It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of your business and forget about your staff and their wellbeing. But if your staff are happy in their work then this is a large part of what makes a successful business.
Taking the time to hire the right people and create the kind of environment that people want to work in takes thought, creativity and presence of mind. Here are seven suggestions to sustain a happy workplace for your staff.
1. Hire Happy People
Start creating your happy workplace environment from the ground up by hiring happy people. Qualifications, experience and achievements are necessary attributes to bring to a job, but if you hire too many negative Nancy’s, then it’s a surefire way of killing productivity and motivation in your workplace.
2. Encourage Friendliness
It’s much nicer to work somewhere where people acknowledge each other and say hi, rather than everyone being totally absorbed in their tasks and ignoring each other. Make it a policy to have staff from all levels, even executives and managers, take the time to say hello to one another, it will totally change the entire atmosphere.
3. Create Fun Events
Hard work and a happy workplace can go hand-in-hand, you just need to loosen things up on occasion. Planning a fun event for staff like a picnic can give a real boost to creativity. Alternatively, providing a small gesture of gratitude such as organising chair massages will make your employees feel happier.
4. Ask How People Are
People are generally more productive in a workplace where they feel that they are cared about. Taking the time to ask how people are, and having a genuine interest in their lives outside the workplace will make them feel like you value them as a person, not just an employee.
5. Encourage Personal Goals
Your staff will feel happier if they’re encouraged to have personal career goals that they’re working towards. If negativity or stress does occur, especially as a result of office politics, this goal will assist people to rise above it and feel that they are working towards something larger.
6. Focus on the Positive
It’s easy to get caught up in negative discussions when something goes wrong but harping on about the bad rather than the good can quickly be a downer to staff morale. Focus on the positives in a situation and take note of the things that need to be improved upon.
7. Spread the Love
People tend to be much happier working somewhere that gives back to the community, which conducts corporate social responsibility and has environmentally friendly practices. You’ll also be able to retain the right kind of employees that strive to go the extra mile, just because it makes them happy to do so.
