It pays to make your staff happy!

A big warm welcome to our friends at Empire HR who kindly sponsor the Employer of the Year Elevator Award 2015.

Today's post comes from Pamela Struth (BA, LLB, Dip LP), HR & Employment Law Consultant at Empire.

What would a 12% increase in productivity mean to your business?

In February 2014, Warwick University identified that happy staff are 12% more productive in the workplace. 

This is not new information. Large companies like Google and Apple know this all too well and are known to invest a great deal of time and money in their employee satisfaction. Most employers do not have the large resources of these organisations. However, there are many non-financial incentives employers can use to improve work environments, motivate staff, promote positive work life balance and generally make your their workforce happy.

Often happy staff not only feel appreciated, but enjoy their work. It’s not all about expensive bonuses and fancy incentive schemes. When thinking about the happiness of their staff, employers should not overlook their existing policies and procedures, how these are applied in practice, as well as overall management and communication skills within the organisation. Getting these right can promote excellent working relationships and result in happy staff.

Are you already part of a productive and happy workforce? Does your leadership team invest in the development of staff?

It sounds like you work for a company that could be considered an 'employer of choice', one to be nominated for the Employer of the Year Elevator Award 2015 to recognise their dedication to their workforce, leading to a successful working environment.

The Elevator Awards are currently open for applications - click www.elevatorawards.com to nominate your employer, your own management team, or a business you know and respect - like Indigo Technologies did when they won in 2014.