Employee satisfaction is an important part of maintaining a low staff turnover rate and boosting productivity levels.
However, trying to achieve it isn’t always easy – especially when there are so many elements to consider.
To give you some inspiration, I thought it would be useful to learn from Glassdoor’s number one best place to work 2019’ – Anglian Water.
Yep, that’s right, the water utility firm beat the likes of Google and Salesforce to land the prestigious title!
So, what makes their company great to work for?
And how have they continued to keep their employee satisfaction rates at a consistently high level in 2019?
Let’s explore.
Career development is supported
Anglian Water is known for its ongoing commitment towards career progression.
Despite being a big company, they’ve recognised the importance of keeping a tight ship.
It would be easy for a company like them to accept a high turnover rate, as they’d always attract an influx of candidates.
However, they wanted to keep their employees satisfied and motivated at all times. They achieve this by prioritising upskilling and training opportunities.
By promoting development and helping employees acquire new relevant skills, both parties can benefit.
In your business, what sort of upskilling and training opportunities do you have in place?
When you’re hiring for a senior role, do you ever give internal staff a chance to land the role?
It’s important to remember that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Believing in your current employees can drastically boost productivity and inspire them to go beyond their regular comfort zones.
A refreshing take on work perks
According to Employee Benefits, Anglian Water provide a substantial work benefits package too.
Some of the notable additions include a generous 8% pension contribution to match an employee’s 5% and free private medical insurance (PMI).
This commitment to their health also extends to e-vouchers for eye care, counselling, an employee assistance programme (EAP) to support mental health and a discount on a gym membership.
And it doesn’t stop there.
On top of all of these other wonderful work perks, the water utility firm offers:
– a company car scheme
– flexible working/leave hours
– the option of a sabbatical
– sports clubs
– hardship loans
– discounts
– charity volunteer days
– discounted water bills.
Granted, that’s a lot of benefits to think about.
However, your business doesn’t have to provide such a wide variety to keep employees satisfied.
As a starting point, you should check out our previous post: What Perks Do Employees Want the Most (According to Research)?
Once you’ve shortlisted a few ideas, give your employees the chance to pick their favourites. This will make them feel valued and a part of the business.
Running wellbeing days
Another way Anglian Water maintain their high employee satisfaction rates is to consider the wellbeing of their workforce.
This includes employee health, safety and workplace happiness.
According to their team, they run regular awareness days, events and workshops focusing on musculoskeletal fitness, mental health, financial security and the importance of diversity in the workplace.
By giving their employees access to this kind of health and guidance, they feel supported by the business.
Raising awareness of such issues makes them more likely to open up about their problems too.
It’s the key to promoting a happy work culture.
As a business, you must break down the barriers of communication.
Giving your team one-on-one sessions and running workshops on important health subjects will enable them to share their concerns, instead of bottling them.
Taking the time to recognise achievements
The final way Anglian Water managed to top the employee satisfaction bills was to implement Xexec’s new online Reward & Recognition platform.
This innovative software lets employees send their colleague and staff personalised thank you cards, digital messages, certificates, scratch cards, travel awards, cash awards, tickets, charitable donations and vouchers.
The head of Rewards at Anglian Water, Sally Purbrick said:
“In the first week alone, we have had over 200 individual awards and 15 team nominations.
Xexec’s platform has been a wonderful addition by enabling our colleagues to easily recognise and reward each other’s contributions, making each individual feel like they’re part of the team and appreciated in the workplace.”
In your business, it’s essential to review how you award your employees.
Sometimes a simple thank you will suffice, while on other occasions, taking them out for a meal will leave a positive lasting impression.
Ultimately…
At the end of the day, your employees want to feel valued for all their hard efforts. Recognising this in some shape or form will go a long way in improving employee satisfaction and reducing staff turnover rates.
Who knows, if you successfully manage to follow in Anglian Water’s footsteps, you might just be voted number one best place to work next year!
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