Happiness in the workplace can be difficult to achieve for many.
A happy employee is productive, passionate, and creative, but this doesn’t stem from nowhere. Feeling valued and supported makes people happy to go to work, as it improves their wellbeing and mental health. Fostering a healthy environment leads to higher employee retention, and a company culture that nurtures innovation and a sense of belonging!
Why do People become Unhappy at Work?
1. A Lack of Recognition and Growth – Employees can feel undervalued if they aren’t recognised for their effort, and aren’t rewarded for it. It creates a feeling of being stuck and demotivated, especially in the long-term.
2. Poor Work-Life Balance – A lack of personal time to recharge can cause burn out and poor performance, as the balance between people as individuals versus people as employees is disrupted.
3. Workplace Toxicity – Unhealthy environments with poor communication, poor leadership, a lack of trust, and an abuse of power, can negatively impact employees’ mental health and reduce satisfaction.
How to Achieve Workplace Happiness
Negative work experiences can be avoided through effectively implementing strategies that benefit your team, such as:
1. Recognising and Appreciating Employees
Regularly acknowledging accomplishments and providing positive feedback can make employees feel valued. This can be as simple as providing positive reinforcement in team emails (e.g., thanks for your hard work!), or giving a meaningful gift during the holidays or on an employee’s work anniversary.
2. Promoting a Work-Life Balance
Encouraging flexibility in schedules, and respecting employees’ personal time can help them perform more effectively at work. This can involve not asking for work to be done after clocking out for the day, or not unnecessarily contacting employees after hours.
3. Encouraging Open Communication
Molding a culture where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas can improve the quality and frequency of communication. You can achieve this by being open-minded, respectful, and friendly in your interactions and feedback. Clear, consistent, and direct communication keeps your business running smoothly.
4. Provide Opportunities for Growth
Offer career development opportunities by providing periodic training, mentorships, and courses to help employees develop new skills. You could also invest in organisational discounts for online courses and programs to assist employees.
5. Create a Positive Environment
Encourage collaboration, trust, and respect among the team to create effective and responsive dynamics that will weed out negative behaviour. Remaining transparent and direct when appropriate can also build trust, and places employees and management on an equal level.
6. Encourage Autonomy
Rather than micromanaging, allow employees to take ownership of their responsibilities, creating a sense of empowerment and control. Giving room to breathe also makes employees more comfortable when completing tasks, and creates more opportunities for feedback later on.
Final Thoughts
Creating a positive environment in the workplace is essential for the happiness and wellbeing of your employees. When people are happy, they’re more inclined to be productive, responsive, and passionate about their work and relationships. Take a look at your team dynamics and think about the ways you could make someone’s day better!
How we can Help
Have a workplace issue you need to tackle? Or maybe you’re looking for a change– either way, we can help with that. At People Associates, our team of seasoned consultants, led by Lisa Oakley, offers a personalised approach, tailored to your specific needs.
Want a free consultation? Fill out this form to get in touch today.
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