The message is always doom and gloom if we’re to believe what we’re told about employee happiness and engagement at work.
Study after study shows most employees aren’t engaged, they aren’t productive and, on the whole, the workplace is a pretty depressing place to be. We don’t like this view of the world. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to change it and to create a smiling workforce.
Because a smiling workforce is an engaged workforce and if you have high levels of employee engagement you’ll be more productive and successful than your competitors.
So how do you go about giving employees the satisfaction they crave? It will ultimately be down to you, to find out what works for your company and your team, but here are some ideas to get you started.
1. Have an identity
Build and develop an identity for your business your employees can buy into and give them a mission statement they can really believe in. We all love to feel part of something and a collective identity will see improved collaboration, communication and a greater sense of purpose. Every business has the power to change the world, do your employees know how they are doing it?
2. Control
Give employees control. Whether it’s through flexible working hours, choosing the shifts they work or holding regular Q&A sessions with senior leadership, employees will welcome a sense of ownership over their job and be happier for it. London City Airport use Quinyx as their workforce management solution and Aviation Security Officer, Belynda Maquis-Mondesir, says the system gives her control over her life.
“Quinyx has a massive impact on my life,” she says. “Since we’ve started using it I haven’t missed a birthday, an anniversary or family time. It’s impossible to put a price on how valuable that is.”
3. Collective goals
We all want something to work towards so we can feel the sense of achievement when we reach it. Collective goals are a great way of doing this. They can be everything from company-wide KPIs to team-specific targets. This works even more effectively if hitting targets results in a company-wide benefit everyone can enjoy.
4. Use time effectively
Nothing drains happiness quite so effectively as having a day of back to back meeting where it feels like nothing is achieved. By using time more effectively you’ll be able to cut out the elements of work people least enjoy and allow them to focus on what they love doing. This was put into action by GANT and Gudrun Sjödén when they began using Quinyx.
5. Enjoy each other’s company
Learn to like your team and encourage regular socialising which happens outside of the work environment. Monthly kick-offs are a great way of doing this and a chance for employees to become friends as well as colleagues.
6. Workout
Or do yoga. Or play ping-pong. Do something that gets the blood pumping and the endorphins flowing. A sedentary environment is a static one. Offer activities after work that allow your employees to cut loose. They’ll be healthier and happier for it.
7. Make work exciting
As well as the identity we mentioned previously, have a vision and don’t be scared embracing it. Every company, no matter what industry, can aim to change the world. Set your sights high and let your ambitions soar. At Quinyx, we develop workforce management software, yet it’s through this software that we are changing the way people work and making their lives better for it.
8. Enjoy good music
And so we finish with music. Have an office playlist on Spotify and encourage different departments to put a new selection of songs together each week. Music can make people happier and even lead to improved productivity. Here is Quinyx' Spotify Playlist. Enjoy!
Enjoying work isn’t just an ideal. It has to be a reality and the result of having happier employees is being able to do more, in less time; the very definition of increasing productivity. If you make improving employee satisfaction one of your key priorities you’ll automatically be improving the quality of your product and your service.
