According Forbesspan Style=”font weight: 400 ;”>, Happy employees are 20% more efficient than unhappy ones. With new generations entering the workplace and changing employee expectations, it is important for organizations to understand how to enhance employee happiness. It’s never been more important to think about what workplace happiness will look like in 2024.
This article shares the essential components of employee satisfaction in today’s workplace. These include empowering employees to speak up, working toward fulfilment and creating inclusive physical spaces.
Feeling safe and secure at work
Leaders continue to prioritize wellbeing despite encouraging employees to express their concerns. It is often due to a lack of a crucial element in organizations: psychological safety.
According Lesley Cooper of WorkingWell and co-author “ Brave New Leaderspan size=”font-weight 400 ;”>”, leaders who want to improve workplace satisfaction should begin by creating spaces in which people can voice their concerns without fear of negative outcomes.
Leaders should use the information they gather to address the root causes. Cooper says that workplace happiness is only possible when the underlying problems are addressed.
She summarizes, “As a leader, your role is to build a foundation of trust by creating psychological safety and a happy workplace.”
Building inclusive Physical Spaces
In addition to focusing on psychological safety, it is also important that inclusive physical spaces be created in order to create a happy workplace. Natasha Kitson of Maternity Mentor says that when employees don’t have spaces tailored to them, they may feel uncomfortable, unsupported and, at worst, their health could worsen.
spanstyle=”font weight: 400 ;”>”For instance, women who are nursing require a private space to pump and frequent breaks every 3-4 hour. They could suffer from mastitis, or have a decreased supply. This would affect both the mother’s and baby’s health. Kitson explains that their happiness at work is dependent on the physical space they need.
She says that managers need to have proactive conversations with their employees about creating physical spaces that provide individuals and teams all they need to be healthy, happy and productive.
Empowering employee voices
Employees want to know that their ideas and contributions are taken seriously, and they can make a difference at their workplace. The key to a happy workplace is to make sure that employees feel valued and appreciated.
Lauren Neal is the author of “ Valued at Workspan size=”font weight: 400 ;”>”, and founder of Valued at Work consulting. She explains that taking into account employees’ opinions, showing them respect regardless of their seniority can be beneficial not only for individuals but also for organisations.
By giving your employees the opportunity to participate in the discussion, you will help them develop into leaders of the future. You’re not only gaining a diverse range of opinions by inviting more people to participate in the discussion but also investing in the future of your company.
Neal says, “This is an important factor for both employee happiness and workplace retention.”
A consistent leader
Leaders’ behaviour can have a significant impact on employee happiness. It shapes the culture and determines how employees feel. Leaders who make promises and then act in the opposite way create an environment of stress, as team members are constantly trying to understand what their leaders really mean.
Sarah Langslow, executive leadership coach and author of “Do Sweat The Small Stuff” highlights the importance of consistency as a leader. Even if you are sending the right message verbally, your micro-interactions and habits could be saying something else .”
Langslow continues: “For instance, if you encourage a team to reach out to you when it’s struggling, but they hear you complain that you have too much to do, they may feel uncomfortable and avoid you.”
Leaders with clear and consistent communication will create a happier work environment because their employees can rely and trust what they are saying, and not second-guess them.
Fostering collective consciousness
Dr Lisa Turner is an expert in emotional resilience, conscious awareness and the author of “ The Conscious Tipping Pointspan size=”font weight: 400 ;”>”, Leaders should take a holistic approach which includes transcendence.
Transcendent leadership, by fostering collective consciousness, unites people around a common purpose and promotes personal and collective growth. This can not only promote happiness at work, but also lead to meaningful social change.
In today’s world where we are constantly challenged, a true leader is one who inspires transformation. Leaders who adopt this collective and transcendent approach build workplaces which go beyond personal goals and align with larger societal outcomes, such as sustainability and social impacts,” Turner says. A PWC survey revealed that 83% of respondents ranked finding meaning in their work as a top priority.
Employees take control of their own happiness
While happiness can be found in external factors like promotions and perks, Mynoo Myel, a spiritual leader, thought-leader, and author of the book “ The Flourishing Codespan size=”font weight: 400 ;”>”, Mynoo, believes that happiness is something an individual must reclaim. She explains that there is only one way to reduce the happiness you enjoy and that’s by giving it away to others.
Maryel encourages individuals to take control of their own happiness, looking inside themselves and determining what they truly need from their work and career. Maryel encourages people to be in control of their happiness, by looking within themselves and determining what they really need from work and their career. She adds, “You are in control of your destiny.”
Recognizing that constant happiness in the workplace is unreal
Beth Stallwood is an organisational consultant and the author of the book “ ;”>”,. She argues, however, that the idea people should be always happy at work, is unrealistic. The workplace is a place where we can experience all kinds of emotions. From moments of joy to times of stress and depression, the workplace has it all. WorkJoy doesn’t mean being always happy, wearing a fake grin or feeling never frustrated. She says that’s toxic positive thinking.
If you expect your team to be happy all the time, they may mask their true feelings. This is unproductive and unhealthy in the long term. Focusing on job satisfaction and overall wellbeing is a better way to achieve a balanced outlook. It’s normal to feel depressed and have bad days. It’s okay to be neutral or content. “What matters is that positive feelings and experiences outweigh WorkGloom over time,” concludes Stallwood.
Work towards fulfillment instead
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Happiness can change every day. I have worked with people who described themselves as being happy, but could not answer the question about whether they felt fulfilled. Fulfillment is about how your purpose and overall well-being affect your career. It also takes into consideration your personal brand and your connections with others. Workplace fulfilment is measured by how deeply you consider these factors, and how they relate to your purpose.
Kennedy also adds that fulfilling people is about recognizing that there will be bumps along the way, but that with resilience tools you can manage them because you know that you’re ultimately on the right track. These tools can help organisations to create more motivated and engaged staff.
The original version of this article, What will workplace happiness be in 2024?, appeared first on Human Resources News.
