A happy employee is a productive employee — that might seem like common sense, but a number of researchers have put the hypothesis to the test, just in case.
As you should expect, University of Warwick determined that happiness amongst a workforce resulted in a 12 percent boost to productivity, whereas unhappy workers were 10 percent less productive than average. Another study, from the Social Market Foundation, found that happiness has an even greater effect, increasing productivity by as much as 20 percent. The Harvard Business Review attests that happiness is particularly important among sales staff, who can increase sales by 37 percent when they are feeling happy.
When you are looking for ways to make your employees more productive, you might only get marginal results from improved equipment or greater talent; meanwhile, you can see noticeable results from bringing your workforce joy. But how? In 2019, what is necessary for bringing that oh-so-lucrative happiness into your office?
It Depends
The truth is that no two workforces are exactly alike. Your business has a corporate culture unlike any others, which means you shouldn’t turn to the internet for answers about what your employees want — you should just turn to your employees. Because communication is your most powerful tool, you should ask your staff what they want from you, and you should do your best to accommodate their wishes.
Of course, how you glean this information from your workforce matters. Addressing your workforce in a huge meeting likely won’t provide much insight; you probably will only get a few meager answers from the loudest members of your staff. Instead, you might consider creating a written survey, perhaps even making it semi-anonymous, to encourage people to respond honestly with their personal interests and needs. If your workforce is large, you don’t have to feel compelled to accommodate every request. However, you might evaluate the feedback and create programs to provide for the most common needs.
Generally, these will fall into one of three categories:
Time Is Always a Gift
Time is something that your workers never have enough of; it is a truly finite resource, and by giving time, you can reduce stress levels and increase happiness. There are a few ways to give the gift of time:
Increase PTO. America has some of the worst paid time off policies in the world. Many European countries offer around 30 days of paid leave, which workers are more than encouraged to take. You might increase the rate at which PTO is accrued, or you might develop a corporate culture that doesn’t punish using vacation days.
Relax deadlines. I get it — things need to be done on a certain timeline. However, if a team is working its hardest to meet an unrealistic deadline, you best believe they aren’t happy. You might work with employees to develop more sensible deadlines, or you might try being flexible with regards to missed deadlines to prevent spiking stress levels.
Work for your workers. Finally, if you are willing to give your time for your staff, your staff might feel better about giving their time to you. Different leaders find different ways to do this. For example, Nicholas Farina, general manager of Hotel Central Park, cooks his staff breakfast every other month. You might wash your team’s cars, organize a family-friendly company picnic or provide other heartfelt services.
Power Is Powerful
Your employees want to feel like they have control over their lives and decisions, even if they are at the lowest level in your organization. Fortunately, the illusion of power isn’t difficult to create. Unique gifts, like custom plaques, draw attention to high-achieving workers, letting them know that you recognize their effort and encourage others to admire them. You can achieve a similar effect with public appreciation, like an announcement during a meeting or an email blast — but you should be certain that your honoree would appreciate such direct and widespread attention. Additionally, rewards like raises and promotions increase their profile within your organization, giving them a greater sense of authority and the happiness that follows.
Relationships Matter
Usually, close friends and family members don’t mind doing things for each other; in fact, they might find enjoyment out of helping a loved one with a difficult task. Amongst workforces that feel comfortable and attached to their co-workers and employers, a similar feeling proliferates — where work is more enjoyable because of the strong relationships that abound.
It isn’t easy to create family-like relationships in a workforce. First, it requires a positive workplace culture that suits the majority of your employees’ personalities and needs. Generally, this culture should discourage gossip and office politics, which create stress. Next, it requires excellent communication skills, which respect personal boundaries while building bonds. Spending time with co-workers outside of the office should be promoted. Finally, remember that these relationships won’t spring up with one team-building event; it could take years for your co-workers to feel close and comfortable, but the journey is worthwhile.
The truth is that people are different, which means organizations are different, which means there is no one thing that makes all workers happier. You should prioritize happiness at your company. Doing so will be neither quick nor easy, but it will make your business a better employer — which in turn will increase productivity dramatically.
This is a sponsored article.