Something that I have noticed over time is that there is no magic formula to create a happy workplace keep your employees happy. However, there are a few specific actions that can be taken by organizations to create an environment conducive to happy & motivated employees;
Paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson’s quote in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, “Organizations can only create an environment that enables employees in the pursuit of happiness.“
These are a few pointers that I think is very important to employee happiness & satisfaction.
- Definite role & purpose: There needs to be a very clear definition of what an employee’s role in the company is. A clarity in what they are contributing & how it affects the company. The contribution part is pretty obvious but how many companies can say their employees know how their contribution affects their company growth. This is more about sharing the company vision & goals transparently & also making sure that every employee gets the big picture. The fact that their value is acknowledged goes a long way in terms of motivation & happiness
- A fearless workplace: Create a workplace that enables employees to question everything that is done & their feedback is taken seriously no matter what position they are in. Also, an environment which encourages mistakes as long as they are learning from it. Stress & fear only creates a miserable environment (jobs on the line, constant stick for making mistakes, fear of a bad boss etc.) and sooner than later there will come a breaking point.
- A sense of progress: Celebrate progress & keep your employees updated on their individual progress, team progress & the companies overall progress on a regular basis. Goes back to the first point in acknowledging their contribution & basic R&R.
- A sense of ownership/ responsibility: Giving certain autonomy to employees to make decisions about their work gives them a greater sense of responsibility & ownership to their work. Human nature is such that they are always more committed to a decision that an individual makes rather than something that is thrust upon that individual. This creates a better sense of satisfaction as they feel like a part of a team & assigns vital importance to their contribution. According them with a certain flexibility with working style is also important.
- Social Interaction: An environment where they can interact freely is important. Man is a social animal & having an environment where social relationships can be built & sustained creates a happier workplace. Take them out whenever possible, create space & time for team get-togethers, offsite events where they can interact in a social environment.
- Personal & Professional alignment: Ensure that your understand what employees personal goals are & how their professional goals are aligned to it. Ensure that they are aware of this as well. Make sure that they are compensated well, their personal needs are taken care of so that they can come in & perform. An unhappy personal life creates an unhappy employee. This could mean a flexible leave policy, adequate compensation & treating a few scenarios not by the rules of the workplace but by the spirit of it.
A happy employee is a successful company and vice a versa. If these parameters & more are adequately taken care of then, you have a professional marriage in heaven. Studies show that we Indians take our work home, so this International Happiness Day create a happy job for a happy professional life.
An edited version of this article was first published here on International Happiness day on 20th March, 2017.