Four Ways That You Can Look After Your Workforce Better In 2022

Anyone who runs a business knows that we have all depended a lot on our employees over the last couple of years. It is something of a cliché to describe a company as being like a family, but no business will have made it through everything that we have been through without pulling together and looking out for each other. Now that we are enjoying a brighter spring and heading into what should be an even brighter summer, we still need to think carefully about how we can continue to ensure our staff’s continued happiness, safety, and security.

Anyone who runs a business knows that we have all depended a lot on our employees over the last couple of years. It is something of a cliché to describe a company as being like a family, but no business will have made it through everything that we have been through without pulling together and looking out for each other. Now that we are enjoying a brighter spring and heading into what should be an even brighter summer, we still need to think carefully about how we can continue to ensure our staff’s continued happiness, safety, and security.

So many of the concerns about worker safety in recent months has focused on one issue, understandably, but if you are bringing your team back into the workplace or you are expanding your business, you need to be aware that your responsibilities are much broader than one issue. Whether it is improving warehouse safety or giving your team a reason to stick with your company instead of looking for a new opportunity, there are plenty of things that you can do. Here are a few tips to help you to look after your workforce better this year.

Give Them Room To Grow

One of the biggest stories when it come to the workforce in the last few months has been the so-called Great Resignation. In the wake of everything that has happened, a lot of people out there have been reconsidering whether they are really happy and satisfied in their current roles and have been looking elsewhere. As an employer, there are things that you can do to make sure that your employees are feeling fulfilled. Think about how you can create better progression tracks in your company to avoid anyone feeling stuck. Can you offer on-the-job training for anyone looking to advance? Could you offer to pay for learning courses for anyone looking to develop new skillsets?

Make Sure That Safety Is A Priority

Taking the idea of looking after your workforce as literally as we can, it is important that we never take our eyes off the ball regarding employee safety. When things are hectic, and your workforce is either changing or growing, you may realise that you have let this slip. Make sure that you are keeping everyone up to date with their safety training and that you understand what you need to do as an employer to keep your place of work safe. If you have people working in a storage facility, warehouse, or supermarket, you will have people who need to be supported. You should think about investing in safety steps that can help them to reach those high shelves for sorting and restacking safely. The Workplace Depot has a fantastic range of safety steps as well as catering to many of your other workplace needs.

Get Flexible

Flexible working saw a huge boom in popularity over the last several months, and although that was largely out of necessity, we have also seen its benefits. There are always going to be roles where flexible hours simply do not work, but if you are in a position to offer them, why not think about it? There is also the question of the return to the office. Now, remote working is obviously a non-starter for many businesses, but if you are expanding your workforce in the next few months, you should seriously consider whether it could be an option for you. Remote working obviously has its drawbacks, but offering it as an option will allow you to draw from a broader talent pool. If you are committed to keeping your team coming in on a daily basis, then you could consider offering incentives that take that into account. For example, subsidising public transport costs is a great way of showing that you appreciate the inconvenience of a commute while also helping people to do their bit for the environment.

Consult Them About Their Benefits

Something that you could think about to help your team feel more appreciated is to talk to them about what they would like from their employee benefits package. Many of our circumstances have changed over the last couple of years, and there are some areas that you could think about including. For example, given what we have learned about employee stress and burnout over the last two years, you should think about offering mental health support options as part of their healthcare package. You may also want to consult them about what they would like from their pension option. Could a monthly perk be something that is worth looking into? You should also think about how you can continue to keep your team spirit up in the months ahead. Now that we can finally get together and celebrate as a team, it is high time to do so.