Long gone are the days when happiness was not an important element of a job. Times have changed. Employers now know that happy employees are productive employees.
Statistics have shown that happy employees stay longer in their jobs, are more productive, and are open to taking up a new challenge with enthusiasm. This is proven to be the ultimate mix for every business as, employee retention, productivity, and motivation are the perfect recipe for a healthy and prospering business.
So the question remains, how to make employees happy?
‘Money can’t buy happiness’ is well known to us. For employers, raising paycheck after paycheck is not the only motivator. A quick fun fact – research has shown that money doesn’t count as a top factor for happy employees. Let’s take a look at low-effort ways you can make your team happy.
Here are 8 ways to keep your team happy without breaking the bank.
1.Start by saying ‘Thank You’
A positive work environment encourages teamwork and communication. Employees rarely get discouraged by money and are more prone to leaving if they feel they are not appreciated. Encouragement and appreciation at work are stimulating the workflow and results are fantastic. Finding simple ways of saying thank you can go a long way in employee happiness. Recognition provides a sense of comfort and confidence.
2.Be Kind To Your Employees
This costs no money at all and can go a long way in winning the loyalty of your employee. Being kind involves not forcing your employee to take more work than they are ready for. Rather it is better to offer a project and let employees step up and offer their solutions. Also, micromanaging can drive employees insane. Learn to instill more trust and both sides can have a winning situation. Allow them to work out a solution by themselves and present it to you. Of course, if they need help employers can always offer their expertise rather than belittling them.
3. Social Gathering and Team Building Activities
Social gatherings provide a great opportunity for staff to bond with each other in a more casual and comfortable environment. Celebrating business milestones and even personal staff birthdays is a great chance to add a fun element to jobs, great team-building activities can take place in the office, or they can be organized at inspiring locations. The fun competition raises spirits and enhances team bonding.
4.Make Them A Part Of Company Goals
Keeping employees informed is an important factor to build communication and trust. Discussing the future goals of the company with them makes them feel more involved and valued. The sense of belonging will help them to work better as they will find it a team effort to achieve company goals. At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that the company goals that are set are realistic and achievable. Unrealistic goals will frustrate and overwhelm employees making them feel less valuable and more prone to quitting.
5.Support All Forms Of Employee Development
Be it continuous education or technological advancements, it’s vital that the employees are developed so they can keep up with the trends and improve productivity. New methods should be introduced with proper training for all employees. Group learning ensures the whole team understands the challenges and can decide together the best solution that works for all.
6.Give Them Consistent Breaks
Encourage your staff to take breaks after consistent intervals so they can relax and refresh. It helps them become more productive and come back with a relaxed and focused mind. Sometimes readjusting the schedule to support a more relaxing shift too can help cheer things up at the workplace. Flexibility is important to keep a good flow at the workplace and especially out of work. Allowing employees to go early once in a while for a personal matter shows how employers respect their life outside of work too.
7. Positive Work Environment
Dark offices with no windows to let sunlight in can make everyone feel moody. A pleasant work environment positively motivates the employees. Lights too can be added and adjusted to make the workplace more lively. Adding plants, a comfortable seating area, and clean bathrooms are some basic things that can add to the overall work experience of an employee and make them feel more focused.
8. Be Consistent And Patient
A good workforce that stands by employers in times thick and thin is not an easy task. Allowing employees to make mistakes and helping them rectify them gives them the freedom to try new ways to improve work methods. It takes time and effort to make them trust you and give their loyalty to prosper together. To make sure this is consistent, one has to make sure that the employers take the place of a leader. Good and bad records can be discussed with employees in person regularly so they can grow. Favoritism is not a good character trait of any leader.
Happy Employees Create A Prosperous Business
No one likes to wake up dreading what each day at work will be like. Organizations need to find and keep employees who enjoy their job. It then also becomes important for employers to ensure they stay happy. Unhappy employees don’t only bring down the morale of the whole team but can cost your business if they were to sabotage it. Remember the movie ‘Office Space’?
So as employers move ahead with time, it’s important to keep in mind how they can make their employees happy daily. In the long term, this will bring nothing but a positive impact. Also on a more human level, making someone happy is the most rewarding thing. As an employer, you not only will benefit from better productivity from employees but also make a better place in the world for them!
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