How To Create A Happy Workplace For Your Employees?

Summary: Employee happiness plays a significant role in boosting performance and job satisfaction. When satisfied, they are likely to stay back and contribute more to the output.

Employee happiness measures how satisfied people are with their jobs and workplace. If your employees are happy, they are more likely to explore creativity, work productively and stay around longer. Also, they will spread the word about the company and refer it to their friends and colleagues. After all, people want to work where they will be happy and comfortable. 

If, on a happiness scale of 1-10, your employees respond 4–6, you have much catching up to do. Let’s see why it is necessary to explore employee happiness, how to do it, and what your employees can do. 

Why Should You Care About Employee Happiness? 

One question you might ask is, “Why should I care about the happiness of my employees? They are delivering the work, and I see profits.”

But what about the employee retention rate? Or absenteeism? Or work-related stress? 

Do your employees make mistakes that cost a lot? 

We will explore these points one by one. 

Increased Productivity & Creativity 

If you behave well with your employees, they will try using new methods to accomplish a task within the deadlines, and cooperate with their supervisors. It should be noted that deadlines should not be eliminated, but must be flexible. This creates a productive and happy work environment and encourages people to perform even better. Statistics show that happy people perform better than their competitors by 20%. So, instead of working with a large team of unhappy employees, try to work with a smaller group of happy workers. 

Decreased Stress 

Stress is considered the primary reason behind employees’ lack of focus and concentration. They need help understanding which techniques can be fruitful or not, thus leading to decreased performance. On the other hand, happy people can focus on their tasks, trust their coworkers and collaborate with them. They can even take charge of a tough project and try to solve the issues that may arise. Therefore, the team can deliver exceptional service, improving customer satisfaction. People stick around when there is an appropriate salary increment, good benefits, and a welcoming environment. 

How To Ensure Your Employees Are Happy?

Now you understand that keeping your employees happy can help you go a long way. But how to do that? Let’s explore the options: 

Encourage Flexible Work Schedules 

The concept of flexible work culture (remote working, workcations, hybrid working, etc.) is very popular among the current workforce. In some cases, you might want your employees to work in the office, so that you can enforce the practice of hybrid working. This is a model that many companies are switching to. Flexible work schedules allow people to manage both aspects of their life (personal and professional) with equal concentration. When these two areas don’t interfere, your employees will be happy. 

Encourage Work-life Balance 

In the past, we have seen that the lines between our personal and professional lives were blurry, to say the least. Employees would have to answer work-related calls and emails on weekends or time-offs, and no one would argue and pick up the calls if it is genuinely necessary. But in most cases, those issues could wait till Monday. If people failed to answer those calls, they would face repercussions. Too many such instances led to burnout, poor performance, and a high attrition rate. 

What you can do to avoid that is, firstly, don’t send any work-related calls, chats, or emails during weekends (there will be exceptions). Secondly, if your staff members need to work on weekends or time-offs, appreciate them and compensate them well. 

Create A Positive Work Environment   

A positive work environment is empathetic, diversity-inclusive, free from harassment and bullying, and believes in providing equal opportunities to everyone. Creating a workplace where employees feel they belong is necessary, leading to employee satisfaction. People like to have a semblance of responsibility and accountability, so try incorporating these concepts into your office space. When workers deliver an important task, take time to express gratitude and praise their work.   

You have to create compensation packages (with benefits) that match the dynamics of your company’s workforce. You can gather feedback by asking questions like “Which benefits mean the most to you?” and such. Then, utilize the information to form those packages, instead of just relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, employees would love it if their company provides more vacation time. 

In a positive environment, people expand their skills and grow professionally. You are already halfway there if your company provides employees with actionable learning and career growth opportunities and tracks their achievements through performance reviews. Also, you have to celebrate their accomplishments in their professional journey, which will build them up, and that is always a good sign.

Employees love to work in a place where they can get healthy food and snacks, along with other facilities, like sick rooms, game rooms, and other facilities (childcare, pet care services). You have two options in this case, either arrange these in your office or rent a coworking space, as the latter comes with all these facilities. 

It would help if you considered your employees’ physical and mental well-being. If they are raising concerns about the behavior of some colleagues, then you should look into the matter and take disciplinary action. It is necessary to establish clear and transparent communication channels. Also, you have to prioritize your employees’ mental health. If anyone is feeling sad or depressed, they must have access to mental health resources.

Adjust The Office Design    

You should see that the office space is well-lit, well-ventilated, and has a lot of space to render. Indoor plants can be placed to create a sense of greenery, and employees can have the autonomy to personalize their work desks to some extent. These desks should be ergonomic and designed by keeping the physical ailments of the desk owner in mind. Some people prefer using a PC over a Mac (or vice versa), so try incorporating these preferences. Also, use bright colors to decorate the area, desks, and other workspaces.   

You can also promote the concept of hot desking, which works from any area in the office (conference rooms or lounge areas). The rooms should have opportunities where coworkers can talk and network with others, or have a quiet space. Coworking spaces offer these advantages over traditional offices. 

Role Of Employees 

Employees also have a role in creating a happy workplace for themselves and their colleagues. They should start their day on an optimistic note, take charge of their professional growth, find jobs that ensure work-life balance, make friends, and challenge themselves to do even better (by blocking out the negativity and stress and breaking out of their comfort zone). But they should work on managing their schedules and commitments to reduce monotonicity. Another thing they can do is to ask for feedback and reviews from peers and seniors. 

They can declutter their workspace, personalize it with cool fun decors, and practice mindfulness to feel refreshed and energized. Snacking on healthy foods and exercising can help, and so can taking breaks in the sun. Getting adequate sleep and respite from work is necessary to break the burnout stage. While working, they can listen to their favorite songs and audio stories to concentrate. Aside from that, self-rewarding and self-praising are known to boost morale and satisfaction. Sometimes, helping another colleague can also provide a sense of accomplishment.     

How To Measure Employee Happiness? 

Communicating is the best way to see if your employees are truly happy. You have to ask what is bothering them, and what can be done. If you want to quantify it, measuring metrics like eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) and Employee Satisfaction Index (ESI) through surveys and questionnaires. 

Employee happiness is a serious matter, as it is linked with employee retention, motivation, and better performance. You must understand that your employees spend a lot of time in the workplace, so they deserve happiness while working. Providing a safe environment with lots of professional growth and networking opportunities, breaks and time-offs will be a game-changer for your business.  

As mentioned before, people working in coworking spaces are generally happier. If you want to give the culture and vibe of these spaces, Zioks is perfect for you and your employees.