Why happiness is key
It is no secret that happy employees are not only more successful when it comes to their careers, but give a high level of devotion to the company as a whole. But how much exactly does our state of mind affect our work performance?
When we take a look at a recent Oxford study (Employee Retention and The Pursuit of Happiness), the statistics give a real insight into how happiness and performance are linked.
- Happy people are three times more creative.
- There is a 31% increase in productivity.
- 40% of individuals are more likely to get a promotion
- 56% of staff have greater sales productivity.
- 39% are more likely to live to the age of 94
With statistics like that it hard to ignore the real impact of your team’s state of mind.
Although happiness at work can be down to influences we have no control over, such as personal situations, there are several factors internally that we can mould to help contribute for the better.
Leaders over managers
A effective way to keep morale up is to ensure your senior team are leaders and not just ‘managers’. So what is the difference? A manager tends to focus on optimising processes and achieving a specific goal. Whereas, a leader focuses on each individual, motivating, influencing and enabling them to achieve that very same goal while making people feel appreciated and heard.
A survey of 2,100 UK employees, conducted by Visier, found that 43 per cent of workers have left a job at some point in their career because of their manager, The poll also found that more than half (53 per cent) of those considering leaving their jobs say that they were looking to change roles because of their manager.
Manager
- Gives direction
- Has subordinates
- Tells you what
- Has good ideas
- Reacts to change
- Tries to be a hero
- Exercises power
Leader
- Asks questions
- Has followers
- Shows you how
- Actions good ideas
- Creates change
- Makes hereos
- Develops power
When looking at staff turnover for businesses that have a fantastic leadership team in place, it is significantly lower then those who do not. Employees noted with a great leader, they feel heard, understood and respected which has a direct correlation to their mindset when to comes to the workplace.
What else can we do?
With 89% of workers experiencing burnout within the past year, acting on the signs has never been more important. Help alleviate burn out by managing work loads, delegating tasks if a member is struggling to hit deadlines and most importantly, hire the correct amount of staff for the job.
Whether this be flexible locations, such as working from home, or flexible hours. Allowing your team to work in a way that best suits them will help them to fit their work around their personal commitments such as school drop offs or in our case, horses.
Offering a career development plan, that is tailored to that individual, gives them a clear picture on what they need to achieve in order to progress. This eliminates frustration and lack of communication when it comes to promotions.
While some are motivated by the aspect of promotions and career development, others may not. Rewards can come in all forms, whether that be experience days, bonuses or extra holiday. Understand what drives your team to succeed and reward accordingly.
'Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work'
