Small business owners up and down the country regularly ask how they can go the extra mile for the team that gives them everything. After all, keeping your employees happy is the best way to get the best out of them!

But when you’re working on a limited budget with limited funding, it’s key to ensure your efforts are truly worthwhile. As such, we’ve put together a little list of the most crucial ways a business owner can show their employees they care - thankfully, there’s only three things you really need to do here.

Invest in Benefits That Make a Difference

Some benefits are better than others. Investing in the best of the best will certainly show your employees you care - you’ve gone above and beyond to grant them an actually useful benefits package!

Better salary opportunities, access to healthcare, and workplace outings are usually on the right side of things here.

There is a large cost in investing in these things, of course, but the more employees you have, the more of a discount you tend to be able to get. And as your workplace gets bigger and bigger, your onboarding will become less of a drag as well!

Get a Proper Training Program Going

Running employee training shows your team that they’re in a place where their careers can take off. Small businesses can often suffer from the ‘dead end’ issue, and a lot of top talent may not even look your way twice, but a proper training program eliminates this problem.

Training should incorporate all aspects of your working life, from customer service to diversity training and back again. However, if you’re on a limited budget, invest in programs that will offer opportunities as well as give back to you.

So, think someone is right for an upper-level management role? Invest in Supervisor and Manager Training for them. Or maybe you think there’s a team member that would be great as the face of your new sales department? Invest in sales acquisition training for them as well!

Recognize Hard Work Every Time

If someone has worked their hardest and achieved something amazing, make sure you recognize it. Take them aside to congratulate them, or shoot them a message saying you want to have a chat about their recent win, and then make sure they leave the conversation knowing just how appreciative you really are.

This is a really quick and easy way to motivate your employees; you only need to let them know their hard work has been seen and then send them off with a ‘well done’. Of course, congratulations for the biggest of wins should come with a gift attached, but simple recognition is usually all an employee is after.

Want your employees to know you care about their health, well-being, and professional development? This post is the one for you. Recognize their hard work, give them access to useful training, and invest in good benefits!