5 Ways To Create A Happier Workplace For Your Employees

We’re in the midst of a talent evolution. And the key to thriving through it is by creating a happier workplace.

Many people re-examined their convictions and if their occupations corresponded with their underlying ideals during and after the global pandemic. Some employees discovered that their place of employment was not the best place for them to spend their most valuable resource—their time. As a result, in 2021, one in four workers left their jobs in the U.S through the spring and summer months. They were looking for something that would provide them more freedom, salary, meaning, and happiness.

Happiness—there’s that word. For some leaders and managers, the idea of making the workplace a happy place is too sentimental. After all, shouldn’t a paycheck be enough to make an employee happy, these people would argue?

In a nutshell, no.

Many studies have established that employee happiness can result in benefits to an organization’s bottom line. According to the book The Happiness Benefit, a happy and engaged workforce is the most significant advantage in the modern economy. 

Happiness improves practically every business and educational outcome, according to a decade of research, and can increase sales by 37%, productivity by 31%, and task accuracy by 19%.

Employee retention and engagement are also improved in a happier environment. Happy employees are more productive, absent less frequently, experience fewer workplace accidents, and make more minor errors in their assignments because they enjoy being there. Because their staff is engaged and present, businesses with happy employees and a happier workplace generally save money. People who report higher happiness levels are also physically healthier, spend less on health care and insurance, perform better, and set and attain more meaningful goals. Happier people are statistically more likable, which helps to foster a positive culture.

Given that happiness is good for business, many companies have tried to make their workplaces happier by providing extra benefits or amenities, such as free lunches at the office or a monthly wellness stipend. This can improve the working environment, but it just creates a happier workplace on the surface. Employers who rely on extra perks miss out on determining their employees’ intrinsic motivation, or “why we show up, based on who we are as human beings.”

Wages, perks, culture, flexibility, hybrid work approaches, and workplace environment must be considered when creating an atmosphere that contains the conditions for happiness.

Organizations must assess which areas will have the most significant impact when building happy workplaces where people can thrive. Here are five key areas to concentrate on in 2021 to keep your employee experience at its best.

Invest in These Five Ways To Make Your Workplace Happier

Hiring For a Happier Workplace1. Hiring

COVID-19 had a significant impact on recruiting and hiring. Countless roles were relocated from on-site to remote, and the entire hiring process was conducted online.

Changes like this have provided leaders with possibilities. Companies can, for example, search nationwide—even globally—for appropriate workers without regard to the job location. However, additional demands have been placed on leaders because of the recruiting adjustments. Perhaps most importantly, candidate pools with no boundaries increase the battle for talent. Leaders must deliver a compelling, attractive employee experience since top talent has more options than ever before.

Onboarding For a Happier Workplace2. On-boarding

During the pandemic, traditional on-boarding processes changed dramatically and quickly. Many recruits didn’t have the opportunity to meet their coworkers in person, much less form relationships through hallway talks and lunch outings.

This requires attention from management because on-boarding new workers is the first and most important opportunity to expose employees to the workplace culture and establish the groundwork for engagement. On-boarding experiences shape employee expectations about what your organization values and how it aligns with their ideals.

Leaders must optimize their strategy to guarantee that recruits can develop meaningful connections as on-boarding experiences continue to evolve in 2022, such as improved digital training sessions.

Perfomance management for a happier workplace3. Performance Management

Today’s work environment is ambiguous and unpredictable at times. As a result, many employees are experiencing unclear role expectations and less accountability. 

These roadblocks are significant because excellent work performance requires clear standards, continual collaboration, and consistent accountability. In 2022, managers should empower employees to reset performance goals and priorities. Managers should also expect staff to set agile goals because requirements will change.

Most importantly, regaining performance management will necessitate ongoing manager coaching and support. It is difficult to disrupt performance management when it is flexible and geared for continuous improvement.

Development for a happier workplace4. Development and Coaching

Employee development was an unfilled employee demand even before the pandemic. COVID-19 made it even more challenging as corporate needs and working methods have changed.

Many employees, for example, are confused about how to learn new abilities because they have fewer opportunities to ask their teammates and bosses immediate questions. Others may be perplexed about how they might develop their careers if their bosses do not see them at work.

Employees need to know that they have a bright future with your firm and that you have a long-term plan in place to help them achieve their growth objectives.

wellbeing for a happier workplace5. Wellbeing

Employee wellbeing must become a primary emphasis of the employee experience. Social relationships, for example, are more challenging to sustain, and distant employees are experiencing a new sort of burnout.

Leading an engaged and productive workforce now, more than ever, necessitates a greater focus on holistic employee wellbeing, with leaders dedicated to supporting all five dimensions of wellbeing.

For Future Success, Create A Happier Workplace

At every stage of the employee life cycle, leaders can deliver compelling, engaging employee experiences that result in a happy workplace. They may fuel individual, team, and organizational performance to face new challenges and opportunities with increased resiliency by following a research-based, proven methodology.

The first step to creating a happier workplace is scheduling a call. We’ll talk more about your team, the hurdles you’re facing, and how using CliftonStrengths can help you improve workplace culture and the overall happiness of your team.