It is not only recently that numerous companies have been searching for the magic formula to keep their employees happy. Companies can benefit from happy employees, which can have an impact on a wide variety of levels.
What makes employees happy?
Happy employees enjoy going to work and are more motivated, committed, resilient, and productive than less happy employees. In addition to numerous benefits, the inner attitude can be the source of happiness. Those who can contribute their strengths and get further education have the potential to become happy at their workplace.
Making satisfaction measurable
How does a company know what the mood barometer among employees looks like? As long as no one says anything, it will fit is the worst possible approach. It is important to ask for and share valid insights among employees. This does not have to involve a huge survey. An openly practiced feedback culture can be the first step. After a presentation, actively asking for feedback shows that each person’s opinion is important. Every opinion is valued.
The same applies to general topics. Among other things, employees should be given a right of co-determination when it comes to selecting benefits that they can ultimately use. After all, the employee is the end user in this case. Once satisfaction has been made measurable, one can concentrate on implementing the results.
The 10 most important factors that influence happiness at work:
- respectful interaction with each other
- an interesting range of tasks
- working in a good working atmosphere
- working in a fair and open corporate culture
- recognition for the work done
- being able to remain true to oneself
- good work-life balance
- good relationships with colleagues
- adequate software and hardware equipment
- fair payment
Inner attitude as the key to happiness
In addition to classic benefits and benefits in kind that an employee can receive for his or her performance, the inner drive is an essential component of the happiness of the individual. If, as an employee, you can leave your mark at work and your voice is heard, then working is much easier. This degree of self-determination leads to recognizing one’s strengths and weaknesses and being able to promote them in a targeted manner.
Team spirit
In addition to your family, you spend a lot of time at work with your colleagues. It is not uncommon for colleagues to become friends and for the boundaries between work and private life to become blurred. A good onboarding process is therefore enormously important not only for the new person but also for the team. This can also have a positive impact on the dynamics of a team. Outside of the work environment, you get to know the people you work with from a different side, which can lead to a greater understanding of behaviors. In these days of home offices and cross-site work, it’s no longer a given that all members of a team will meet in the office every day. During the year, it is therefore important to bring the team together, to create the opportunity to get to know each other in a more private environment, or to strengthen team cohesion through joint activities.
Only when there is self-determination at work and cohesion within the team can employees become involved in their work. This creates a desire to influence the work and to constantly improve. This reinforces the meaningfulness of the job and the feeling of being happy and satisfied at and with work.