How happy are your employees? The answer to that question can determine how productive they are and how much revenue your business brings in.
Through hundreds of studies researchers have found that happiness begets success, not the other way around. Employees that feel happy at work are more productive, creative and motivated. There’s such a strong correlation that it’s now being dubbed the “happiness advantage”.
The problem – only 47.7% of employees are happy, and a Staples study of small businesses found that over half of employees feel overworked. It’s time to turn those frowns upside down and give your business a serious boost with a few happiness-inducing additions.
An Office Entertainment Space
There’s a reason why watching television is America’s number one pastime – people enjoy it. Creating an entertainment area where employees can unwind is an effective way to boost happiness. All it takes is adding a few comfortable seats, mounting a flat screen TV and signing up for an affordable service like the plans found at http://satellitetv-deals.com/directv-internet.html.
Free Snacks
A recent survey from Peapod revealed that offices that offered free snacks and drinks had happier employees. Stocking up on healthy snacks can also help employees avoid brain fatigue. Research from Florida State University has shown that as people make decisions throughout the day glucose levels decrease and mental fatigue sets in. A snack can bump up the glucose levels and restore energy reserves.
Flexible Scheduling
Creating flex schedules may take a little effort at the beginning, but once a system is set in place this is an easy way to make employees much happier. Study after study shows that employees who are given the freedom to work from home are more productive. There are a number of reasons, including less break time and sick leave, but happiness is also a factor. Another residual benefit is that employees who have more control over when and where they work are less likely to quit.
Give Praise Often
Positive feedback on a regular basis has proven to keep employees happier than less frequent, grander forms of praise. Small words of encouragement and signs of appreciation once a week are enough to keep employees happy and motivation all year long.
Create a Meditation Room
Meditating for just two minutes can provide benefits for the brain and body. Up that to 20 minutes of meditation and the benefits are far greater. Researchers from Harvard found that meditating for 20 minutes a day decreases stress while increasing focus, productivity and creativity. Any space can work for meditating as long as it’s quiet and free of distractions.
Encourage Breaks
Half of employees in small companies feel like they can’t step away to take breaks during work. Burn out is going to make even the best employees disgruntle from time to time. Taking breaks during the workday has been shown to increase productivity and can significantly improve happiness. Encouraging employees to take breaks is often enough to help them avoid burn out and unnecessary stress. Bonus: when employees take breaks they socialize, which can make them even happier and fosters teamwork.
Do Away With the Majority of Emails
Employees get bombarded with emails these days. It creates stress and is cited as a reason for always feeling like they are “on” even when they aren’t at work. Not to mention it can significantly hinder productivity. Make an effort to reduce the number of emails that are sent out to employees. It’s also a good idea to create a prioritization system for emails. Come up with designators like “URGENT” that can be used in the subject line so employees feel less pressured to open everything immediately.
Surprise Employees With Special Treats
Surprises make more of a mental impact because they aren’t expected. Surprising employees with lunch every now and then or giving everyone a few hours off one afternoon will dramatically improve everyone’s mood. These nice surprises make employees happier and also help to offset the occasional bad news.
Your employees are the most valuable asset of your business. These eight simple strategies will help ensure that they are as satisfied and productive as possible, which makes everyone happy.