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If your employees aren’t happy, your customers won’t be either.

Your employees are your brand ambassadors; often they are the first exposure your clients have to your business. Employees who aren’t happy at work are less likely to project a positive image of your company’s attitudes and commitment.

This is why your company culture matters. A genuine culture focused on supporting, valuing and empowering your staff sustains employee enthusiasm and leads to a better experience for your customers.

There is an ever-increasing growing body of research around employee engagement and the link to profitability. It’s irrefutable – happy employees mean improved productivity and increased profits.

Whether you’re an entrepreneurial start-up or a large, established enterprise, the same holds true; people are more productive and creative when they feel positive about their work and workplace.

When employees feel good about their job and company, this has a flow on effect. There are many different ways you can support a positive company culture in your business. Here are just a few ideas:

Make teamwork more rewarding than individual achievement

”A culture is strong when people work with each other for each other. A culture is weak when people work against each other for themselves.” – Simon Sinek.

Invest in team building through formal and social activities that show your team you value and appreciate them. Encourage teamwork by rewarding teams who are working together to achieve goals.

Make employee wellbeing a priority

If people are stressed, they aren’t working at their maximum potential. What can you do to support employee wellbeing without detracting from work? Some ideas include encouraging staff to take daily breaks or annual leave regularly, getting your team to enjoy lunch together once a week or providing incentives such as a ‘recreation credit’? Contributing to outside work activities such as paying for gym or sports club memberships can also instill a sense of wellbeing.

Workplace health checks

Beyond their physical health, also consider your employees’ mental and emotional health as this can have a positive spillover effect on your employees’ work.

Can you join an employee assistance programme (EAP) or is an annual company wellness day an option? A wellness day is much like a mental health day. Whether employees stay at home in PJs or head out of town to Hanmer Pools; let them choose how they take the extra day of rest.

Regularly measure employee satisfaction

Whether this is gauged through formal reviews, informal meetings or a workplace survey, employee satisfaction matters because employee satisfaction directly affects employee retention. If you know why employees are unhappy, you can set about changing it, minimising staff turnover and disruption to the business.