We did a post back in 2016 on Employee Happiness. So much has happened in this time we have updated to 2022. Here is the past article for you to review if you choose as well https://freshhrinsights.com.au/employee-happiness-2016/
How to Keep Your Employees Happy in 2022?
Are happy employees a myth? Some people think so, but we beg to differ. Companies often spend a lot of time focusing on productivity and employee engagement, but what they miss out on the most is keeping their employees happy.
Happiness can be the biggest motivator for anyone. It can help us do things with more vigor, passion, and interest, which automatically leads to better outcomes. The corporate world does not usually focus on employee happiness as they deem it unachievable. They think that whatever they do, they may never be able to achieve the utmost happiness of their employees.
However, in 2022, when the world is shaken up by the tragedy of the pandemic, many of us are reconsidering the way we used to see things. Companies are now more likely to show compassion towards their employees and are making good changes that can lead to employee happiness.
If you are a human resource manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that your employees are not just satisfied with their jobs but are happy to be working for you.
How can You Make Your Employees Happy?
If you find it difficult to make your employees happy, you must consider practicing the following tips to ensure that employees do not walk into the office with a gloomy or tired face every morning.
Work-Life Balance
All work and no play will definitely burn your employees out! Your employees must understand that work is just a part of their life. Once they are out of the office, they must not indulge in work activities.
There are two points to consider when talking about work-life balance, the first being companies that push their employees to answer questions or attend work-related calls after work hours.
The second one is that employees who try to overreach. And hence, they end up working beyond their working hours, losing focus and work-life balance. This may not seem like a big problem in the short term, but if employees continuously blur the boundaries between work and life, the stress will cause them great harm.
Companies need to address these concerns and focus on promoting a work-life balance. Talk about it with your employees and let them know that you do not expect them to work when they are out of the office or taking a much-needed break.
Flexibility
There are many situations that demand flexibility from the employer. For instance, it might not be possible for an employee to come to the office for a week or so. In this case, the company should show some flexibility and allow the employees to work from home, so they do not have to worry about missing out on work.
If the company shows flexibility towards their employees, the employee will be very appreciative of the employer’s efforts.
Similarly, if your employee has some serious commitments and is unable to give you the hours they promised, give them the flexibility to work around their schedule. This will give your employees great satisfaction, and they will feel catered to and appreciated.
Career Growth
A stagnant job is the worst career move for any employee. Many employees feel dissatisfied with their jobs because they see no growth in the future. Humans have the innate urge to climb the ladder and do something better or different every once in a few years.
Having no career growth can make them unhappy as they do not have the motivation to work hard or a goal to look forward to.
To keep your employees happy, the company must focus on career growth opportunities. This way, the employees will be assured that there is a chance for them to have career mobility.
Work Environment
The work environment is an important contributor to employee happiness. A positive work environment will help employees feel more comfortable.
Going to work when you know that you are not going to be happy can be one of the biggest challenges. A happy work environment doesn’t have to make employees laugh and giggle; instead, a happy work environment means complete transparency. This means that the work environment is healthy enough, and employees can talk about all their concerns easily.
This allows employees to be very upfront with their issues and gives them the space to discuss plausible solutions. You can hold different seminars to spread awareness and give employees the confidence that their workplace is accommodating and will listen to their concerns.
Recognition
Imagine being the best at your job and having no recognition; it almost feels like all your efforts have gone down the drain. Recognition is very important to ensure that your efforts are acknowledged. Many companies hesitate to recognize as they believe that recognition means a big gesture.
However, recognition doesn’t have to be big. A simple ‘thank you‘ or ‘well done‘ is enough to acknowledge the efforts of your employees.
Simple encouragement can go a long way for your employee. If you really want to go above and beyond with your recognition, you can set up different programs to ensure employees are recognized for all the hard work they do.
Benefits
Giving your employees a fixed salary is not enough, as there are many other benefits that your employees expect and demand. These benefits can be several different things. They can be the facility of getting loans or something as simple as having the company celebrate your birthday at any scale. Benefits give employees the motivation to keep working hard and retain their job.
In Conclusion
If you are a company that wants to ensure that their employees lead a happy life and are productive as employees, then you must not just preach happiness but take actionable steps to ensure it.