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Houston, TX—L.M. Sixel, author of the “Working” column in the Houston Chronicle, recently discussed five very simple ways to make employees happy—and none of them cost a thing. Here is an excerpt from his "Five Ways to Make Your Workers Love Their Jobs" entry:

1. Respect your employees enough to tell them where they stand. Whether it’s the janitor or top management, tell them when they’re doing a good job—and when they’re not. If they’re performing poorly, tell them early enough to try to improve; don’t just hope they’ll get the hint and leave.

2. Be kind. Give a kind word, a note of recognition and/or acknowledgement in a meeting for a job well done, ask a sincere question or two about their kids or family, etc. Kindness costs nothing but benefits your bottom line because employees tend to treat customers the same way they’re treated.

3. Give them a challenge. Nothing is a bigger downer than a company culture that discourages innovation. Ask employees’ opinions, use their ideas, and empower them to get their jobs done.

4. Train your front-line supervisors. These are the people who see that goals are met, rules are followed, and, hopefully, that employees are pumped up and not just going through the motions. If you promote a front-line manager from the floor, help them learn to navigate the changed relationship with former peers.

5. Respect your employees’ time. This means not scheduling meetings at 6 p.m. if you have working parents with children in daycare, and being understanding when an employee offers to work late or come in early to make up for time off for family events or needs. Most employees will more than make up for the flexibility.

To read the article in full detail, click here:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/sixel/7288970.html