To best support your employees, you'll want to ensure you cover all the bases. Ensuring your workforce's physical safety, proper training practices, and financial security will ensure they feel they're at the right company, hopefully increasing employee morale and retention. Here are some exercises to add to your employer checklist:
Physical Safety
Physical safety should be of the utmost importance on your employee support checklist, as this is the basis of making the workplace a safe environment and keeping your employees happy. Employees need to feel that they can trust each other to handle comfortable working together and operating equipment. Promote camaraderie by encouraging team-building activities and using ice breakers as soon as training begins so that each coworker can get to know each other on a deeper level. This is important to also prevent violence in the workplace amongst employees. Not all safety talks have to be boring, so look for ways to make your safety talks more modern, engaging, and thought-provoking.
Discuss equipment safety techniques before allowing any employee to operate or be in close contact with the machinery, and have a specific training practice in place. State the most common injuries that can happen in your workplace and prepare employees for any possible hazards during the workday. Discuss with other managers the best way to test their knowledge on physical safety and perhaps even have your employees become OSHA certified to ensure your company is doing what it can to keep its employees safe.
Your employees who sit for extended periods should also have their own physical safety practices in place. Look into ergonomic seating for desks and discuss with employees before assigning them a workplace location what physical ailments they may have. For example, if an individual is prone to back pain or blood circulation problems, they'll have to stand for specific periods, and you'll have to place some standing desks around the office. Ensuring employees feel comfortable and safe in all aspects of their job is essential. To best do this, provide them an open-door support system to encourage them to come to you if their wants, needs, or priorities change.
Effective Employee Training Practices
Next on your checklist should be having proper training procedures, starting with new hire training practices. Onboarding employees with the correct protocol is crucial to ensure they're educated and aware of workplace practices right from the start. Make sure you're doing what you can to get your employees up to speed as quickly and accurately as possible. A proper training schedule covering all bases should be part of your employer's checklist. It should also contain specific checkpoints where employees can check in with you throughout the process. Make an effort to introduce them to each manager in the office and department so they can get acclimated quickly to their supervisor and surroundings.
Throughout employees' time with your company, having specific updates or check-ins to ensure they don't need any more assistance with other aspects of the job lets employees to know you support them and care about how they're adjusting. Add to your training process ways to highlight employees who stand out with their successes to build confidence and validation in their work. Consider incorporating weekly or bi-weekly meetings with your employees as check-ins, even allowing time for a physical and mental health check-in.
Have employees go through a financial training process with HR to learn how to get the most out of their company's benefits. Having time to discuss with HR how to save money for retirement or their benefits packages to understand what exactly they're getting out of them is an excellent way for employees to feel supported and better understand the company from day one.
Financial Security Support
Another important task on the employer checklist is ensuring employees feel supported in their needs in the workplace and can feel peace of mind in their personal lives. Ensure you're paying your employees the correct wage for your area and job description, as potential employees can often find their job salaries online during the interview process. Providing employees with competitive pay will make them feel less stressed when transitioning to this new job and throughout their employment, as they'll have to make minimal changes to their daily lifestyles.
Add a relocation incentive for employees transitioning back into the in-person workforce after the pandemic, as most individuals have gotten used to the "work from anywhere" mentality. When employees have to relocate, it's stressful to get all their new housing details in order. They have to find a house in a commutable location to work by a school district that fits their families' needs while also ensuring they can afford the home and the moving process. This past year has been a tough year financially for most families. The housing market has been particularly challenging for first-time buyers, so families must ensure they have the correct credit score needed to buy a house in a new location and can be preapproved for a mortgage. All of these can be significant stressors on an individual when trying to find a job that's right for them, especially if they have to move. Still, with a relocation benefits package in place, your employee can feel secure in their decision to join your company with minimal stress.
If you decide to take on some remote employees at your workplace, they also need financial security. Most employers have a home office stipend to allow employees to set up their own at-home workspace. By having a set office with the proper equipment to succeed in the role, employees will have better productivity, efficiency, and minimal interruptions throughout their workday, allowing them to feel comfortable. Look to implement a great retirement package to enable employees to save up for retirement throughout their time working for your company to ease their financial burden. Stress can be hard to control when working remotely as you may feel less supported, so allow zoom sessions where employees can vent, mingle, and meet with other employees throughout the company like a company-wide virtual happy hour.
Conclusion
An excellent employee support checklist will ensure that employees feel your company is the best fit for them and limit their stress levels while at work. Overall, this will allow employees to increase productivity and longevity at their company while feeling understood at the same time.
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