We’ve all heard of the saying that Happy Employees are Productive Employees. But is this true? Happy news — multiple studies suggest it is! Happier employees are great to be around and bring so much to the table. They record fewer absences, have fewer conflicts, outperform competition and are satisfied with their jobs.
It is fundamentally very simple. Happiness directly translates into positive results, be it at work or life, in general. Therefore, we bring you 17 things that you not only can but must be doing to ensure a happy workplace!
#1 Host team-building activities:
Activities where your team plays, laughs and solves problems together. Fun leads to happiness. The more your group socialises, the happier they will be.
#2 Greet your team and do it by name:
Say hello to your colleagues every morning and ask them how their evening or weekend was. Proactively greeting people by name with a genuine smile can snowball into a happier day.
#3 Praise your team for a job well done:
It can be as simple as a “What a great job!” at a meeting or an email of appreciation. Appreciating your team’s hard work and complimenting them where credit is due, can go a long way in creating a happy workplace.
#4 Use feedback as a tool for mentoring your team members:
Discussing corrective feedback alongside layers of praise, helps you deliver criticism well and softens the blow in most cases.
#5 Encourage the idea of asking questions:
Ensure that your team has a transparent and open attitude to curiosity and questions. If a team member is asking you a question, it means they are thinking out of the box and doing so proactively. Embrace questions as an effective method of learning and being better at one’s job.
#6 Express gratitude daily:
Thank a team member for staying late to meet an important deadline or for the diligence they are showing with a difficult client. Saying thank you makes everybody feel noticed and appreciated.
#7 Make work-life balance a priority:
While you value your team members’ loyalty as an employee, it is also essential to show them that their life outside of work is equally valued. Work from home Fridays, wellness programmes and childcare options are some incentives your company can offer for a better work-life balance.
#8 Encourage Workplace Wellness:
Create a culture of wellness in your workplace by providing staff with an assortment of fruits and vegetables instead of unhealthy snacks, gym memberships and cycle to work incentives. This is an excellent way of showing them how important they are to your company.
#9 Resist from micro-managing:
Statistically, employees who feel trusted and supported are more confident in the job they do. Remember why you hired your team and trust them enough to get their work done. It is not going to help anyone if your team feels like they’re always on the radar. So, give them some autonomy and see the boost in their confidence.
#10 Offer perks of value:
Times have changed and so have employee perceptions. A recent study reveals 19 perks that employees value over a pay raise. These include healthy snacks, paid sick days, health insurance, and a flexible schedule. This shows us that salaries don’t always move the needle when it comes to workplace happiness.
#11 Promote mindfulness:
Workdays are fast-paced and can be really stressful at times. This is why promoting mindfulness and meditation comes into the picture. Dedicating a space to unwind, introducing yoga classes and letting employees be unreachable for specific periods can help bring about a better atmosphere in your office.
#12 Partner with a local charity:
This is a great way to make work fulfilling. Invite your team to give back to the community. This emphasises the fact that the greater good is really what is important. At Codex, we launched our Codex Cares Committee that has partnered with several charity organisations. We have joined hands with Depaul to support people at the risk of homelessness, Feed the Heroes to provide meals to emergency workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marie Keating Foundation and many more.
#13 Maintain a healthy environment:
A healthy environment includes good lighting, ergonomic office furniture, plenty of natural sunlight, plants and clean water. These might seem pretty basic, but according to Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory, the absence of these factors can cause employees to feel demotivated.
#14 Resolve Conflict:
A happy workplace is not one that is free from conflict, but one that works constructively to resolve it. Conflicts encourage open-mindedness and avoid group thinking. It is key to analyse the conflict and use it as a catalyst for improvement.
#15 Look for the intangibles while hiring:
Hiring people who have a positive attitude to situations is essential. Along with relevant credentials, make sure you evaluate the personality of the candidate. Choose a candidate that focuses on the positives, is eager to learn and has the right mindset.
#16 Stay organised:
An organised office space makes employees feel a sense of calm and helps them focus. So as an organisation, provide your staff with shelves and drawers and keep common areas clean. This will not only boost morale but also make sure your employees aren’t spending the majority of their day finding things. This also applies to digital clutter, so also encourage employees to keep their digital material organised.
#17 Discuss positive news:
We all speak about things that did not go according to plan. Similarly, have weekly huddles to discuss good news. Discuss goals that have been achieved or acknowledge the employees that have been working really hard to accomplish a project.
At Codex, we’re all for a happy workplace. Here are a few stories of our awesome team members that we’d like to share with you, take a look!
Originally published at https://www.codex.ie on July 2, 2020.
