Guaranteed Ways To Build A Team Of Engaged Employees

Julie Starr • Jan 28, 2022

Building a team of engaged employees should be something every business owner makes a priority. If your team is disengaged with the work and workplace, you can hardly expect maximum output and optimal results. Engaged employees are productive employees, and will often go above and beyond to get results. Let’s take a look at some guaranteed ways you can build your own team of engaged employees:

Commit To Your Employees

First of all, you need to commit to your employees – get to know them as people . Of course, there’s a line you shouldn’t cross between boss and friend, but you should get to know them and take an interest in their lives. Remember their names and things about them so you can strike up a conversation with them in the future. Let them know that you do care about them, and don’t just see them as employees.

Offer Training and Resources

Offering the right training and resources for your team means that they not only grow professionally but personally, too. An inability to move forward within a company is one of the main reasons employees choose to leave and work elsewhere. Make sure they can climb the ladder if they want to, and provide things like team-building activities to ensure they can all work with one another effectively.

Make sure you also provide resources to make their lives easier, such as collaboration software, equipment, and so on. Engaging employees on business sustainability and integrating personal sustainability plans will not only educate employees on sustainable business practices that help the business to flourish, but will also provide guidelines to living a sustainable lifestyle outside of the work environment.

Provide Them with Tools for Success

This means giving your employees the resources for problem-solving, access to additional training, and strategies for handling difficult situations. Your employees will feel much more valued and appreciated when they know they have the support to handle any situation that may come their way. For example, disaster management training and tools can equip employees with the skills and knowledge to handle unexpected crises, leading to a stronger and more confident team. By providing your employees with all the tools they need to succeed in their jobs, they will feel empowered to do their best work and ultimately be more engaged in their roles.

Listen To Employee Feedback and Do Something About It

Encourage employee feedback, whether anonymous or not. Once you have their feedback, treat it as valuable advice and follow up on it. If you don’t do anything with employee feedback, they will believe that you don’t care whether they are happy and comfortable at work or not. You can’t get too attached to the way you have always done things if your team is giving you hints that they are unhappy – or outright telling you that something needs to change.

Provide Incentives and Bonuses For Your Team

You should provide more than just the bare minimum for your team. Incentives and bonuses are crucial and will help them to see that you appreciate them. Incentives and bonuses could be monetary, days out, vouchers, or even ESOP to give your team some ownership over the business. You can also give more days off than the minimum, gym memberships, and anything else you believe will encourage your team to work hard for you.

Allow Flexibility

Allowing flexibility within your workplace will help to keep your team engaged. If they need to be at home for some reason one day, allow them to work from home. Make sure they feel like they can come to you when they need time off, or have an issue that you can help with. Don’t be rigid in your way of thinking or the way you conduct your business.

Building a team of engaged employees takes work, but it should be a focus for any business owner!

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Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • 07 Oct, 2024

Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • 04 Oct, 2024

Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.