What Makes a Happy Workplace?

A happy workplace is usually a productive, flexible and resilient workplace.

However, a happy workplace can often be a difficult thing to measure and manage. What creates a happy environment for one of us may cause difficulty or stress for someone else. It is for this reason that autonomy tops the following list of contributors to workplace happiness;

  • Autonomy – If employees feel that they have control over what they are doing they take responsibility for their own productivity and happiness. They feel respected and valued.
  • Relationships – If relationships within the workplace are positive, the environment becomes supportive and friendly. A good way to do this is to give opportunities for employees to get to know each other without the context of the work they do.
  • Progress – If people feel that they are making progress towards aims that they are invested in, they are more likely to be happy. This can easily be achieved by making progress clearly possible and allowing employees to be involved in setting their career goals.
  • Meaning – If people feel that the work they do has purpose and makes a difference, they are happier and more resilient.

Employees in a happy workplace are more satisfied and healthier; as a result they are more present and are more likely to stay in their job. Organisations with happy employees outperform the competition by 20%.

In conjunction with the above contributors, there are a number of more practical methods for improving happiness;

  • Consistent and meaningful praise and recognition – This is pretty simple and can be done in many ways; one suggestion is to create a regular system where employees are praised by each other for the work they have done deserving of recognition.
  • Offer wellbeing perks – Increased pay is not the best way to make employees happy. Offering health and wellness programs, child care and flexible working are great examples.
  • Invest in personal development – If employees feel that they are growing they are more likely to stay. Subsidised education, lunchtime learning sessions or even book clubs will contribute to this.
  • Interacting and bonding events – These help employees build positive relationships at work and can be as simple as a team lunch or as involved as activities out of the office.

Being committed to creating a happy work environment that benefits everyone and increases the livelihood of the entire organisation.

If you would like to discuss any of these ideas or are not sure where to start in promoting a happy workforce, get in touch with CiC, we’d be happy to help.