An average employee spends 50% of his / her total waking hours at work on any given working day. Now, when someone dedicates such a large portion of their lives to accomplishing the mission and vision of the organization, is it not fair for them to expect a little more than salary in return? I think, it is. In the words of Dale Carnegie, “people work for money, but go that extra mile for recognition, praise and rewards.”

With all the years of work experience in the corporate environ, I have realized the cyclical connection between employees’ happiness and the enterprise’s performance: the latter is directly proportionate to the former. Even research suggests that companies with happy employees outperform competition by a whopping 20%!

To better one’s employer brand, you should first recognize and acknowledge that your team is your greatest asset. To quote Jim Goodnight, CEO of the tech giant SAS, “95 percent of my assets drive out the gate every evening. It is my job to maintain a work environment that keeps those people coming back every morning.” With Valentine’s Day around the corner, here are four ways that can help you achieve the difficult goal of making your team members fall in love with the organization, all over again.

1. Create an ecosystem of genuine growth

While salary will always be an important driver of employee job satisfaction, intangible factors such as positivity and a work environment that nurtures growth are equally important. Employees are more likely to continue with an organization when they are hopeful of their career prospects and are confident of being treated fairly with opportunities to grow their work skills. So, companies and managers need to have a strong commitment to continually upgrade talent by providing constructive feedback at regular intervals and augmenting employees’ key responsibilities areas (KRAs) without waiting for the appraisal season.

2. Intrapreneurership is not a passing fad; it is here to stay

All over the world, a large number of workers choose entrepreneurship over employment because they believe that the returns (just not monetary) on their efforts is much higher when they run their own business. To better retain talent within your organization, you could change this norm and make employees feel like owners. A culture which combines the security of a stable job with the excitement of an entrepreneurial environment is bound to find resonance among a large section of the new generation workers. A culture of fairness, respect and mutual camaraderie is must in today’s work environment.

3. Share credit and profits

It is no secret that a person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected. At the same time, while money is not the answer to all problems relating to employees, it does make a difference. A successful organizational culture is a combination of both these attributes. Therefore, in your employer image rebranding exercise, ensure that you share credit and profits. Harness a culture where your team members feel confident that their commitment and contributions will be recognized AND rewarded appropriately. Remember, it pays well to play well.

4. Communication is the key

It is important that the expectations communicated to employees are in sync with reality. Research shows that unmet expectations are at the root of most cases of employee disengagement. Communication is the key to addressing the problem – from honest feedback on an employees’ performance to transparency about the organization’s problems to listening to your team members’ concerns. Belongingness is an innate human need – when your team members believe that they belong to the organization’s trusted circle, they are bound to feel more engaged. 

Encourage work-life balance but don’t encourage unreasonable expectations

As managers, you should encourage your employees to generally have a life beyond the periphery of office. However, there are times when your professional assignments make you miss an important personal engagement, slog in office over two consecutive weekends and work late in to the night for a week in a row. It has happened to all of us and will continue for the time to come. The problem can arise from both the ends – one, when the rule of exception becomes a norm and integral to the organization’s work culture. Simultaneously, it can also be a problem when your team members live in a bubble of perfect work-life balance and threaten to quit at the drop of the hat. None of these trends are healthy for either the organization or for the employees’ career.

Valentine’s day is to express your love for the people who complete you – make sure that today your organization goes that extra-mile to make employees feel valued and respected – the key to every genuine and long lasting relationship.