Friday 06 Jan 2023
When Freud was asked to define happiness, he provided a simple answer: “Work and love.” Ideally, everyone wants to be happy at work, not only because we spend a notable portion of our lives working, but also because work provides a source of purpose in our lives.
Do your employees love their work? Do they head home at the end of the day happy and fulfilled?
If your answer is yes, you’ve done an excellent job cultivating a positive and productive work environment for your team. If you are unsure, not to worry. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you create an optimal work experience for your employees.
Open Communication
Establishing open communication between employers and employees is essential to creating a positive working relationship. On one hand, employees need to understand what is expected of them. On the other hand, managers and supervisors also need to have an idea of what their employees expect from them. Communication is also essential between organizational departments, as it promotes a collaborative work culture.
The key to excellent communication in the workplace is to be direct, respectful, and clear. If there are any concerns, don’t ignore them. Address opportunities and problems head-on. Be clear as to why something is an issue.
Show Employees You Care
When you show appreciation for your employees and their accomplishments, you show them they are important to both you and your organisation. Start by asking your employees how their day is going? Make casual conversation, such as asking how their children are enjoying music lessons, or if they enjoyed their recent vacation.
Simple acts of appreciation not only make individuals feel valued, but they also help to create a happy work environment. Whether it’s a catered lunch every now and then, an Employee of the Month or Quarter, or fun daily awards such as “Tidiest Desk,” a little appreciation goes a long way.
Training and Education
Offering continuing education and training opportunities to employees is a great way to invest in their future. Additionally, this investment shows your staff that you care about their future successes.
Online courses make educational offerings easier than ever! By providing these opportunities, you invest in your business, and your employees can take advantage of extra perks to help them along their career path.
Show Your Employees You Trust Them
You hired your current employees. You should know better than anyone what they are capable of achieving. Your instinct may be to micromanage to ensure everything runs exactly the way you want it to. However, this will only create a negative work environment.
No one likes to feel like their boss is hovering over their shoulders. Take a step back and allow your employees to meet and exceed your expectations. You need to trust they will do the job you hired them to complete. Remind yourself; you hired them for a reason. While periodically checking in on your employees is acceptable, you don’t want to become overbearing about it.
Remember to Have Fun
While cultivating a professional environment is important, it doesn’t mean your company needs to be dull and boring. After all, happy employees perform better than unhappy employees. In fact, findings in a recent Harvard Business Review found that “a happy, engaged workforce will increase your sales by 37 percent, improve productivity by 31 percent, improve accuracy on specific tasks by 19 percent, and increase the health and longevity of your employees.”
Remember Your Employees Have Personal Lives
Most employees spend eight to ten hours a day (if not more) at work. While you may think about your business 24 hours a day, your employees do not. The best employees come back to work refreshed after some time off. Most employees turn it off when they leave the office (as they should).
Overworking an employee is the fastest road to burning them out. The best thing you can do for your staff and your business is to allow your employees time off to unplug and unwind from their job. Whether that means staying away from late night emails or granting vacation leave (when applicable), you need to allow your team a chance to unwind.
Work and Happiness
To love one’s work is to be engaged, to experience such a complete sense of absorption, that action and awareness merge to create heightened productivity and results. Essentially, when we become one with the task-at-hand, we experience optimal performance and outcomes.
Meaningful, engaging work contributes to the growth of your company. It also fuels our professional achievements and creates a sense of fulfillment. As an organisational leader, you understand positive business outcomes directly correlate to employee engagement. The goal of every company is to cultivate an environment where employees are involved, enthusiastic, committed to their work, and most importantly – happy.
