A successful business needs good management. However, without satisfied, dedicated employees, it will fail. Happy employees are optimistic and productive. Their enthusiasm rubs off on both management and customers. There is nothing like going into a business where the employees are happy, enthusiastic and satisfied with their careers and the way the company is run. As a customer, supplier or even a competitor, it is a pleasure to walk through the door of such a business.

Happy, satisfied employees are the most attentive and helpful to the customers. An employee with a positive attitude is contagious and can change the attitude of every staff member they are around. However, just as a positive mind set is easily spread, so is a negative one. If a member of the team is unhappy, watch out! His or her negative attitude can become infectious, contaminating coworkers and customers alike. These pessimistic employees can breed an atmosphere of low morale. This will lead to decreased productivity, higher than normal turnover and unproductive time spent gossiping and complaining. The expense of training each new employee so they may excel is lost when they leave to work at some other organization because the atmosphere is too negative at your organization.

This is where competent management earns their big salary. They must quickly identify the source of discontent and eliminate it as quickly as possible. If the cause is some new procedure or policy change, then corrections must be implemented immediately. If the problem is an employee, then that employee must be taken aside and counseled. Part of that counseling should include notification that their employment will be terminated unless they improve their attitude and behavior within a specified time frame. This notification should be made in writing. One copy of this notification should be left with the employee and one copy with a signature from the employee acknowledging receipt of the notification should be retained by management and filed on the employee’s personnel file. If improvement doesn’t occur, then the employee must be dismissed from the company. Just like a rotten apple can destroy a whole barrel of fruit, one pessimistic disruptive employee can destroy a company if left to fester away.

To combat negativity in the workplace, management must continually motivate employees by encouraging them to work to the best of their abilities. Regular management/employee contact is necessary to show that an employee’s contributions are valued. Management should implement a suggestion award program which will allow employees to have input into the running of the company. Compensation should be made for any suggestion that is implemented. Regular scheduled employee/management meeting should be implemented. These meetings should be used to discuss what is working and what isn’t. New policies or procedures should be announced at these meetings along with adequate justification for their implementation. Staff luncheons could be made part of these scheduled meetings. A free lunch for employees who attend the meeting should ensure good attendance. Also, Employee of the Month recipients can be announced at these meetings.

Another morale booster for employees is a continuing education program. If employees receive free or heavily subsidized education from their employer, they appreciate it. This is especially true when successful completion of the program results in a promotion within the company.

If your organization recognizes that its employees are valuable and deserve to receive praise and recognition, then you will benefit from increased productivity and employee satisfaction and retention. This will also positively affect customer satisfaction.

The success of your business depends upon creating an environment that is conducive to employee happiness. If your environment doesn’t do this, then you must make the necessary changes to correct it. REMEMBER, that good management and happy employees result in a successful business!