fun and rewarding culture are included below.

Create a Career Path

Noting worse that being in a job that is a dead-end. Create a career path for each team member so that they have something to work towards. When they have reached the next level, reward them with a promotion or raise. Growth in a department means a lot in the end.

Empower Your Employees to Make Decisions

Empower your employees to make decisions – you hired these talented individuals for a reason, now let them do their jobs and make the decisions that are necessary.

Applaud and Celebrate Their Efforts

People like to receive recognition for a job well done. Make sure you take the time to applaud the team or employees for those efforts.

Build Ownership

Let your team members build ownership with their positions, their decisions and the projects they are working on. Once they begin thinking like an owner, they will make better decisions for the benefit of the business.

Celebrate Birthdays and Anniversaries

Like a birthday, the work anniversary is also something that should be a big deal. Bring awareness of this at the 1 year, 5 year, 10 year and so on – you can also do a notification each month as employees celebrate their work anniversaries.

Support Community and Volunteer Opportunities

The ability to volunteer in ones community is something that employees will value, have pride and really showcase the brand/business they are working for. It allows them to give back to causes that are important to themselves.

Make Work Fun/Create a Productive Atmosphere

Work doesn’t have to be boring and to the grind in order for people to get things done. It is good to break up the day and weeks with outside events or even events/games within the office. Make the workspace fun and inviting.

Give Free Passes as Rewards

Most employees have a set number of days off they are allow. Do something special for holidays or events where you can give your employees off a day where they don’t have to use their days. Set up incentives during the summer that is they pass a certain goal, they can get Friday’s off. Make it fun but not so hard to achieve.

Keep Them Informed

The sharing of information and the passing of information down is important in helping your employees know what is going on with the business – it will also help them make decisions based on the information that is passed down. Nobody likes to work in the blind and your team is no different.

Ask For Their Input

When you ask your team for their input, they are more likely to accept a business decision more readily than if they were not ask their thoughts or opinions. This will also give you insight from other team members that have a different perspective that you do.

Flex Hours

Be flexible with work hours when things come up such as a doctors appointment or a kids lunch at school. So jobs do require that your employees are there at certain times, but it is ok to be flexible with hours with important life opportunities outside work.

Welcome and Encourage Family into the Office

Your employees family should be encouraged to come into the office. It is always good to meet someones significant other, their kids and so on. This gives you more to talk about than just work.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to your employees – there are many things you can do to build a positive culture! It starts with leadership and it is supported at all levels.