5 Ways To Create Loyal Employees

Whether you’re a business owner or an executive at a company in which you are responsible for a team of employees, you want to see loyalty in the people with whom you work each day. Employee loyalty is the backbone of any successful company, and any business with this knowledge has a greater chance of success. There’s many reasons a loyal employee-base is important to your brand, and it’s all to do with the success of your company.

Loyal employees are happy employees. Happy employees do better work, are more engaged, and they speak highly of your brand. Perhaps you’ve never considered the social outlet of your employees. They might have social media accounts they use to share snippets of their lives with the many people who follow them, and that relates to your business. Even if they’re very careful not to say anything negative about their work, job, employer, or coworkers, silence is just as effective to your branding. You want employees who speak highly of their job, promote their business, and show their loyalty to you.

Now you ask yourself how to create the kind of loyalty it takes to engage your employees, create a solid brand, and gain a reputation for being the best of the best. When your employees are loyal to you and your brand, it shows in the way your business grows. These five tips can help you create more loyalty from your employees, which can make the workplace more productive and lucrative.

Show Your Appreciation

Have you ever heard the saying that someone who feels appreciated always does more than expected? Constructive criticism is necessary in the business world, but appreciation is underrated. When you tell your employees they’re doing a great job, compliment them, or recognize their hard work and dedication, you make them want to keep it up and do more. The feeling they get when you see something positive in them is one they want again, so they’ll continue to go above and beyond. As a side note, this is a great way to talk to your friends and family, too.

Allow Workplace Fun

Work is associated with things that aren’t fun, but fun is associated with healthy people. If your workplace allows for some fun and enjoyment, your employees are bound to be more loyal. Why not plan something fun every quarter for the entire staff, such as a night out to dinner, a spa day, or even a golf game? Something like this brings them together, brings you together with them, and it makes work more fun.

Don’t Be So Stuffy

If you work in a law office or as a doctor, perhaps you need a bit of a stuffy environment. Where you work is a serious place, and you must present a serious front to those who come into the office. On the flip side, you can allow for some creativity in the office to keep your employees on their A-game. Casual Friday is a good idea, and allowing your employees to show off their own creativity, their personalities, and their favorite things makes them more comfortable at work. Let them decorate their offices, paint the walls, or avoid the three-piece suit if you don’t see clients in the office. A stuffy office with too much formality is not conducive to good employee loyalty.

Promote Good Health

One of the most dangerous things you can do as an employer is not promote good health. Bring a gym into the office, or at least let your employees call in sick when they’re not feeling well without piling up work on them or making them feel they can’t call in because they have too much to do. Work together as a team to handle things on a sick employee’s schedule so you can all avoid getting sick and help someone in need.

Another great way to create a loyal employee-base is to create fun locations in the office that allow for good health. An outdoor patio where you can eat lunch allows them to get out, get inspired, and get some Vitamin-D. Standing desks, the ability to walk and work, and a great snack room filled with healthy treats is another great way to promote health and loyalty. When you treat your employees right, they do the same in return.

Consider Flexibility

This might not work for all places of business, but it does work for many. Not everyone is productive or capable of working their best work at 9 am until 5 pm. If you have employees who would rather come to work at 5 am and work hard and well until noon, why not? If you have employees who can work from home once or twice a week with just as much enthusiasm and productivity, do it.

This society is all about flexibility. Moms want to work, but they want to pick their kids up from school. Some people want to stay home once a week so they don’t have to commute a fifth day as far as they must every other day. Flexibility is the key to success for many employers, and it makes your employees far more loyal to your brand. If you can work it in and it’s not a problem for the amount of work your employees are doing or their productivity level, it’s time to let them work a bit more flexibly.

The golden rule is perhaps the most important rule of any business. When you treat others the way you want to be treated, they will treat you with respect and loyalty. You’re the boss, so you must act like it. However, you’re also someone your employees should feel comfortable with, loyal to, and they should never fear you or worry in your presence. When you remember these key factors, your employees feel more loyal to you and your brand. They’ll work harder, smarter, and they’ll stick around.