The work culture of today could not exist without happy employees. There are a number of reasons why happiness is so integral for the company to become successful. Happy employees overall perform better, are more engaged and support what the company does. Such employees make the company more profitable and the turnover is much lower. If employees are not happy, productivity levels fall rapidly and also it costs a lot to replace the employee with a new one. You should start caring about employee happiness because happy employees when they do not feel stress and anxiety make smarter decisions, workers who are unhappy are more likely to leave the job position, customer service is executed more effectively by employees with a better attitude, happy employees are more creative and can make their colleagues happier.
It is very important to start from the most simple and basic thing which is the work-life balance. Every person wants to manage their work so it complements their personal life and doesn’t cause any necessary stress that can disrupt regular life. Creating a workspace which allows the employee to manage their work and life effectively is significant to happy employees. Chronic stress due to long work hours, pressure or overtime hours lead to burnout and anxiety. Some ways that you could avoid this and make your employees feel the best are by offering flexible work options such as remote work sometimes, let them take breaks at work, give volunteering opportunities, review the workload of employees or increase support packages for hard times.
The work environment that the employee works in has to be positive because it directly affects him or her. When you spend most of your day in one place, you of course wish for it to vibrate good emotions and happiness. It is important to be open about any problems and maintain dialogue throughout the organization. In addition, there could be training that teaches the employees more about the company or even some social activities which include the whole company and makes everyone play games or have fun. In the end, all it matters is for the employees to be able to smile in their work every day.
Working hard is important as long as you do not overwork. This can lead to burnout and a lot of unhappiness. What managers should do is encourage employees to take a break from work. They either work very hard to prove their results so as to get a snack, take a walk, have lunch, talk with the colleague or just get outside the office. This will clear the mind of the employees and bring the focus to continue working productively.
While working a lot and focusing on the company’s operations, it is possible to forget how much the employees are actually working and what value they actually bring. They may become unhappy because they don’t feel engagement from the top management and feel like there is no recognition which eventually makes them leave. A good thing for the managers to do is to periodically praise something that the employees have done or do good. Saying thank you to a person who works hard can make a big difference and give a lot of motivation and positive energy.
The last tip may seem weird and maybe not belonging here but it is definitely a crucial point. Many people and especially employees get stuck in their heads too much and do not get a mental break. Science has already proved the effect mindfulness meditation has on raising happiness levels, helping people enjoy the present moment more and increasing focus by minimizing stress. You can give such meditation to employees by providing access to a mindfulness app which can guide them throughout the process, give a planned break for light breathing meditation to clear their heads or just to play some natural music while employees close their eyes. A perfect solution would be to have a special meditation room where employees would have to come from time to time and practice mindfulness. All of this would definitely change the mood of workers and increase their happiness.