Promoting employee happiness at the workplace has increasingly become a business imperative. Why? Happy employees raise work productivity, they go on to create happy, satisfied customers. When your staff are happy, your business thrives. On the flip slide, unhappy employees are more likely to take sick days at work & are at a greater risk of burnout.
Why is a happy workforce good for business?
A happy workforce is a productive workforce. In a happiness study by Social Market Foundation, where participants were given “happiness shocks” (it is a lot less electrifying than it sounds – the shocks provided were watching comedy videos, getting snacks & drinks), these subjects were “approximately 12% more productive than the control group” who received nothing.
Happy employees provide better customer service. When your staffs are happy, they naturally show better body language at work. Customers appreciate interacting with cheerful staff and are more likely to make a purchase. Satisfied employees are extremely beneficial for the growth of your business by providing excellent customer service that keeps customers returning.
Happiness at work is infectious; it can spread & affect the entire mood & energy of the team. When you cultivate a positive work environment to promote employee happiness, your staff are more engaged at work, which strengthens camaraderie among your team.
3 ways to build a positive work environment
Positive work culture boost teamwork & communication, which promotes greater engagement, happiness at work. A positive work environment facilitates opportunities for colleagues to learn & help one another to achieve better results.
Here are some tips on how you can build a positive work environment in the company:
Start with ‘thank you’
A ‘thank you’ costs nothing, but it provides important recognition for a job well done. Take time to notice & highlight tasks performed by people at any level in the organisation to give periodic shutouts to them. It does not take a lot of effort, yet this small gesture of appreciation at the workplace can keep staff motivated to continue to work towards delivering better results. When employees are respected for their work, this builds compassion as well as kindness within the team.
Aside from thanking your team for a job well done, consider your customers & how you can show your appreciation for their trust & support in your company. Supportive & loyal customers are what push the company forward, served well by your staff, who are appreciated & respected by their supervisors & managers.
Communicate with honesty & transparency
Top employers are able to create a work environment where all members can freely articulate their thoughts & achievements. Employees know that they are in a safe environment to share & that their concerns are taken into consideration in the company. Frequent transparent & honest communications on company happenings & updates, celebration of individual milestones & achievements, overall company direction all help a company cultivate a positive work experience & promote employee happiness. This is especially important if your organisation is spread over multiple locations – that’s where digital platforms help your organisation communicate effectively.
Check out ArcLab’s free template for mobile-ready newsletters, delivered straight to your staff phones, digitally.
Create career pathways & the right training for your staff
Helping your staff grow & develop is another important aspect of promoting employee happiness in a positive work environment. By establishing clear career pathways in the company, employees are fully aware of the different development opportunities to grow, expand & pursue career goals in an encouraging & supportive environment.
How do staff achieve that? With training of course!
Training is never for training’s sake: when the right training is implemented & provided for your workforce, your employees can work to achieve better business outcomes. The role of managers or the Learning & Development team is to ensure that they are able to consolidate performance analytics so that they can map skill gaps & zero in on them accordingly. The effectiveness of such a training program can be surveyed through employee feedback. Meaningful data can be extracted to help guide future training and development materials.
Check out how you can collect & analyse survey feedback here.