Would you rather hang around with angry, mopey people or fun, upbeat ones? If you’re like most of us, you prefer to spend your time with those who will lift you up, and the same is true in the workplace. Because happy workers perform more efficiently as a team, their positivity is infectious and spreads to the customers, which is why you should do all you can to foster workplace joy.
Validate and Reward
When someone has gone the extra mile to get the job done, offering a word of thanks and praise can be nearly as significant of a morale boost as an actual raise. Everyone wants to be recognized for a job well done. Set up a culture where hard work is rewarded with verbal and written thanks and even the occasional tangible prize. It will give your workers something to strive for and make them feel special.
Help Workers to Understand Their Importance
No matter what responsibilities a person might hold, you are giving them actual money to be there. That’s because they are performing an invaluable function. Take time to explain to each employee how their job fits into the mission of your company. By doing so, you can help workers of all pay grades to recognize the essential, intrinsic role they play in your company.
Set Up Your Workplace Optimally
No one wants to work in a dark, prison-like environment. If they are forced to stare at white walls all day and listen to the distracting chattering of others, their productivity will suffer. If it feels to them like their days are spent inefficiently navigating your stifling space as they work alone and with others, you can be pretty sure that their output will be reduced and, more importantly, their happiness quotient will go way down.
For starters, decide if you want a more open or closed environment. Open offices were quite the trend not so long ago. They were popular because they were thought to foster innovation in a more casual and less traditional milieu. No longer was the boss tucked away in a grand corner office; everyone was given similar space in an egalitarian environment.
The problem was that this setup turned out to have its flaws as well. Workers were more stressed, less motivated and less productive. The good news, however, is that innovative office designers have now begun to incorporate the best features of both models to form more optimal working conditions. While managers still might not have their own palatial spaces, areas can be set aside for particular work tasks and designed accordingly. By using cubicles and other furnishings from Bell Modular Systems, for instance, “thinking centers”, “collaboration spaces” and even a “hang out room” could be created. As a result, the various activities that occur daily in the workplace can be recognized and given the attention they deserve.
For many of us, a full one-third of our lives are spent at the office. Therefore, it stands to reason that the work environment should be set up to maximize the chances of employee happiness and productivity. Getting along with each other is the best way to excel at work and be happier human beings.