Why Making Staff Happy Is a Sound Investment

As an employer, it’s important to recognise that people need more than money to be motivated. People are at their most productive when they feel looked after, which means taking complete care of your employees isn't just a ‘nice to do’, but a very worthwhile investment.

Numerous studies have shown that employees who feel valued are more committed to an organisation and experience higher levels of job satisfaction. This amounts to a more effective workforce, lower staff turnover and, ultimately, an increase in revenue.

While it’s of obvious importance for an organisation to build loyalty among its customers, it’s just as important that a company builds loyalty internally too. Increasing employee engagement can have a significant effect on how staff feel about the company they work for.

At Critical Software, we’ve put employee wellbeing at the heart of our working culture, which helps us to attract and retain the best talent. Our measurement tools show that our staff are willing to put in the extra effort to ensure their company succeeds, the effects of which can be seen in our bottom line. Increased productivity and better staff wellbeing means our company continues to enjoy year on year growth.

So it’s good to care, but how do you know what measures to take?

Listening to what your staff are telling you is key. Through various feedback mechanisms, our people tell us that it’s often the little things that make a real difference. For example, we understand that everyone suffers from mental blocks now and then. To tackle this, we run a flexible working day, encouraging staff to maintain a healthy work/life balance. Some of our offices have ‘chill out’ zones complete with games like table football and ping pong, plus we’re currently investing in other locations to create new spaces that people can relax in.

Employees also contribute to a wish list of things they’d like to see, which means our rewards package goes much further than simply offering a salary, a pension and life insurance benefits. To support teamwork and good relationships, we organise social events that include festive parties, speciality lunches and competitions of all kinds – all based on ideas from staff.

By listening to what employees want, we have created a wellbeing package that works. From free office fruit and snacks to phone allowances, gym membership options, health plans – and even regular massage days at some of our offices – we take steps to ensure our staff feel mentally and physically looked after.

It’s also important to make sure that employees feel valued in ways that recognise them as individuals. For example, some of our offices run a ‘Random Reward’ scheme where employees can nominate others that they feel deserve recognition. Senior management will then present these high-achievers with a prize that’s tailored to them. In the past, we’ve given out vouchers for dance lessons, rock climbing and spa sessions!

We also encourage employees to feel supported as individuals by their colleagues. We do this through our ‘Check-in’ initiative, which is part of our wider personal development planning process. Each quarter, as well as completing a review with their line manager, everyone picks their own ‘Check-in-Chum’ whose role is simply to listen, helping their colleagues to feel looked after on a one to one basis.

We are proud to have created an environment that reduces stress and makes our people feel looked after and we’d encourage other businesses to do the same. By taking these steps, we’ve built a culture of trust and responsibility that our people have positively responded to.

To find out more about working at Critical Software, visit the careers section of our website.