Employee Happiness – A secret workplace superpower

Employee happiness is swiftly becoming an imperative in business. This change is coming along as business owners have now realized that an organization thrives when its employees are happy and engaged. The happiness of its employees is directly proportional to the success of the organization since they are better engaged and more productive. Therefore establishing a synergy between employee happiness and business objectives has become an inevitable component of business success. That being said, how can one determine the overall happiness quotient of the organization?

This might seem like something that can be easily brought to pass by commonplace human resource initiatives. But is that enough? Probably not! Employee happiness is a complex concept and requires keen attention to an employee’s lifespan within the organization. If not dealt with correctly it can result in high employee turnover thus diverting the productive time of organizations towards hiring and training new employees.

The situation only gets more challenging as job markets are rather competitive, not just for employees but also for employers. It would be unwise to assume that business owners and HR heads do not face the challenge of employee engagement and retention looming before them on a daily basis. In this ultra-competitive recruitment and hiring environment, retaining current employees is a critical component of organizational success. Therefore employee happiness automatically assumes the role of a superhero whose powers can be activated to unlock great success. It not only helps in achieving a low turnover rate which is great for the bottom line, but it also means you are creating and building upon a firm foundation for the future.

Here are some merits of happy employees:

Happy employees participate: When employees are happy they become better solution providers and go out of their way to achieve organizational objectives. This is a good indicator of employee engagement and suggests that the organization has the right environment in which participation is communal, team-oriented and one that allows the business owner to take advantage of each person’s unique skill set. This way you boost employee morale and establish a more inclusive workplace.

Happy employees are optimistic: This is no secret and in fact the most obvious merit. An employee when satisfied and devoid of any job insecurity will automatically be more engaged. He will not only focus on his performance but also start acknowledging organizational values and start aligning his behaviour and working style to better suit the demands of his job and organization in general.

Happy employees keep company interest in mind: When employees are made to see the bigger picture and are duly involved in the process of achieving organizational goals it fosters a sense of responsibility in them. Once they believe that their contribution matters, they automatically feel loyal to the company and take pride in the organization’s accomplishments, thus bringing about a feeling of belonging and a sense of pride.

Keeping employees interests at the core of all initiatives gives enough reason and motivation to ensure employee happiness and subsequently ensuring employee retention. Here are some simple ways to ensure that the employees in your organization are happy and productive:

1. Make work-life balance a priority: Times are changing and for a lot of job seekers today flexible working hours and locations play a vital role while seeking employment. An ET survey suggested that 69% of full- time employees in India said that they would appreciate a 5-day working culture. The ability to allow these facilities will contribute to employee satisfaction thus enabling them to put in productive work hours and maintain a healthy lifestyle outside the office. Emphasis should be on ensuring that the team works hard for a reasonable period and employees enjoy a healthy work-life balance.
2. Appreciation of good work: This does not always have to be in the form of a reward or monetary compensation. A simple but genuine thank you or an open acknowledgement of effort works like a charm and lifts morale and sends out the message that their managers care.
3. Create a career path: Along with a lucrative package and extended benefits, it is important that organizations show employees a great career growth trajectory to ensure engagement and long term retention. Career mapping assumes a vital position as the job market today is flooded by millennials who are looking out for a great career path. This allows HR’s of the organizations and employees to collectively choose development paths that build intersections between career aspirations and the needs of the business.
4. Offer benefits beyond basics: There are ways in which employers can complement salaries by providing assistance beyond salary compensation. You can extend the benefits of educational assistance/ tuition reimbursement, interest-free loans, profit-sharing schemes, compassionate leave or Flexi work hours as ancillary benefits to protect their incomes. These are all well received by employees and they see merit in retaining their employment. It is important to provide higher benefits so your employees know that you truly care about them and their families.
5. Building rapport with team members: Employees spend the majority of their time in office. So naturally, the value system and behaviour of the leaders seeps into the minds of the subordinate layers of the organization. You can never underestimate the importance of the boss walking in with a smile on the face or having an informal chat with employees every once in a while. It fosters a sense of belonging in them.

For organizations to work at full capacity, they must help their employees to achieve a state of satisfaction while eliminating distractions and inefficiencies. This will create more time and bandwidth to innovate, collaborate and ensure lateral business growth. Also in the absence of these, organizations will find themselves stuck in a limbo where attaining business goals becomes a daily struggle as the employees lack the motivation to help organizations meet their goals. You need to have your workforce in your corner and so their happiness becomes paramount.

Let’s Buzzz enables you to gauge at the happiness quotient of your employees. Want to know more, click here to request a demo.