4 Ways to Keep Your Employees Happy

Keeping people happy in their jobs is easier than it seems, especially when you focus on intrinsic rewards like pride in their work, rather than extrinsic rewards like money and stock options. Here are four ways to keep your employees positive:

 1.      Create meaningful roles. Don't be a stickler for job descriptions. Help your employees find what they like to do best and create roles that allow them to contribute to the bigger picture.

2.      Give feedback. Tell your people regularly how they're doing. Avoid generic feedback by being honest and thoughtful.

3.      Offer professional development. Ask your people where they want to be in five years and be sure you are helping them get there.

4.      Say "thank you". Express your gratitude by thanking them regularly for their contributions.

1. Meaningful role is interesting for almost every one in work place. But the problem is managers do not always have the "freedom" to "create" roles. The roles or positions are pre-defined. The more useful way is to lead people in the team to see the "big picture" of the future of the role and in the meantime, see the "big picture" of the business of the company. The tougher problem is managers do not know the "big picture" is.
2. Giving feedback is a good way to courage and motivates your people. The key thing is you must to act as the teacher, mentor, advisor and leader when giving feedback. It is not a simple way to "tell" the words, it should be the way to persuade, to lead your people to see the light in front of the future. It is built on top of trust.
3. Understand your people's thoughts and concerns, and help them to create career goals for 3~5 years or even longer. It is not the way to fix the professional development to the "fixed" career path of the company.
4. I saw seldom managers say "thank you" to their people. Say the words with your full heart, with the understanding of the people who work for him/her. When you say "thank you", say it aloud, to have everyone hear it, and to let them know which action is recognized.