Your employees are your most valuable asset. As well as doing the work and producing what you sell, they can also come up with ideas to help propel your business forward. For the good of your business, it is essential that they are kept happy and productive. Here are some great ways of doing it.

Regular training

Training your employees will improve their productivity in two ways. Firstly, you will be improving their skills and confidence, so they will be able to do more tasks for the business without supervision, freeing up you and senior employees to do other work. Secondly, if you train employees you are also sending them a signal that you are looking to keep them on for a while and intend to invest in them. They then feel they are a more valuable asset, as well as feeling more valued by you.

Keep them healthy

Unhealthy employees are unproductive employees. Overweight employees are more likely to develop diseases like diabetes and heart conditions which will significantly affect their ability to work. If they are not eating well during their time at work, then you can have an influence on this - try buying fruit and nuts for the office to be a healthy snack for your employees and encourage them away from chocolate and crisps.

Taking a zero tolerance approach to drugs

Drinking and drug habits are another huge factor affecting the workforce. Some business sectors have a reputation for drugs, such as the high-powered world of high-finance and the non-stop party atmosphere of nightclub management. Using drug testing services can keep your workplace free of drugs and the effects of them on your employees. Drugs are not only dangerous to the health of your workers, they will also negatively affect their productivity.

Incentivise employees

Everyone likes to be told that they did a good job. Some small businesses might go about recognition of hard work in a more casual way, but this can risk the employee not feeling they are appreciated. A formal recognition system will ensure that employees are always recognised and rewarded for their efforts in helping the business. Take care to reward employees with things they will actually want and use. For example, if your IT manager is into fashion then give him or her an ASOS voucher.

Be flexible

Telecommunication is here to stay - well, by ‘here’, we mean wherever the employee wants to be. By 2020, it is estimated that half of the entire UK workforce will be working remotely. Employees have a personal life to juggle, as well as a professional life, so make sure that your business is equipped to let employees be flexible about the way they work. A rigid system will only serve to annoy staff while stopping them from concentrating on the work they need to do. As long as they do the work required, for some employers it doesn’t matter whether they do it in the office or in their office at home.