As a business owner, make sure that you have happy employees. This way, you know they’d go the extra mile for every project or task assigned to them. And did you know that companies with happy employees can outrank the competition by 20 percent?
Some business owners think that high monthly stipends make for happier employees. However, this is further from the truth. Although a high salary can undeniably lead to employee satisfaction, positive and happy employees are still the key to business success.
Also, you can’t expect to have happy employees if they’re not enjoying their work environment. That being said, it’s crucial to foster a positive and encouraging work environment to make sure every employee experience is one for the books.
You’re in for a nice treat as this article gives you 12 tips for happy employees and its benefits.
Table of Contents
Why Happy Employees Contribute to Company Success
Happy employees can make or break your company’s success. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs rely too much on material things when it comes to employee satisfaction. While these may be excellent motivators for employees, some workers want a holistic approach to staying happy at work.
When you foster a happy work environment, the team will be more productive and motivated as well. Conversely, a company with unhappy employees may have an increase in turnover rate, leading to increased employee training costs, poor customer service ratings, and a loss of profits over time.
Additionally, employee engagement is also another reason why happy employees are more content with work. Some entrepreneurs think that instilling a culture of fear and pressure in the workplace makes employees engage more. While that is partly effective, it can also lead to stress and fatigue in the long run.
Overall, this can decline an employee’s morale and well-being. According to an HBR article, disengaged employees lead to:
- 60 percent more errors
- 49 percent more mishaps
- 37 percent higher absenteeism
On the other hand, organizations with low employee engagement rates have:
- 37 percent reduced job growth
- 18 percent reduced productivity
- 16 percent decreased profitability
- 65 percent lower share price
Moreover, unhappy employees could also mean they’re stressed out. As you know, stress can hinder physical and mental stability. This will also lead to unproductivity and a higher turnover rate by 50 percent.
Benefits of Happy Employees
A happy team increases employee well-being and makes a business owner happy. On top of that, here are some benefits of happy employees:
Right attitude
When employees are happy, they emanate positivity in the workplace and give it their best shot every time. They show a can-do characteristic that allows them to tackle their day-to-day task without a burdened feeling.
Better employee retention
Better employee retention is due to quality service, fair pay and benefits packages, clear company values and goals, flexibility in work schedules, good leadership skills from managers or supervisors who care about their employees.
As business owners, you must nurture your employees’ well-being to ensure that they grow in the organization. Remember to think of long-term goals and see the bigger picture when working with your employees. You want to have employees that stick with you and the company because they’re content with the work and all aspects.
Fosters creativity
Behind happy employees is a safe, open, and inspiring work environment that lets you voice your opinions. And we all know how imperative innovation and creativity are when it comes to forging the business forward. Happier employees are motivated employees. They can unleash more of their creative juices that will be handy to the entire organization.
Support
If you’re running a business with multiple teams, then collaboration is of the essence. You need your employees to give support whenever it’s needed. When employees are happy, they are more willing to offer a helping hand to ensure the task gets done.
Unhappy employees won’t care if they ace the project or not, as long as they get their tasks done for the day. However, you want excellence in your organization. To surge the business, you want quality and effort in performing every project to ensure customers are also 100 percent satisfied.
Encourages risk-takers
Research on the relationship between happiness and creativity has found that happy people are more likely to take risks. Creativity is important for innovation, which is crucial in any industry or business where new ideas are needed to grow sales and stay competitive.
Additionally, you want your employees to never be afraid of failures or mistakes. Failures are good learning curves for employees that enable them to do better on the next endeavor. Happy employees take more risks and aren’t afraid to commit calculated mistakes.
Increased confidence
Without a doubt, happy workers tackle every project with ultimate enthusiasm. Make sure that you encourage open communication, so employees can share their feedback and opinion.
Also, try to include your employees even in minor decision-making processes. This will boost their self-confidence. In turn, your employees will look forward to the success of the project and the business, in general.
Better customer relationships
Value your employees because they are the driving force behind your organization’s success. When employees feel valued, they’re happy in their positions and responsibilities in the company. And this will contribute to better customer relationships.
Happy employees who feel they belong in a team will go the extra mile for the entire organization. They ensure to maintain happy relationships with customers, increasing the company’s bottom line.
12 Tips for Happy Employees
Happy employees are the most important resource for any company. They are also one of the company’s largest expenses, so it makes sense to do everything in your power to make them happy.
Happy employees will produce better work, be less likely to leave their jobs, have more loyalty toward their employer and coworkers, stay healthier, increase productivity, and more. So if you want to know how to keep your employees happy, do these 12 simple tips.
1. Prioritize work-life integration
Stress is the primary factor that leads to unhappiness. Unfortunately, the importance of work-life balance is too often overlooked, which causes stress and negative attitudes at work.
It’s important for employees to have a good life outside work to be happy in the workplace. We want our employees to feel fulfilled by their jobs while maintaining a sense of accountability. Therefore, employees must leave their personal issues at home and not bring their work outside office hours.
On top of that, here are other ways your or your employees can balance their personal and professional lives:
- Restructure your life, so you know what your priorities are. Also, keep priorities balanced at work and home.
- Don’t be afraid of failures. Prevent aiming for perfection, as this can hinder your personal life. Be ready to accept mistakes and tackle them one day at a time.
- Ensure that you’re nourishing your mind and body with regular exercise and proper nutrients to stay healthy.
- Set work hours and stick to them religiously. Unplug everything once work hours are over.
- Make time for the outdoors during your days off. Connecting with nature is a great way to refresh and be ready for the beginning of the workweek.
- Indulge yourself in activities you love doing. Try to do the things you love outside work hours to give you a sense of personal fulfillment. Whether you’re into weaving, sports, hiking, or road trips, activities like these will put new vigor into your life.
- Step away from your computer once every 20 to 30 minutes. Some employees think that not taking breaks increases their productivity. WRONG! This can take its toll on your physical and mental health, so take time to step away from your computer and stretch.
- Exercise regularly within the week. It’s good to get those serotonins out to make you feel happy even after a stressful workday.
2. Encourage transparency and honesty
Open communication is the secret to a happy and healthy environment at work. Employees need to understand the company’s goals, objectives, priorities, values, and their expected roles.
We want our employees to feel free to speak their minds without fear of being reprimanded or criticized for doing so. That said, encourage transparency and honesty during the onboarding process. Also, try these simple ways to establish open communication at the workplace:
- Make sure you let employees know their views are important
- Ask your employees for their opinions about something
- Keep employees in the loop on company updates and processes
- Establish a system where employees can voice out their complaints in a protected space
- Keep messages positive and encouraging. If you have to give feedback, do the sandwich method.
- Connect with your employees personally, so they feel comfortable talking to you whenever they have complaints.
- Make communication a part of your brand culture.
3. Connect with employees
Connecting with your employees goes a long way in establishing a happy atmosphere. Saying hello, giving them praise for their hard work, and acknowledging their efforts are essential in creating an environment of mutual respect.
It’s also important to listen to your employees when they have problems or concerns with the company. When you make your workers feel they’re valued, appreciated, and supported, you make them feel special as well. In turn, this will lead to happy employees.
4. Provide praise and recognition
A Gallup study reveals that employees leave their jobs to improve their overall career life, and there could be reasons behind this. One of the reasons could be when employees feel they are underappreciated. Employees want to feel recognized for their excellent work and contributions. In addition, they want feedback on how well they are doing or what they could be doing better in the company.
Acknowledge employees often by providing rewards, bonuses, recognition from coworkers, acknowledgment of an excellent job done, as these can lead to employee satisfaction and employee engagement. A little appreciation can go a long way with your employees!
A simple “Job well done,” “You did it,” or “Congratulations” is already music to your employees’ ears. Also, you can motivate your hardworking employees with incentives such as:
- Subscription to work tools and platforms
- Gym subscriptions
- Gift cards and vouchers
- Additional paid days off
- Offer a dress down day
- Massage and spa services
- Funny awards
- Fun parties
5. Nurture personal connections
Getting personal with employees might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a happy work environment. However, it’s an important factor.
You can take the time out of your day to get to know each employee personally and discuss interests outside of the workplace. This communication can be informal discussions over lunch or coffee breaks during the day, for example. In addition, some companies have meetings where everyone can talk to each other about what they are doing outside work. This way, employers can know what is happening in the lives of their employees.
Employee happiness is not just having fun tasks and flexible hours. There needs to be some personal connection between employees and managers. Additionally, employees want more than a higher-up who hands them project assignments.
Employees are happier if they know their employers don’t only regard them as “workers.” Treat your employees as part of a team or family to gain loyalty and affinity from them as well.
6. Respect their time
Respecting your employees’ time is a great way to show them you care. Employees need to be able to plan their day, take breaks and maintain a work/life balance. This will make them happy and more productive when they are working which in turn makes the business happier.
Try to prevent bothering them with ‘small tasks’. This will make them happy and allow you time to focus on more significant projects as well. As long as the employees know their tasks for the day, leave them be. Take note to respect staff time by doing these tips:
- Don’t bother them during their lunch or coffee breaks
- Prevent stealing their time to do personal favors for you
- Try to talk less and listen more
- Listen to their complaints, feedback, etc.
- Don’t delay responses to employee inquiries and concerns
- Make time to do quick meetings if necessary
- Reward employees for overtime work
7. Provide room for growth
Did you know that the primary reason why employees leave the company is due to low salary? According to a Business Insider article, the second reason is the lack of room for growth in the organization.
Offer career opportunities that will make your employees the better versions of themselves. Be fair and treat all employees equally, and avoid the “glass ceiling” for women.
The term glass ceiling refers to the restrictions women and minorities face when trying to earn a higher rank in a company. This “barrier” prevents women from acquiring managerial roles due to stereotypes and implicit biases, especially in a male-centric organization.
Some ways you can reassure employees there’s room for career growth are coaching sessions, more training programs, or regular performance evaluations.
8. Plan team get-togethers
Getting the entire team together can lead to happy workers. However, when your employees churn in work from nine to five, stress can happen in the long run. Show your employees that you aim to keep work fun by organizing work activities or events.
Try to plan casual team get-togethers regularly to make our employees feel that it’s okay to have fun and relax at work. It can be as simple as a team lunch or a beach day outing. However, try not to make the team-building activity too formal or too demanding.
Finally, make the team get-togethers as natural as possible. These are the common reasons why employees don’t attend company events, so try to avoid these as much as possible:
- Inadequate venue
- Low-budget events
- Demanding activities
- Business-focused events
- Passive activities
- Same boring events yearly
- Events without purpose
- Focused on managers
- Bad food, too much alcohol
9. Lend a hand
Go out of your way to offer help when needed. It will make your employees happy, and they’ll be appreciative of the gesture. Lend a hand when it’s necessary, even if you’re not asked. Show that they can rely on you for assistance whenever possible.
Offering help to your subordinates shows that you’re not on your high horse but on equal footing with employees. Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile for them, as they probably have done the same for you.
Be the best example in your organization by showing that leaders are expected to give all-out support.
10. Create a positive work environment
A positive work environment permeates through your office walls and into the hearts of your employees. When a positive atmosphere resonates within your employees, it impacts the way they work. So it’s no surprise how positive work culture can increase productivity in the organization.
To create a positive work environment, remember these simple tips:
- Encourage open communication
- Make onboarding easy
- Offer regular mentoring, coaching, and training
- Invest in ergonomic chairs and functional tables for a more comfortable space
- Prioritize collaborative teams
- Instill a powerful workplace culture
- Offer more opportunities for growth and learning
11. Boost physical health and mental well-being
A healthy and happy employee who churns in work every day is a surefire way to make your company run better. They will be more productive and engaged if they are feeling fit and healthy.
It’s important to take care of our health so that we are happy. You want your employees to be happy with their work and have a sense of well-being. And you want customers to be happy, too. Both of these things go together, and it’s important for both sides to be satisfied for the company to grow.
Offer incentives for healthier habits such as gym subscriptions or treadmills in the office. Instead of offering soda in the pantry, offer tea or other healthy beverages. Encourage participation in physical activities outside of work. Better yet, promote meditation exercises or sports in your company to show employees that caring for one’s health comes first.
It’s not just about making money or keeping people around. Provide a healthy environment where individuals can thrive! This also means ensuring mental wellness by providing resources such as emotional support, days off work, an office psychiatrist, and more.
12. Be your employees’ punching bag
Making your employees feel safe at work is one reason why they don’t jump ship. Management is a huge factor in employee turnover. Instead of instilling a culture of fear at the workplace, stay humble and open-minded.
Be there when your employees need you. Whenever they have personal or work issues, be ready to be your employees’ punching bag. Listen to their concerns wholeheartedly and be genuine when offering solutions.
Finally, showing empathy towards your employees can win their hearts. A study shows that empathy in the workplace can positively impact employee performance tremendously.
Wrap Up
Consider your employees as the backbone of your business. More often than not, financial incentives and bonuses won’t cut the mustard. Most employees prefer emotional support, camaraderie, teamwork, positivity, and collaboration when working day in and day out. Indeed, some methods don’t work for some companies. However, these 12 tips undeniably bring you a step closer to a happy environment and happy employees.
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