Happy employees are more productive when they at work. In fact, more and more businesses are realising the correlation between employee happiness and having a motivated and productive staff. When a company’s employees are happy at work, they don’t carry the stress and negative energy from their job home. This, in turn, means that these employees are happier at home too, putting them in a better, more positive mood when they come to the office. 

With more focus on our mental health, well-being and happiness, more workplace are making the shift towards employee happiness. Businesses have been rolling out a range of different strategies to make the work environment more hospitable and enjoyable for employees to be in. The modern-day workspace should be one that allows employees to be social, creative, and productive, allowing them the freedom to be the best version of themselves possible. And this begins, with their happiness.  

Let’s take a look at just a few ways that workplaces are changing to focus on employee happiness. 

Offering The Right Sustenance 

The traditional office canteen or break room might have featured cupboards full of biscuits, a vending machine packed with junk food and coffee that tastes terrible. However, nowadays as people pay more attention to what they consume, it’s important to provide a range of healthy, nutrient-dense, delicious snacks to ensure employees are correctly fuelled. Many companies are also retiring their old coffee filter pots for professional-grade office coffee machines and premium coffee beans, like those on offer from Corporate Coffee. Touches like this make your staff feel valued, leading to happier employees. 

Promoting A Work-Life Balance

Nowadays, there is more pressure than ever before to work as hard as you can. Being constantly connected, many employees feel a never-ending pressure to be contactable, effectively meaning they are never truly ‘off’. This situation can create a huge amount of stress as it throws the work-life balance completely out, resulting in a feeling of stress and anxiety. 

Progressive workplaces, however, understand the importance of having the right work-life balance and are promoting this idea to help employees to avoid burnout, which is becoming a real issue for Australian employees. Some strategies that workplaces are trying include allowing for a flexible work schedule, introducing the option to work from home, and encouraging employees to go home when the workday is over. With employees having more control over their schedule, they will be happier in both their work and personal lives. 

Encouraging Communication

When employees are at work, it is important that they feel valued and appreciated. This begins with having clear lines of communication in the workplace. Employers and management should listen to suggestions and ideas from employees. After all, each employee in a company is there for a reason and brings some value to the organisation. With everyone being heard, a positive working relationship will be built with employees feeling a part of the team. Leading from the front, management should recognise their employee’s hard work, sending them home feeling accomplished and happy when a task or a project is done well. 

New Workplace Layouts And Designs

The days of stifling office cubicles, sitting down all day, allocated break times and stiff working environments are in the past for companies striving to improve employee happiness. New modern-day office layouts, like the modern-day workforce, are no longer static but instead bring a new level of flexibility. With this approach to workplace design in mind, many companies are redesigning their workspaces to include standing desks, multi-functional rooms that can be used for video-conference calls, presentations, or as additional desk space for employees who usually work remotely, and other improvements. These new changes to the workplace allow employees to feel more at ease when they’re at work, eliminating stress and allowing positivity to flow. 

Happy Employees Are Crucial For Success

Businesses who build a great team need to ensure that they keep those key employees challenged, motivated, and happy in their work. What’s more, successful businesses need to attract new talent to their company, where they can feel at home in the workplace environment. With more of a focus than ever on employee happiness and well-being, we are seeing an increasing number of companies start to adapt their workplace with employee happiness in mind. After all, a team of happy employees is crucial to the future success of any business, no matter how big or small!