Why Employee Happiness Matters And How To Improve It
Everyone knows that when you are happy, you are more motivated to work. As an employer, you need to make sure that you know how happy your team really is. If your staff start to lag a little or aren’t as engaged as they used to be, it could lead to a less productive and positive environment which could negatively affect your bottom line. If you notice staff happiness is dropping, you need to find a way to motivate and engage them before it affects your business.
If your team usually work 40 hour weeks, they will be spending roughly 2,080 hours in work every year. That is a huge proportion of their lives, and that is why it is so important to make their working environment as supportive and pleasant as possible!
Employees are most satisfied in their workplace when all of their three core needs are met; these are their mental, physical and emotional needs. Now, you don’t have to worry about meeting every one of these needs, just meeting one of them can massively improve your employees’ performance. By enhancing these and taking into consideration the happiness of your staff, you can create a better environment within the office, and improve their overall satisfaction of coming to work. Not only does employee happiness improve their everyday working lives, but a survey has shown that it can also help to raise sales, increase productivity and even improve their accuracy on tasks! Read on to learn more reasons why happy workers can help your business to thrive, and some of the top ways that you can make your staff enjoy work more.
1. Happy employees are better workers
A positive working environment helps to encourage friendships to develop which creates loyalty and a sense of community, that leaves everyone feeling more relaxed, knowing that they can turn to each other for help when they need it. It also helps your team to be more creative and open as they don’t worry about being ridiculed for having new ideas. Having happy employees means you can create a better standard of staff, and also a higher attendance level throughout the year as your team won’t feel the need to pull the occasional fake sick day or need any time off due to stress.
2. Unhappiness may lead to a high staff turnover
In our modern fast-paced world, employee turnover is a significant concern for most businesses. It used to be that many people would stay in their jobs for 20-30 years however it is now common for people to stay in a company for much shorter duration’s of time. This can create issues for your business as you have to spend more time and money on recruiting and training new team members. It is so important that you make the workplace an enjoyable atmosphere to keep your existing staff engaged with your business, and attract hot new talent!
3. Reduces “office drama” and conflict
If colleagues are enjoying their time together in a relaxed and fun environment, this helps to build up trust amongst them, and reduce any tensions and disputes. It’s likely that some of your team have personalities that clash with other members, but if you concentrate on repairing the cracks and keeping them working in harmony, it can keep your team hitting targets and working well together. Team building is vital in any working environment, but it shouldn’t be reserved for Christmas parties and the occasional office night out. Trying to find new ways to encourage them to build friendships throughout their daily routine can help to create long-lasting bonds and keep everyone getting along, letting them save their drama for home-time and concentrate on their work.
So what can you do to make your employees happier?
Many employers believe that the only way to improve employee happiness is by paying their staff more and giving out financial incentives like bonuses. In many businesses, this just isn’t an option, and in reality, it would not fulfil their long-term happiness. Money as a reward will only be a temporary solution, and once the money is gone or they have become accustomed to the increased wage, the satisfaction is quickly lost again.
You need to be more creative when thinking about ways to boost team morale. Have you ever thought about changing your office environment, or adding anything in to make it a more social space? Hiring out a pool table is a great way to get everyone out of their chairs and socialising with each other around the new trendy item of the office! It is a renowned fact that children learn best when they are playing, and this theory is exactly the same for adults! When people are in a relaxed state of mind, they will enjoy the task at hand and also help to stimulate their imaginations which can aid problem-solving. Here are just a few examples of why hiring a pool table may be the thing that your office needs:
Team Bonding
Adding a pool table to your office can help to bring your team together. You can host monthly tournaments and offer small prizes to the winning team. This gives you the chance to mix up your departments and bring together people who may not have met before. If your office is a big place, then you can even hire more than one pool table, and it will give your employees a chance to go and visit parts of the building that they wouldn’t usually go to. Adding a pool table will create a buzz in the office, and everyone will see the warm atmosphere it has formed. Injecting fun into the standard office day will motivate your employees, and you can use initiates to increase that further.
People Talk
Because of how much time work consumes in our day to day lives, it is one of the topics that is regularly brought up in outside conversations, and if you offer a fun workplace, then your employees are likely to speak highly of your business. When people start sharing stories to their friends about their workplace, it can help to attract new fresh talent and show the world how much your business cares about your employees’ welfare. You can even create more attention via social media, start doing live stories on Instagram when the pool table tournament is on to show everyone what a great place it is for your employees. So whether you are wanting to engage more potential employees or just to spread the word about your business, then a pool table is for you!
Hiring a pool table for your office can really boost your employees’ happiness indefinitely. There are many fun games that you can create around this and that brings everyone together, inspiring team spirit. Hiring a pool table will help separate that divide between departments and create a relaxed, social working place that your employees love to be in! If you are interested in making your office space the best place to work, then get in touch with Amusement Leisure today and see how we can help transform your office space. With prices at as little as £15 per week and no lengthy contracts, you can’t go wrong!