7 guidelines to improve employee satisfaction

Satisfied employees make you better in business and makes achieving your goals and objectives easier. To improve employee satisfaction, you need to create and facilitate the perfect work environment.
Improve employee satisfaction

Improving employee satisfaction as a tour operator

A key element of successful and responsible tour operators is a high employee satisfaction rate. Research shows that having satisfied and committed employees are 20% more productive than employees who are dissatisfied at work. Basically, satisfied employees are essential for your business!

Having satisfied employees adds value to your business. Employees that are committed will:

  • Greatly contribute to creating unique experiences
  • Take that extra step to achieve great results
  • Excel in customer service
  • Do their best to make your business successful

In order to make sure employees are satisfied, you need to work hard to create and facilitate the perfect work environment. Below you’ll find 7 ways that help you improve the satisfaction, engagement and commitment rate of your employees.

Satisfied employees are 20% more productive

1. Create a clear and inspiring purpose

If you don’t have a strong sense of purpose, it’s more difficult to engage employees and to work towards the same goal. Goals help ensure that employee’s work and efforts are aligned with the business’ mission and purpose. They also ensure all employees know to what they are contributing.

By creating a clear and inspiring purpose, you are making employees want to work for you. And not only because you are paying them. Think back to the core of your business strategy and integrate your mission in your business DNA. Also allow employees to structure their own tasks. Let them contribute and commit to your purpose according to their strengths and interests.

2. Offer good employment conditions and benefits

The basics of employee satisfaction lie in decent employment terms and conditions. Think about aspects such as:

  • Free choice of trade union membership
  • A fair salary
  • Maternity and holiday leave
  • Liability and medical insurance

However, improving employee satisfaction entails more than just offering the basics. Take it a step further and ensure great benefits in addition to national legislation, such as:

  • Offer flexible working hours and give them control and responsibility for their own working time.
  • Focus on their health and provide budgets to pay for gym memberships or bikes.
  • Compensate their commute and invest in healthy, shared lunchbreaks.

Think about benefits that will make your employees happier!

3. Facilitate good internal communication

Nothing displeases employees more than unclear communication. It encourages a gossiping-culture, employees feel they are not being heard, and there will be confusion about task divisions and performance. You can prevent this by being transparent and clearly communicating objectives and values. Combine online communication channels with weekly or monthly staff meetings.

Good internal communication enables employees to feel more comfortable at work and deliver better results. When tasks and responsibilities are clear, employees know what’s expected of them and what they can expect from colleagues and management. Consider the following aspects to foster good internal communication:

  • Schedules or presence
  • Clear task divisions
  • Feedback moments
  • Shared goals and objectives
  • Weekly team meetings
  • Regular business updates via email

4. Give them a say

Communication is always a two-way street. To make sure your employees feel valued, encourage them to share their thoughts and opinions. Create an open-door policy to receive direct feedback and questions. Create a cooperative business culture where employees feel they are heard. A place where their opinions are respected and valued!

Set-up weekly or monthly meetings with the whole team, or even whole business, where internal issues are discussed. Involve employees in the decision-making process, to make them more committed to the implementation. This makes them aware they are essential to the business’ success. Let yourself be surprised and inspired by new insights and solutions of your employees.

5. Offer development opportunities

Training your employees is essential when you want your business to grow and to achieve better results. By encouraging them to develop themselves you are improving employee satisfaction and commitment. Research shows that offering learning opportunities enhances employee satisfaction and engagement. It supports them to become better at their work, so indirectly you are investing in your own business.

Support your employees in building their career by offering them internal and external development opportunities. They will increase their professional knowledge, skills and expertise which they can directly apply in their daily activities. Ways to offer development opportunities are:

  • Offer internal training days
  • Provide a budget for external trainings
  • Recommend relevant webinars
  • Assign internal mentors and coaches

Celebrate successes with employees

6. Share successes

Employees need to feel appreciated in order to be satisfied. For their personal work but also for their contribution to the business’ success. Create a shared sense of fulfillment by motivating your employees to achieve goals. This helps spread goodwill and, when done in a transparent way, hardworking and committed employees.

Recognise and reward hard work and celebrate successes. This can be done through an internal email, during a staff meeting or by giving flowers or a bonus.

By paying sincere attention to the achievement of employees, you will motivate them to do their best and to contribute to the business’ success.

7. Create a happy workplace

Employee satisfaction is influenced by their work environment. After all, employees who can work in a relaxed and comfortable way are more productive and happier. They spend a fair share of their time at the office, so in order to contribute to their wellbeing create a happy workplace!

Tips to increase happiness in your office are:

  • Ensure enough natural light
  • Decorate with lots of green plants
  • Provide comfortable desks and chairs
  • Offer a healthy shared lunch
  • Celebrate birthdays and successes
  • Organise fun group activities
  • Stay for drinks after work on Fridays

Achieve better results by improving employee satisfaction

Having engaged and committed employees will make you better in business. Not only will your employees be satisfied with their work and their employer, they will also:

  • Actively contribute to achieve your goals and objectives
  • Be more productive
  • Deliver higher quality work
  • Apply learned knowledge directly in their daily activities

Keep in mind that improving employee satisfaction is a team effort and not a quick fix. It will take time to implement these guidelines. Remember that by asking your employees what they’d like and prefer, you’ll achieve better results. It’s a two-way street that will create win-win situations. Happier employees and better results!

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