Ten ways to keep your staff happy

In this week of Top 10's its now time to shift the focus back on the people who make Bluhalo the success that it is and the things that we do to keep our staff happy and motivated.

1. Clear mission

This seems very obvious but if you went and asked a group of people I would guess that probably all of them wouldn't be able to say what their companies' missions were. For some businesses this is inscribed on a plaque in reception or briefly mentioned in the staff handbook or not at all. Here at Bluhalo our mission and goals are very clear and are communicated to staff on a regular basis. Regular Team Kick Off Meetings led by Spencer Gallagher lay down the goals and the ambitions so that everyone knows where we're going and why we're doing it. Weekly team briefings also reiterate that message so it filters down in to everyday working life at Bluhalo and it becomes relevant and realistic to the team.

2. Culture

At Bluhalo we pride ourselves on our unique and addictive culture. We even bottled it this year as 'Creativity Cultivated'! Many agencies in our industry are wary of having customers visit their offices however we recognised very early on that customers who came to our offices, left our offices as Bluhalo fans. They weren't just buying products and services but also our culture and our team. By seeing a team who are happy, involved, motivated and creative is a potent and winning combination.

3. Communication

Its incredibly important to ensure that you communicate effectively to your team and also about what you tell them. Many businesses conduct their affairs behind closed doors and you never hear about the good and the sometimes not so good things. Here at Bluhalo we have an honest MD in Spencer Gallagher, who will when we all need to pull together as a team, let everyone know whats going on, this makes the team feel involved and are probably more likely to be motivated to succeed, likewise when we get a great deal/customer on board Spencer is likely to be seen whooping and yelling very loudly before cracking open a couple bottles of champagne for everyone!

4. Listen

In the same way its just as important to make sure that you listen to your team. We have an approachable management team and we operate an open door policy. If someone has a problem no matter how small we will take the time out to listen to everyone, issues that crop up later can more often than not have been avoided if it had been discussed and dealt with early on. Likewise we always try to encourage the wannabe entrepreneurs within the business and Spencer will always make time to hear someones great idea.

5. Autonomy and responsibility

As part of our culture we encourage all of our team to be autonomous in every thing that they do and to take ownership and responsibility for their work and themselves. Aren't you more motivated and happy when you know that you have done a good job and your manager recognises it?

6. Goal setting

In line with point 5, goal setting goes hand in hand with responsibility. Our team has regular goal setting sessions which have proved to been very successful and popular. By goal setting you are empowering your team to empower themselves and obtain that satisfaction you can only get from achievement.

7. Recognition and reward

The obvious one here is salaries and yes it is important in keeping your staff happy. There are also other ways and the simplest of them all is recognition. Emails come out from Spencer Gallagher on a regular basis praising groups and individuals; or at the weekly team meetings there is always someone who gets a shout out! We also like to vary rewards for example by giving extra annual leave to someone who may regularly work long hours, get a gaming addict the latest console, or paying an bonus for those people with excellent attendance records. It doesn't have to be costly motivating and recognising your staff. There are plenty of ways to do it!

8. Learning and development opportunities

At Bluhalo we don't believe in the culture of changing jobs every two years, and we do everything to retain our staff for as long as possible. A key factor in this by having an excellent learning and development strategy. We want our team to grow and develop with us so by providing books, courses, conference passes, seminars, webinars, qualifications etc. we are investing in the quality and longevity of our team. This in turns help to keep them happy and feel that they are not stagnating and need to get a new job to initiate change.

9. Having fun!

Those of you who know Bluhalo and have had the pleasure of attending any of our events know that we value the importance of letting our hair down! Its important to have a balance of work hard and play hard. We have our regular Birthday Party and Christmas Party which gives everyone the chance to chill out, have fun with their colleagues. Another successful event is our Christmas Family Party where everyone is welcome to bring partners and children along to the offices. Everyone is also encouraged to socialise inside and outside of work time and we work hard to ensure that everyone has a good work-life balance.

10. Talent Management - this really encompasses all of the above and is becoming more and more popular as a buzz phrase, and we at Bluhalo wholeheartedly believe that we have a talented team who if they are happy will be motivated to succeed and the business can only benefit!