One of the most valuable assets a company owns is its employees, and ensuring their happiness can be one of the most challenging aspects facing a business owner.

Customer Experience WondermanBecause a successful business is truly a customer-focused endeavor, happy employees often leads to happy customers. Having a contented staff can certainly impact the company’s bottom line, so here are some ways to positively affect your employees’ morale.

Bring Your Own Device

We have become a tech-driven society, and business, no less, is a tech-driven environment. One way to encourage employee satisfaction is to establish bring your own device policies at work.

These days, people are spending thousands of dollars on keeping pace with mobile device technology – smartphones, tablets, laptops – and providing them with an arena in which to make effective use of their investments can go a long way to eliciting employees’ contentment.

Better yet, why not provide employees with their very own business cell phones or other mobile devices, or even subsidize the cost of employees using their own devices?

Improve Compensation Packages and Benefits

Not to sound crass, but one of the key ways to employees’ hearts is through their wallets. It may not be easy in this economic climate, but improving employees’ compensation packages is a sure way to boost morale.

This can involve paying out bonuses, increasing wages, or providing enhanced benefits packages that include matching 401(k) contributions, transportation reimbursement, increased vacation days, or better health insurance options.

Of course, your business may be already looking out for employees’ financial well-being as well as it can. However, there are other forms of benefits or perks that might encourage employee satisfaction.

Perhaps providing flexible schedules or the option to telecommute is within the range of appropriate remuneration. Improving employees’ work-life balance – especially for those with small children – can go a long way to earning employee satisfaction.

Invest in Corporate Culture

It is important to make the work environment one where employees want to participate and thrive. Business owners can accomplish this as simply as recognizing employees on their birthdays or as elaborately as putting together a company softball team.

In between simple and extravagant can be weekly or monthly after-hours cocktail get-togethers or providing for an entertainment-filled break room. Whatever the option, employees are likely to appreciate the attention being paid to their job satisfaction. That, in turn, will manifest in how employees treat customers.

Again, happy employees lead to motivated employees which promotes quality service and, in the end, satisfied customers.

Surprise Half-Days

These are especially nice on the eve of important holidays. But why stop there? Perhaps it is within the budget to provide a random half-day a few times throughout the year. Maybe use these times to host impromptu company picnics at the park or lunch get-togethers.

Rewards and Incentives

Perhaps, you might consider recognizing employees for their hard work with employee-of-the-month programs. Rewarding employees for their commitment to the job is likely to make them feel more like part of the team rather than just a cog in the wheel.

Increase Communication

Sometimes, all employees want is to be heard. Business owners and management can accomplish this on the cheap just by listening up. Simply increasing communication with employees, especially in these tough economic times, can strengthen employees’ trust in the company and in you. This will promote employees’ satisfaction and can cut down on errors and rework. It’s a win-win for both business and employees.

Moreover, being upfront with employees, especially with regard to fears over job security in today’s business climate – which can distract employees and discourage motivation – will make them feel respected and valued. This attitude rolls downhill to customers who, in turn, are made to feel respected and valued themselves.

These suggestions represent only some of the ways that employers can work toward earning the satisfaction of their employees. The success of a business depends on the success of the employee. It can’t be overstated: happy employees equal happy customers.