International Day of Happiness: How to Keep Your Employees Happy

Your perfectly optimized content goes here! According to some research , happy employees at work are also 12% more productive than unhappy employees. In addition to that jobs report, Fortune 100 companies that had happy employees saw a6%  growth in their stock price in the market.

One of the other benefits of having happy employees is that you’re more likely to boost your retention rates. During the Great Resignation, this could be the key to keeping your top talent, but it will also help your employer branding to attract top candidates. 

Since ensuring employee happiness is so important, read on to find a few strategies that will make sure your employees love coming to work.

Prioritize Work-Life Balance

With the rise of COVID-19, companies sent many employees to work remotely, and many people found that this gave them a better work-life balance. This is a top priority for employees, even more than compensation in some cases. 

Evan Sohn, CEO of Recruiter.com, has also noticed that candidates’ priorities are shifting : “When looking at our Recruiter Index and looking at the candidates that our recruiters talk to, [we see that] priorities have changed. Compensation is no longer the most important thing for people. Work-life balance, remote work, new experiences – this is all building up where employees are not sticking around in a job they don’t like anymore.”

Work-life balance means that they can better manage their time at work and their personal time. Employees feel like they can commit to their job without sacrificing their family or personal lives. 

If you want a happy and healthy work environment, this is one of the most critical factors. It will help your employees feel more satisfied overall, which will help them avoid being burnt out at work and eventually quitting. 

You can help them achieve a good work-life balance by:

• Avoid long workdays
• Offer more vacation time
• Give employees holidays off
• Offer flexible schedules
• Offer remote or hybrid schedules
• Consider a four-day workweek
• Avoid tasking massive amounts of work to one employee

You can also ask your employees what they would like to help improve their work-life balance.

Be Transparent

If you ask for feedback, make sure that you have some follow-up to that action, or your employees may feel like you don’t care about their opinion. Be transparent about what you’ve learned and how you will address the problem. 

While communicating success is essential, your employees will appreciate it when you share when something goes wrong. However, make sure you have a plan to correct the problems. 

It can be challenging for employers to be transparent in the workplace, but your employees will value it and feel like they are a true part of the team.

Offer Training

Employees want to know that you care about their career, so provide them training and growth opportunities. Offer sponsorship and mentoring opportunities so that employees can advance their skills and knowledge. 

You should hold regular meetings with your employees to help them plan their careers and figure out what they need from you to get there. If an employee doesn’t see a path forward with your company, you might want to have a conservation on why and figure out how you can change that. 

Your employees should also have somewhere to look for information regarding different career paths or job opportunities at your company. 

Make Employees Feel Valued

If you want to have a positive work environment, you need to ensure that your employees feel valued. Offer praise when appropriate, and you should also encourage them or guide them. 

If employees make a mistake, don’t yell at them or punish them. Instead, offer them constructive criticism and help them understand the correct process. Disciplining employees will only make them bitter and resentful, and they won’t feel supported in the workplace.

Even the most minor efforts can make employees feel valued, including smiling, asking how they’re doing, and asking questions about their life. For example, if you notice that an employee has a hard time, you could reach out to them and offer them resources and help. 

Hold Team Events

When employees feel like they’re part of the team and have friends at work, they’re more likely to feel happy at work. One way to foster those connections and employee engagement is to host team bonding events. 

You should hold regular team or company meetings where people have a space to talk about their concerns or feedback. This meeting can also give you a space to communicate essential things so that no one feels left out or like they’re the last ones to know.

You can also hold events where employees can bring their family or friends. This could be a fair, picnic, or workshop. This will help you foster a family relationship both inside and outside of work, which could help employees feel happier and more connected. 

Another great activity would be to host a charity or volunteer event. Allow employees to donate their time or money. Sometimes, this can remind employees why they’re working, making them feel more fulfilled in every aspect of their lives. 

Listen to Employees

Some employees will have concerns about a decision, a complaint about a process they think could be more efficient, or even something they think you’re doing right. Whatever it is, make sure you give them a chance to voice their opinion.

You may learn something that could improve your company, but it will also show your employee that you care about what they have to say. 

You may even want to set aside time each month or quarterly where you seek out your employer’s feedback.

‍Offer Flexible Working Schedules and Hours

According to some research , 77% of employees said that having flexibility in working schedules and location made them more productive and less stressed.

With COVID-19 cases declining, some companies are attempting to bring employees back into the office, but many people are voicing their opposition to this change. After two years of working remotely, employees have found that having the flexibility to do laundry on their lunch break or sleep in for an extra hour instead of commuting helped significantly increase employees’ happiness. 

With the Great Resignation and a candidate’s market, many employees will take this opportunity to leave to find a workplace that gives them flexibility. 

While working remotely is essential, many people also want flexible working hours. People don’t want to work a 9-5 anymore, but they want the trust that they’ll get their work done even when they’re not adhering to a typical work schedule. 

Keep Employees Happy at Work by Hiring Help

If your company has recently grown or lost some top talent, your employees may feel burnt out from all the extra work they’ve had to take on. To boost employee happiness and show them that you value their time and mental health, you can hire more help. 

However, some companies don’t have the resources or proper tools for an efficient hiring process. That’s where Recruiter.com comes in. We have recruiters on-demand, job posting abilities, and powerful AI sourcing software.

If you’re interested in any of these solutions, contact us today . We can help you find candidates that will make your employees happy and positively influence your workplace.