Hard-working, ambitious employees are perhaps your business's greatest asset. Naturally, you want to retain them as long as possible. Job satisfaction is multilayered and subjective, and unfortunately, some things are beyond your control as a business owner or supervisor. However, there are still ways you can cultivate a generative, positive workplace in which your whole team will thrive. Read on for some of our best tips for keeping your employees happy.

1. Give them plenty of autonomy. 

While most employees want some degree of guidance from supervisors, it's important also to give them space. After all, you hired them for a reason—they are competent in their roles, and capable of success. Micromanagement notoriously causes problems between employees and supervisors. So, trust your employees enough to let them work on their own and be available to assist when needed. 

2. Be flexible. 

Don't be too rigid when it comes to considering suggestions, ideas, and requests from your employees. Your team often see aspects of your business that you might not; every staff member approaches their work from a unique vantage point. Avoid quickly dismissing their thoughts. While you don't necessarily have to enact every suggestion every employee makes, remain open to compromise.

3. Listen.

Few things are more frustrating than being misunderstood. Your employees want to feel as though their questions, concerns, and suggestions are being heard. When interacting with your team, practice listening carefully. Put your phone away when possible, and really tune in to what your employees are saying.

4. Ensure excellent communication and transparency wherever possible.

Great communication is, of course, closely related to active listening. Don't leave your employees in the dark about big decisions that will impact them, even (or especially) if it's bad news. Although there will always be privileged information you can't share with every employee, do your best to be direct where you can. Additionally, understand that all your team members have different communication styles. Here is a communication style quiz you could use with your team to better understand everyone's point of view.

5. Establish trust between employees and management. 

Trust is a foundational component of all successful interpersonal relationships, yet it's often overlooked in the workplace. Your employees need to know you trust them to do their jobs well, and likewise must trust you to lead well, make mutually beneficial decisions, and keep promises.

6. Encourage their vision. 

Allow ample opportunities for your employees to share their vision for their roles, departments, or even the entire business. Mission-driven teams collaborate better and are generally more productive. Support your team's ideas and encourage them to support long-term goals.

7. Make space for imperfections. 

Mistakes happen. Even the most attentive, detail-oriented employee will stumble from time to time. Every mistake, however, creates a learning opportunity. Remind your team that it's okay to make mistakes as long as they learn from them.

8. Facilitate growth. 

In any professional role, you should continually learn and grow. This isn't merely about "climbing the ladder" to success; rather, it's about doing meaningful work and developing personally and professionally. As a leader, you need to cultivate an environment that encourages ongoing development for every employee on your team. Feelings of stagnation will inevitably lead even top performers to falter and likely lead them to seek different opportunities elsewhere.

9. Invest in their success. 

This is one of the best, most concrete ways to keep your employees in a "growth mindset." Suggest professional training that might benefit specific employees or departments. Seeing coworkers' successes can provide a morale boost for everyone else, too.

10. Create opportunities for non-monetary recognition. 

Everyone wants to feel appreciated at work. These moments of recognition don't have to be elaborate; simply making a point to compliment someone's hard work can truly make them feel as though their efforts are seen and appreciated. Mentioning a specific employee or department's efforts on a project in a weekly newsletter, for example, could help boost confidence and keep your team on track. Or, show that you value an employee's opinion by asking for their input. These simple steps can help your team feel a sense of purpose and belonging in your workplace.

11. Foster an amicable, thriving social environment. 

We must hold certain professional boundaries in the workplace. Still, the office is a social space; your team must get along. You can lead by example here as a supervisor or business owner. Practice kindness, compassion, and an appropriate sense of humor whenever you can. An environment where everyone in the space feels comfortable around each other goes a long way.

Would you like to learn more? 

In summary, there’s a lot that goes into keeping your employees satisfied in the workplace. However, good talent is important to keep around. The simple steps above can help your employee retention efforts go a long way! If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about how Lutz Talent can help you, please contact us. You can also view current job opportunities here.