As a business owner, you want to keep your employees satisfied to improve retention, but not at the cost of paying more in salaries than your business can afford. Many small business owners don’t realize that they can keep their employees happy without offering raises. The following tips will help you provide things that your staff may find especially appealing.

Encourage Company Pride

As the business owner, you should be looking for ways to help your employees feel as though they’re valued members of your organization. This may involve holding frequent meetings in which you ask for their insight in solving productivity challenges. You can also create health and safety teams that involve recruiting employees to look for solutions that will create a better workplace. Whatever you choose to do, the key is to encourage greater involvement from your employees beyond their regular duties.

Promote a Better Balance

While the opportunity to work overtime provides employees with an excellent way to earn extra money, you shouldn’t require so much overtime that family life is compromised for your employees. Instead, look for ways to promote a better balance between work and family. This can involve being more flexible in allowing parents to make important daytime appointments with their children or hosting family-friendly events for your employees. Bringing back the company picnic tradition provides a great way to meet your employees’ families and for those families to have a fun afternoon.

Promote Wellness in the Workplace

There are some aspects to work in an unhealthy environment, so your employees must address these issues. If they have the freedom to stand up and take the occasional five-minute break, they’ll reduce leg strain and promote better blood flow. Other options to consider include organizing 30-minute outdoor walks during lunch breaks or offering discounted gym memberships as an added perk of employment. You can also ask vendors to have healthier eating choices in the break area vending machines.

In addition to these suggestions, a word of encouragement or awards for excellent attendance can also help employees feel happier about their jobs. Sometimes, the smallest things can promote long-lasting job satisfaction among your employees. While everyone loves a raise once in a while, these other benefits will be valued just as much as more money.