One of the most useful business skills you can have for rapid business improvement is overcoming staff problems and creating highly productive employees. In this article we explore the best business ideas for turning miserable employees into highly motivated at work.

Staff Problems — You’re Not Alone!

If you have unhappy and unproductive employees in your business, you’re not alone. Many businesses experience a deterioration of staff morale along with less productivity at some stage. Despite a range of better work conditions employees are often not content and this impacts on the business in form of productivity, loss of sales and customers.

It has been shown through many business studies that happy employees are productive employees. Rapid business improvement can be achieved by ensuring employees are happy and highly motivated most easily through an improved work environment and culture.

5 Best Business Ideas to improve the work environment and culture within your business:

1. Establish quarterly one-on-one meetings to define expectations for all concerned over the next quarter. Work on these expectations as employer and employees together as a team. Consider suitability according to the skills and personality needs of each team member and include an appraisal process. Your workers are looking for clear guidance and a goal to achieve. While you might have this clearly outlined, it is important to also have your employees understand what the business is working towards. Being in the ‘know’ allows employees to feel part of your vision, which can trigger strong motivation and fully engaged staff.
2. Maintain an open, approachable and transparent work environment so that team members do not feel tentative to approach you or their manager when the need for clarification of job descriptions, roles or tasks arises. Every employee will be more motivated to do a great job and put their best into the task when they know their questions are looked upon as valid and their input is appreciated. While being transparent is not about opening all areas of business up for employee inspection, it is of benefit to have staff know and therefore better understand where the business is heading and why and take an active role to achieve the goal. Being in the ‘know’ creates confidence which in turn develops better customer relation skills and loyalty to the business.
3. Develop an Employee Role Description Board that documents every team member’s roles and responsibilities – as well as why each role exists — and keep the Charter posted in an area for all to review. Being clear on what an individual’s role entails and why it is in place is a great morale booster and creates loyalty to the job and produces productive employees. The employee can see his/her role is important and part of the entire operation and therefore they are required to be fulfilled in a serious manner.
4. Schedule Time To Listen: Engaged staff will often come up with new business ideas for your business improvement. Good business skills include making the time there and then to listen to staff seriously or immediately schedule a time to listen. It is important to take every suggestion seriously and often the team member is closer to the action in the business than you or the manager. This can bring valuable feedback to the table and at the same time allows the employee to know he/she is taken seriously and their new business ideas are valuable. A valuable team member feels wanted and will do their best to achieve tasks set.
5. Feedback should be given on new business ideas proactively, with logical explanations for why a new business idea or suggestion was embraced or rejected. This creates an understanding of how the business is to work and where it’s headed. Offering explanations creates a feeling of being taken serious and validates the new business idea or suggestion.

How do you feel about your employees, and what steps have you or your manager taken to improve a lack of productivity and motivation? Take a close look at these 5 best business ideas in your business and consider where you might be able to change the way things are currently done and see rapid business improvement in your business. And always remember “happy employees are productive employees”!