Maureen HochdorfEvery husband knows the term, Happy wife, Happy life, but how does that translate to your business? It’s funny because many husbands (and wives) spend more time at work then they do at home, so shouldn’t businesses be even more concerned with the happiness of their employees? And the answer is an outstanding, YES!
Happy Employees = More Productive Employees.
An overwhelming number of studies has shown that productivity and happiness are definitely correlated. And what business owner doesn’t want productive employees? So when looking at ways to make employees more productive, businesses should really be looking for ways to make their employees happier.
Why Your Business Needs to Focus on Having Happy Employees
Think about this statistic: 4.4 years is the average amount of time employees stay at their job. In addition to that number, 91% of Millennials – those born from the 70s to the 90s – stay in a job for less than 3 years. So why all the job hopping? Because we want it all!
According to the talent report, What Workers Want in 2012, we can see there are many important variables that come into play, concerning happy employees and their workplaces:
10 Practical Ways to Create Happy Employees
The graph is great for evaluating what employees really want from their perfect job, but finding ways to implement these essentials into daily work life can be challenging. Here are a few practical ways you can incorporate an atmosphere of happiness into your business:
- Celebrate Birthdays. What better way to acknowledge that special day, than by celebrating it at the workplace. Send out a company-wide email with a Happy Birthday message, give a special gift, or even better: BOTH. We also have a special company-wide celebration, one day a month, for all birthdays that month. Cupcakes and Champaign, anyone?
- Get Personal. Know Your Employees. Depending on the size of your business, you might not know each and every employee personally — but at most companies, employees wear nametags or badges. When you’re addressing someone specific, call him/her by their first name. People like to feel important and valued, and first names go a long way in starting a conversation. Remember this Friends episode, involving Rachel?
“Ugh! Worse day ever! You think you’re making progress at work and then your boss calls you Raquel. So, it was right in the middle of a staff meeting – so of course no one else wants to correct her – so everyone else is calling me Raquel! By the end of the day, the mailroom guys were calling me Rocky!”
- Random Acts of Kindness. We’ve all seen the viral videos about that one random act of kindness which tugs on our hearts — making us want to do something for others. It’s easy to keep watching random videos, but not very beneficial to your business. Practice makes perfect, so why not implement some random acts of kindness around the office?
- Give Back. Without your employees where would your business be? Honor them by giving spot-bonuses, gift-cards and special product offers. Let your employees enjoy some of the spoils of your successful business. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Reward it instead, and gain happy, happy employees.
- Special Activities. Companies that cultivate a sense of family and community offer special activities throughout the year. Movie Nights. Karaoke. Scavenger Hunts. Paint Ball Wars. There are literally tons of activities waiting to be tried out. With a sense of community comes a sense of ownership and pride. Provide a type of community that people acutally want to be a part of. And you never know… you might just find the next American Idol sitting at the desk next to you!
- Promote Health and Fitness. You want your employees not only working great, but feeling great too! Help keep them mentally and physically fit by offering free yoga and excercise classes throughout the week. If you have the budget for exercise equipment, even better!
- Holiday Games and Contests. Yes! Yes! and Yes! Nothing makes work more fun than games and contests. From Super Bowl Office Pools, Secret Santas or an Office Easter Egg Hunt -boost morale by having a bit of fun! Be creative and look for ways to get your happy employees involved.
- Encourage Social Media Participation. Most businesses have social media outlets or a facebook page, at least. Get your employees aboard by asking for their input and ideas for social media postings. When people feel personally connected and involved in the business, they are more likely to feel a stronger dedication to the job. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see more company-wide shares—all because the post originates from them!
- TGIF Happy Hour. Happy is in the name for crying out loud! How can you not encourage happiness by adding a Happy Hour to your weekly routine? Ice cream sandwiches in the summer. Hot cocoa and eggnog in the winter. Whatever you bring to the table, the important thing is to end the week on a happy note.
- Become Doggy Friendly. Having a dog-friendly office is becoming quite the trend nowadays (just look at Google and Etsy for inspiration). Steve Tobak’s article on leadership in Entrepreneur, Want to be a Better Manager? Get a Dog, dives into this concept perfectly. Though his article mainly focuses on being a better manager, it also brings up some great points about how dogs – in general – bring happiness and a greater sense of responsibility into our lives. Add that to the office and your happy employees have just gained a hightened degree of responsibility.
Take a stab at a few of these ideas, and get ready to see those frowns turn upsidedown. Just by adding one or two of these acitivites into your day-to-day life can make the difference between long-lasting employees and ones that jump ship when something better comes along. Don’t let someone else claim your happy employees!
What does your company do to promote a sense of community at work? Tell us in the comments below.
This post was originally posted on the FaxNgo blog.
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