Employee support is an important part of creating a thriving work environment and driving organizational success. When employees feel valued, heard and empowered, they’re more engaged, productive and loyal.
In this post, we’ll share strategies organizations can implement to support their employees, address potential challenges and learn more about future trends in employee support.
Benefits of supporting employees in the workplace
Supporting employees is mutually beneficial for workers and the business alike. When you provide support structures at work for both employees’ personal and professional lives, you’ll see:
- Increased productivity: Employees with the right tools, technology and guidance can capably do their jobs. With access to resources, training and time management tools, employees complete tasks within deadlines and at higher quality levels, which improves your organization’s output.
- Better engagement: Employee engagement is a major marker of business success for organizations. Low engagement damages innovation, motivation and customer satisfaction scores as well as employee retention.
- Higher motivation: Employees who feel supported are more motivated — and not only to complete their assigned tasks on time and within quality expectations. They’re also more likely to speak up with new ideas or help solve problems outside their normal job roles to support the organization.
- Reduced burnout – Offering team members ample support also reduces your employees’ rate or risk of burnout, which has cascading effects throughout the organization.
- Easier recruiting: Employee support structures are part of your benefits package, and potential employees will see what you offer to help them determine whether or not to take a job with you. Current employees will also speak about the support they receive – or don’t – on review sites, which influence job seekers as well.
Key strategies to support employees in the workplace
Every organization is different, with different employees and workplace cultures. But there are key ways to ensure your employees are supported at work.
1. Build a positive workplace culture
A positive company culture cultivates a sense of belonging, respect and collaboration. It doesn’t happen overnight, but by prioritizing diversity and inclusion, promoting work-life balance and encouraging teamwork, your organization will create a culture where employees feel supported. Encourage team-building activities that don’t necessarily have to do with work to allow employees to build trust and vulnerability with each other. Seek out and include employee feedback when planning new programs or activities. Employees who feel connected and valued are more likely to be motivated, loyal and productive. At the same time, providing transparency in organizational operations and goals gives employees a clear vision of how their work contributes to the greater whole.
2. Offer appropriate compensation and benefits
Offering competitive compensation packages is a top way to improve your recruiting, but making it part of your long-term strategy for existing employees is an important way to support them. Give employees a clear understanding of why they’re paid for their work and how they can earn more, whether it’s through annual performance reviews or a transparent pay structure. Remember that pay isn’t the only thing employees consider as a part of the employer’s package – health insurance, time off policies and other benefits also show that you prioritize employees and their needs. Organizations prioritizing workplace wellness programs and mental health initiatives show they’re genuinely committed to employee wellbeing.
3. Implement effective communication channels
Open and transparent communication is an essential part of employee support. Organizations foster effective communication channels by encouraging regular and poignant team meetings, providing platforms for sharing timely feedback and promoting cross-departmental collaboration. This means clearly communicating roles, expectations and organizational goals. When employees have a voice and feel heard, they’re more likely to be engaged and satisfied in their roles. Providing channels for employees to voice their concerns anonymously also allows you to address negative potential power dynamics and make employees feel more comfortable expressing their concerns.
4. Encourage professional development and growth
The best way to encourage employees to grow is to offer training and development programs as well as a clear map of how to get to the career they want. Offer training programs, workshops or development sessions as part of your regular office activities. You may consider offering employees a stipend for participating in outside learning to improve their skills. Give underutilized employees new opportunities with greater responsibility or creative projects. By investing in leadership development, you help your organization grow and provide employees with self-improvement options at the same time.
5. Offer flexible work arrangements
Employers can’t dictate their employees’ personal lives, but they can find ways to help employees deal with out-of-office stressors without interfering with work. Offering flexible work arrangements supports employees in making decisions about when and where they work best. These arrangements go a long way in improving employees’ work-life balance, reducing stress and empowering employees to be more productive. Nearly 80% of companies now offer some form of flexible work arrangements while 94% of employees say they would benefit from work flexibility.
6. Invest in the employee experience
Your employees spend a large portion of their time interacting with your organization, and a good employee experience leads to more motivated employees, better productivity, better customer service outcomes and higher revenue. Investing in the employee experience goes beyond providing a ping pong table in the breakroom; it includes the tools employees work with, the availability of managers and leaders to discuss issues and what kind of choices they have around their day-to-day activities. It also means proactively balancing workloads to prevent overwork and recognizing the signs of chronic stress to provide support before an employee needs to call out sick.
7. Reward good work
When you recognize and reward employees for what they’ve done well, it goes a long way in showing them that they’re supported. This can include big perks like raises, bonuses or promotions, but employee recognition also includes pointing out to other team members when an employee has gone above and beyond, finished a hard project or continually exceeds quality standards. When you recognize employees for their contributions, you increase job satisfaction and motivation. It also offers your managers an opportunity to help employees who aren’t living up to expectations by providing training or improvement programs. Finally, having a clear employee rewards system fosters a sense of fairness and gives employees a chance to feel seen, even if they aren’t in management or high-visibility positions.
Use ActivTrak to support employees in the workplace
Gain insights you need to enhance productivity, wellbeing and overall support for your employees with ActivTrak’s workforce analytics platform. Use data to determine when and where employees are most productive to strengthen your work-from-home or hybrid policies. See which employees are consistently hitting goals or deadlines to create employee recognition and development programs. Quickly spot the signs of burnout to provide employees with further support before it affects your team.
Request a demo today to discover how ActivTrak empowers managers to offer employees the support they need to feel valued at your organization.
