In recent years, it has become more and more evident that paying attention to the happiness of your staff can be one of the most important things you’ll ever do. Years ago, this isn’t something that company directors would have really given as much thought to. However, these days, we are more aware that the mindset of the people within a company can have a huge overall effect on the success of the company itself.
If you’re still unsure of why employee happiness should be one of your number one concerns or what you should be doing about it, read on.
How Do You Know If Your Employees Aren’t Happy At Work?
It’s unlikely most of your employees will come out and simply tell you that they are not happy. Don’t assume that this means they are. Instead, you need to ask yourself a few questions to get a more accurate idea of whether they are happy or not. For instance; how likely are they to go above and beyond in their role when you need them to? How willingly do they help you to come up with a new strategy? How do they engage with your customers? Answering these questions should give you a good idea of whether your employees feel engaged in their roles.
Getting To Know Your Employees
Getting to know your employees is key if you’re going to figure out whether they are truly happy or not. You should learn their names, ask them questions, and remember things about them so you can start conversations later on. Making your employees feel seen and heard is one of the best ways to make them feel valued and like an important part of the company.
Going Out Of Your Way To Help Them
If you can, go out of your way to help your employees. If they come to you with an issue, try your best to solve it. It doesn’t always have to be related to work, but if something outside of the workplace is affecting their work, it only makes sense that it will be in your best interest to help them. For example, it isn’t unheard of for bosses to help their employees secure a place to live by speaking to a landlord and giving a reference, as this almost directly affects their work.
Creating A Safe, Happy Space To Work In
Creating a safe, happy space to work in is another important factor of keeping your employees engaged and satisfied. They should feel physically and emotionally safe at work. If you’re not giving them safe equipment to use, for instance, you’ll likely be getting a call from someone like Alpert Schreyer Injury Attorneys sooner than you think. You must make sure checks are carried out and that the space inspires some creativity – you really don’t want your employees to dread coming in to work.
Acknowledging Employee Efforts And Achievements
Make sure you acknowledge your employees efforts and achievements both individually and as a group. If they have worked particularly hard one week/month, you could consider treating them to lunch or giving them a bonus for the added effort.
Ask For Feedback
Finally and most importantly, be open to receiving feedback. There’s nothing quite as powerful as asking for (even anonymous) feedback to get an idea of what you could improve upon. When you encourage your employees to share their onions, you’re making them feel heard and appreciated. Better yet, when you take their feedback and use to to make changes within your organization you are demonstrating that you value their happiness.
How does your business tend to the happiness of its employees? Are there ways you can improve? Take time this week to really reflect on whether you’re adequately fostering happiness in your workplace and some changes you can make to do a better job.
