Job satisfaction is what we all envision our careers while were young and blinded to the reality of what a career really entails, it is not always sunshine and rainbows, it can be tiring, demanding and still at the end of the day, rewarding. It can be difficult for a company to make their employees happy about coming into the office and excited about doing their everyday job. However, it is more then just ensuring that people are happy about coming into work; it has been researched and discovered that companies not just employees, benefit with employees are happy. If employees are happy, they tend to work harder and help out co-workers as they are enjoying what their doing. There was research conducted a few years back that analyzed the effect that negative emotions had on driving and how experiencing the negative emotions can negatively affect a driver’s performance. In this research it provided scientific evidence that links people feelings through their actions and explained that there’s scientific evidence that combine people’s thoughts and feeling with actions. Which is why it is extremely important to focus on maintaining the happiness of truck drivers to eliminate the opportunity for accidents and reduce potential delays in arrival or drop offs. Drivers who are happy and presently engaged in their commute pay close attention to the road and their surroundings whereas drivers who are upset drive more aggressive and are typically paying less attention to the road as they are focused on the issue presently upsetting them. Since we believe it is important for merit of the company as well as the drivers to promote a happy work environment, we have created a list of five ways that you can implement to help improve the happiness of your driver. Utilizing these tips will help to establish a level of happiness amongst the driver and the dispatchers and ideally have a positive impact on the driver’s behavior. As most dispatchers will attest to, its not necessarily about recruiting drivers but its about the ability to retain them, and the best ways to retain them is by making them happy.
ONE: Provide a competitive pay
Most drivers don’t choose the career because they love driving or because they prefer to be away from their family, they choose it because of the wages that can be made by driving professionally. Critically speaking, it cost more to hire and train a perspective employee then offering to reward someone for a position they are already skilled for. Offering a high compensation gives drivers an insensitive to stay and complete runs for you while also keeping the driver happy as they know they are appreciated for their hard work and expertise.
TWO: Evaluate Performance
Just like most people, drivers want to be acknowledged for their hard work and providing feedback or recognition can make a huge amount of difference regarding if someone feels appreciated in their position or not. Feedback is a critical asset to maintaining happiness in the workplace and if people aren’t provided feedback they can slip into a routine of slacking as they don’t feel challenged. Setting workers up for success makes them feel more invested in the company and provides a sense of belonging.
THREE: Invest in healthy habits
Driving across the country can takes its toll on the drivers both mentally and physically, it is a great idea to highlight some simply healthy habits or exercises that drivers can complete at any time. Healthy habits are not specific to dietary but also to the proper nutrition and amount of water. Healthy habits include but are not limited to meditating and taking care of mental health to ensure that all drivers remain happy and have the tools and resources to take proper care of their wellbeing.
FOUR: Look out for your people
One of the biggest reasons that drivers end up switching companies and dispatchers is that they don’t feel a personal relationship or connection with their dispatchers. Some drivers felt that their requests and needs and neglected, such as preferred routes and days on the road. Taking the time to establish real relationships with drivers helps understand what things are important for them and to consciously dispatch routes when it is within the driver’s preferred timeline and destination.
FIVE: Invest in happiness as in safety
Focusing on drivers’ happiness the same way companies focus on safety will have huge rewards for both drivers and the companies who employ them. It is a priceless investment to take the time to reward drivers for the commitment and reward drivers, dispatchers alike because it is a superior investment to invest in your people because once drivers know your faith in them that helps to motivate them to continue to drive better and be better each and every day.
The biggest takeaway here is that employee well being has become a recent discussion and it is much more then just making sure people are happy to come to work, its about being happy to get the privilege to do the job that you do. Statistically if people enjoy what their doing and feel that their hard work is being recognized it makes them work harder as all people want their hard work to be noticed and to be compensated correctly for the work they put into their craft.