It’s important when looking for a new job to try and work for a company that you know are good to their employees. A job with happy employees is a job you will likely want to stay in long term, something you need to consider carefully especially if you are a recent graduate or young person starting work. We have come up with 5 ways you can tell if an employer is good to its employees and maybe give you some ideas for questions at interview stage to help you establish if this is a company you want to work for.
- Regular, well paced and reasonable length break times.
Something that I have always valued in the roles I have worked in has always been break times. A company that gives its employees a decent amount of breaks at a decent length is one that values the comfort and happiness of its employees. What is a reasonable amount and length for breaks? Usually, I set the benchmark at at least half an hour throughout the day, broken up into at least two breaks (for example, 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon). Your mileage may vary, so it’s entirely up to you what you consider to be a reasonable break time (within the bounds of reason with respect to the company, of course). This will also vary according to the type of role you are working in. People working in offices tend to have more relaxed rules on break times than those in retail, for example, as in retail you may have customers you need to help immediately whereas in an office you can work at your own pace.
- Monthly reviews.
Many companies have a monthly review system for employees that allows the manager to give feedback to the employee about where they are doing well and where there is room to improve. While it might be hard to take criticism from your manager on a regular basis, it is valuable to your work and productivity. This shows that the company has your interests in mind as well as its own, as the business looks for you to grow and improve. This could ultimately lead to you having a higher position within the company or achieving better results in your targets and becoming the best at what you do. This is valuable for your confidence in your abilities and personal growth, so monthly reviews make this list for not only showing an interest in individual employees but also helping to improve them.
- Good pay for the role.
When we talk about a role that ‘pays well’, we are never referring to a fixed rate or salary because this will vary for almost every position. What we mean when we talk about this is that, when compared to other companies offering the same or very similar roles, this company offers a competitive or better salary than the rest. A company that values its employees enough to pay them at least a competitive rate for the role they are doing is one that cares about its employees overall happiness. For example, one call centre may be offering a rate of £7.00 for its employees, where another might offer £7.50. You are obviously going to take the higher pay when given the choice, so this works out well for the employer as well, however you are also going to be happier for the extra 50p per hour, even though it might not seem like much.
- Bonus schemes/reward schemes.
Many companies will offer bonus schemes or reward schemes for their employees, such as a bonus when exceeding a target or a discount from certain shops affiliated with the business. These schemes give something back to the employee besides what they earn for the work they do. The schemes will vary, so the best option is to ask exactly what these schemes involve so that you know exactly what you will be getting. Some companies will offer generous bonuses for achieving targets and some will only offer a small amount and you can decide based on this whether you are happy with that or not. Bonuses on their own are not necessarily indicative of a good employer but when paired with other aspects of employee treatment they can be a great help.
- Reasonable rules.
Have you ever worked in a role where you found yourself thinking ‘that seems unreasonable’ when a company told you what rules to follow? This is what we mean by ‘reasonable rules’. Sometimes when you are working somewhere, a company will show its true colours by imposing certain rules on the staff that could be considered unreasonable. One I have never been able to forget was when I was told by an employer that I would not be allowed to go to the bathroom outside of my allocated breaks, for example. This is unreasonable, of course, due to the fact that it can be very difficult to work if you are unable to go to the bathroom when you need to. It can be difficult to find out about the rules of the company before working for them as many will not give you a full scope at interview stage, however it can help you to identify a bad business once you are in it and start looking for something else.
Hopefully these 5 tips help you to find out whether the company you want to work for treat their employees well. Remember that these are just some guidelines and there is no reason you shouldn’t take a job that you want even if the company you would be working for don’t do any of these things. After all, these are only a few examples of ways a company can treat their employees well. Just make sure you evaluate your options carefully and as always, good luck!
