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Every leader knows that employee happiness is vital to business success. Joyful workers bring immense value to organizations. When employees are content, they devote twice the time to tasks(1); are 12% more productive (2); produce 23% higher profits(3) plus score 10% higher in customer ratings and generate 18% more sales. (4)

Organizations that desire happy, satisfied employees are more likely to invest in continuous improvement strategies. The result of such efforts is that these organizations are 39% more likely to attract top talent and 44% more likely to keep it. By investing in their people and their needs, these organizations will outperform competitors at a 24% higher rate. (5)

Happiness has become so important to workers that a freshly published workplace survey by Indeed-Forrester found that 90% of employees “believe how we feel at work matters.” A majority think it’s their employer’s responsibility to create a happy work environment. (6)

Unfortunately, employees seeking to find happiness from other sources, such as an employer, rather than looking within themselves, will likely be disappointed. Humans are imperfect, and what one needs from others can’t always be delivered. The result can be tragic and may include strained relationships, distrust, jealousy, frustration, toxic relationships, and others not living up to unrealistic expectations.

While wanting the positive outcomes of satisfied employees, organizations should balance work environment ideals against the new demands often expected of employees who desire fun workplaces.

In the book, Happy at Any Cost: The Revolutionary Vision and Fatal Quest of Zappos, CEO Tony Hsieh authors Kirsten Grind and Katherine Sayre explore what happens when the quest for happiness becomes too big. They describe:

  • The legacy of former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh was that of fun and kindness with lavish parties. Hsieh mastered a workplace (and customer) culture focusing on the extreme end of happiness.
  • Under the surface, however, well-being was largely ignored. This included Hsieh’s mental health and substance addiction, which were not addressed.
  • Grind and Sayre conclude that Hsieh’s legacy serves to “teach leaders that the real satisfaction comes from focusing on more impactful ideals – like commitment, courage, and well-being.” (7)

That’s powerful food for thought.

What can organizations do to strengthen commitment, courage, and well-being that translate into employee self-generated happiness? Here are a few strategies:

COMMITMENT

Happy employees are committed to the company they work for and love the work that they do every day. However, not all employees are passionate about their employer -or- the work that they do each day. This can translate to workers who have high job satisfaction because they like their work but have low company loyalty. Something about the organization that employs them has left them with negative feelings. Alternately, an employee could dislike the work they do and have low job satisfaction but high company commitment because of the organization’s respect, value, and appreciation for its employees.

  • Improve Communication and Transparency
    Trust is about authenticity and clearly communicating what’s expected of each employee, each team, each leader, and organization. An organization needs to function as a machine where everyone understands their role, feels they have a voice, matters have a purpose, and all work from the same handbook of conduct and values.
  • Implement Recognition Programs
    Acknowledge longevity and loyalty. Praise high achievers and top performers. Encourage innovation and bold ideas. Build stronger teams. Recognize accomplishments. Say thank you. Demonstrate appreciation for the “assist” when it was needed most. Give support to employees who are struggling or who just climbed their own Mount Everest.

The top sales performers would not be top sales performers without the help of those employees who support their efforts. Everyone needs to be recognized for their job, especially when they give critical service that saves a sale or keeps a customer.

  • Offer Learning and Development Opportunities
    Employees feel empowered with the right information, skills, training, and connections. Help them succeed and progress in their unique personal success path while making them feel capable and confident in their roles.
  • Provide Training and Support Resources
    Employees value constructive feedback. But when there’s nothing to help them learn or grow, this can hinder success. Provide them with the support they need to develop skills, knowledge, and experience through mentorship, coaching, and other networking opportunities.
  • Evaluate Compensation Structure
    No matter how happy employees may be, they won’t stick around if they aren’t paid what they are worth. 25% of employees changed jobs because they were offered higher pay elsewhere. (8)

Savvy organizations should be aware of the pay range, including benefit options, within the industry based upon the job title, duties, and requirements. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reporting data on pay and benefits, which is a great place to start.

COURAGE

Courage is often one of those words that conjure a scene from a movie where someone (finally) stands up to a bully declaring enough is enough. However, smaller moments of life, including those in the workplace, often offer equal opportunities for courageous actions.

Happiness is linked to courage because standing up for what you believe is right, especially when it is supported by others, leads to a sense of fulfillment. Being brave isn’t always easy but developing values that you are willing to stand behind and that you can get others to believe in is vital to motivation.

  • Do the Right Thing
    As the saying goes, integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. It’s also a measure of courage. Have empathy. Be open to new perspectives. Seek out information, training, and new experiences. Learn how to articulate your views without engaging in an “I’m right, you’re wrong” mentality. Don’t engage in gossip or negativity. Be honest and humble.
  • Seek Compromise
    Disruption is often the way to innovation; however, it isn’t always the way to win the hearts of others with opposing opinions. Discernment is a form of bravery. Rather than belaboring points where an agreement can’t be made, look for compromise. When a compromise can’t be made, be prepared to simply walk away from a battle that isn’t worth fighting.
  • Speak Up
    The bystander effect is a social psychological theory proposed in the mid-1960s. The theory holds that individuals are less likely to help someone when others are present. In 2009 a study published by the International Ombudsman Association in the Journal of the International Ombudsman Association suggested that people don’t come forward in the workplace because they fear losing important relationships in and out of the workplace and fear bad consequences. Courage, therefore, can occur in the workplace by speaking up for a co-worker. Acknowledge a job well-done if a leader has not. Don’t let others dismiss or belittle others. Report behaviors that shouldn’t be overlooked. More importantly, offer help or seek help when someone needs it.
  • Be Authentic
    Courage is doing what you say you will do. It’s admitting when you are wrong. It’s staying humble when you’ve been acknowledged for superior performance. It’s giving credit where credit is justly due. It’s knowing when you’re ready and capable of taking on a new challenge and asking for the opportunity. In the same respect, if you made a mistake, it’s owning it. If you know you can do better, be brave enough to acknowledge it and ask for feedback so you can learn from the experience. Being brave is never being so big that you can’t do the small stuff and never being too small to reach for the highest branch.
  • Get Back Up
    Grace and humility are both forms of courage. Confidence will be challenged and shaken. This is where creativity, perseverance, and determination are most critical to bravery. Don’t give up. Look to those around you for new perspectives and insights. Ask them to be courageous with their feedback and ideas. Instead of focusing on the failures, look back on the things you’ve accomplished. Then rewrite the narratives on the failures so that they become stepping stones to your next success. Grit and grace will persevere.

WELL-BEING

A work environment isn’t just about motivating employees to be productive. It’s about the people, the surroundings, and the culture that inspires employees to enjoy their work. Employee satisfaction is difficult to measure because it is based on each worker’s sentiments, experiences, and emotions. There will be different variables that influence employee happiness and well-being.

  • Set Happiness Goals and Track Employee Health
    Consider the number of days, hours, and weeks the employees work without substantial time off. Also, consider the work environment (e.g., no natural sunlight, noise/vibration level, humidity level, air quality, number of distractions or interruptions, workload, staffing, and job responsibilities) that a worker experiences. Additionally, consider personality factors such as team members, management, access to training, or opportunities for cross-over initiatives. It’s important to monitor, track and measure happiness with the overall goal of improving employee health. Worker unhappiness can be hidden when it only impacts a minority.

For example, two employees in the same role may experience the workplace differently. Worker A may have management support, added training, access to internal resources, be in an office near a window with limited interruptions and take on smaller projects.

On the other hand, Worker B may have had to jump right into the job with limited training due to staffing issues, be situated in a cubicle where there is frequent foot traffic and interruptions, be tasked with more challenging assignments, have limited access to management, and may not have the same opportunities to interact with team members due to workload imbalance.

If the only measure is employee happiness, Worker B would fall through the cracks and be considered a poor fit for the job. On the other hand, through the lens of measuring happiness to improve overall well-being, it would be easy to spot a problem and mitigate the risk. Early intervention could prevent the issue from occurring in the first place. Alternately, assessment from a well-being perspective could address the issues as they happen, such as:

      • Providing Worker B with a few days of paid rest,
      • Redistributing the workload so that Worker A takes on more challenging assignments and maintains a more balanced workload going forward,
      • Relocating Worker B to a new location with fewer interruptions,
      • Providing Worker B with open blocks of time to interact with team and cross-departments,
      • Providing Worker B with training that should have been provided earlier,
      • Engaging management in one-on-one access for Worker B,
      • Creating better communication strategies throughout the entire team and organization to address issues such as protocols for onboarding new hires, workload balancing, feedback loops, wellness checks, especially with new hires, etc.
  • Tie Happiness to More Than Business Outcomes
    Business outcomes such as reducing employee churn, improving employee morale, increasing productivity, reducing errors, etc., are obvious indicators of happiness. However, an employee’s sense of purpose is actually what drives outcomes. Therefore, organizations will gain more if they:

      • Communicate each employee’s role, duties, and purpose.
      • Create stronger team harmony.
      • Break down silos that limit collaboration, communication, and team effectiveness.
      • Allow different departments and teams to learn and grow from each other.
      • Encourage organic problem-solving and innovation across the organization.
      • Recognize and acknowledge achievements, even those that aren’t tied to business outcomes.
  • Benchmark Happiness
    Employees (as well as talent being recruited) typically have a pretty good idea about what’s happening in other organizations in the same industry (e.g., your competitors.)  Even if employees are paid well and overall satisfied in their current position, the grass will appear greener if something is neglected within their current workplace’s happiness and well-being balance. Consider the following questions to avoid gaps in employee contentment:

      • Do we offer wellness programs?
        • 79% of American employers provide wellness programs, which is one of the essential aspects for higher employee retention rates. (9)
        • For every $1.00 spent on wellness programs, companies have profited $1.50-$3.00. (10)
      • If feedback is provided to management by employees, such as needing more tools, resources, or staffing, how quickly is it addressed? Is it addressed at all?
      • Are all employees given the same opportunities, such as training, cross-over initiatives, and access to management (including one-on-one time and off-campus)?
      • Are there changes to the office environment that would be appealing to employees? Job satisfaction surveys report that free beverages, standing desks, natural lighting, more comfortable meeting rooms, and less isolation were highly desired. Workers cited the least desired things were lack of privacy, seclusion, visual distractions, and noises, noting that these hindered productivity and happiness. (11)
      • Could other departments have the opportunity to take part in a group travel incentive program that may only be offered to sales teams? (Often, these can be highly effective for teams such as support in hi-tech, pharma, finance, hospitality, and similar industries where customer satisfaction is essential to industry reputation.)

Happiness should be a priority, but it isn’t THE priority. Organizations want positive outcomes from satisfied employees. They must balance work environment ideals against the new demands of a fun workplace. The work environment isn’t just about motivating employees to be productive; it’s also about the people, the surroundings, and the culture that inspires employees to enjoy their work. Happy, balanced employees equate to a healthier organization.

 

Discover inspiring ideas for exciting experiences that boost morale and engage your people. Contact Gavel International for details.

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SOURCES:

  1. https://www.theceomagazine.com/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/smile-stress-less-make-conscience-effort-happier-work/
  2. https://www.fastcompany.com/3048751/happy-employees-are-12-more-productive-at-work
  3. https://www.axios.com/2022/08/12/workers-miserable-gallup-poll
  4. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
  5. https://www.betterworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Continuous-Performance-Management-Delivers-Better-Business-Results-Survey.pdf
  6. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/workplace-wellbeing
  7. com (Sept. 2022 issue)
  8. https://www.payscale.com/research-and-insights/why-people-quit-their-jobs/
  9. https://earthweb.com/job-satisfaction-statistics/
  10. https://earthweb.com/job-satisfaction-statistics/
  11. https://earthweb.com/job-satisfaction-statistics/

 

 

Jim Bozzelli
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