There are many things money can’t buy – job satisfaction being one of them. A stocked fridge, on-site yoga classes and ping pong tables are incredible office perks, but ultimately serve as only surface-level extras for employees. Building a workplace that makes staff happy and motivated is achievable and a worthwhile investment for any business.

5 ways in which this can be done are:

1. Streamlined workflows.

While practice does, indeed, make perfect, no one personally values doing the same task over and over again. Especially if it is mindless, low-impact work or it hijacks valuable time that could be spent doing more productive things. Repetition eventually kills of much of the passion and commitment that a worker may have.

Inefficiencies can add up, and everyone tends to dwell on the frustratingly slow motor that’s powering a generally well-oiled machine. performing audits of how tasks are performed, identify ways to consolidate steps in a process or action plan and remove barriers to increase overall output without pushing people harder.

2. Flexible Timing

There used to be a time when businesses only operated within fixed hours. Advancements in communications technology and changes in general working habits have enabled flextime, which makes sense as a business principle, as well as a compelling benefit.

For creative teams of designers and developers, a strict 9-to-5 schedule may force morning birds or night owls to readjust their schedules, resulting in poor performance. More importantly, clients, customers or vendors may be unavailable at these times. This inhibits progress when someone has to wait a full workday for a response.

Instead, empower teams of staff to work during blocks (either continuous or noncontinuous), when they are best prepared to drive real results. This requires greater administrative overheads, clear KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) or OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) to be defined, as well the commitment of managers.

3. Telecommuting

A study by the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics suggested regular commutes longer than 30 minutes can negatively affect a person’s happiness and overall well-being. Earlier research from the University of Zurich reported workers would need a 40 percent pay increase to compensate them sufficiently for hour-long commutes, in order to comparable to a a non-commuting worker.

Findings like these can prompt workers to reevaluate current living arrangements or their employment situations. People granted the opportunity to work from home won’t have this problem. By taking advantage of telecommuting once or twice a month or even one to twice a week, employees can use those valuable hours — otherwise lost to commuting — to be more productive at work, sleep or enjoy more personal time.

See: Telecommuting: Absent Workers, Productive Office?

4. Social Opportunities

Christine M. Riordan, professor of management at the University of Kentucky, wrote for the Harvard Business Review website, stating “Camaraderie in the workplace can lead to greater job satisfaction and commitment to the organisation and doing a job well. Leaders should foster collegiality, help to eliminate toxic and dysfunctional team behaviors, and create opportunities for team members other than on work projects”.

Organise situations for team members to engage socially, outside of formal work. Hosting office parties and sports outings, or arranging one weekday a month for everyone to volunteer at a local nonprofit or social enterprise is helpful. Even reclusive or introverted staff will appreciate the chance to socialise. Additionally, warm relationships make it easier for people to work together fluidly.

5. Positive Work Environment

The office is a place that employers co-create with employees. The executive pays the bills, but they want to make it their second home. It’s important to carefully craft a culture with people that treat the space with utmost dignity and respect, while keeping it fun and authentic.

That means employees should clean up after themselves, bring in cool toys and gadgets to share or items to make it a warmer environment – and encourage everyone to do the same. A cleaning service and open expense account will only spoil employees. Instead, individuals who now care about the office atmosphere will actively work toward making it a well-loved shared space.

This is adapted from the article Culture that Counts — 5 Ways to Dramatically Boost Employee Satisfaction