Monday, September 22, 2014
The traditional model of success is all wrong, says researcher, educator and author Shawn Achor in his book,
The Happiness Advantage. We used to think that once we were successful?at work, at home, at life?then we would be happy. But the opposite is in fact true. Happiness is the
precursor to success.
Happy employees lead to more successful employees. And successful employees typically add more to the bottom line. So what can you do to make your employees happy?
Promote Wellness
Benefits of wellness and exercise include the obvious things like improved health, strength and balance as well as reduced feelings of depression. It can also improve a person’s ability to plan activities, quickly shift focus between activities and ignore irrelevant information?all very helpful skills when making decisions during a work day.
A more compelling statistic for business is a study that shows that every dollar spent on worksite wellness has a sixfold return on investment in healthcare claim costs to the company, which, in this day of rising healthcare costs, is not insignificant to a company’s bottom line. If you don’t have the ability to build a gym right in your office, or if you can?t hire personal trainers to work with employees through the day, consider offering free gym memberships to your team or allowing for extra breaks to take walks outside. Most importantly, encourage leaders from the top down to utilize the service so employees understand that health and wellness are part of your corporate culture.
Invest in Technology
Employers who offer a choice in when and where to work have employees who are 12% more satisfied with their jobs, claims a 2013 Gensler study. By providing employees with tablets or smartphones for example, employees are more likely to rank their companies as innovative and be more satisfied with their jobs. Beyond this, providing employees with a platform to connect with their friends and family will allow them to keep in touch with their vital social network outside of office hours. The more a person feels they have social support, the less likely they are to feel depressed or anxious?things which can hinder productivity.
Reduce on-the-job Stress
Research shows that workers exposed to ambient noise, often also have elvated blood as a result. Chronically high blood pressure increases the risk for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Especially for workers with complex jobs, exposure to high noise reduced their job satisfaction levels.
If closed-door office space is not an option for everyone, consider providing
noise-cancelling headsets for employees to help reduce the on-the-job stress. This not only allows employees to focus on projects in silence but it could also boost morale by allowing employees who prefer working with music to listen through regular headsets, thereby allowing them what they need without disturbing the environment for others.
Encourage Volunteering
The Corporation for National & Community Service combed through research to show that older volunteers are most likely to receive greater health benefits when they volunteer over 40 hours a year. Furthermore, the cycle of volunteering and physical well-being are part of a positive reinforcing cycle. If allowing your employees to get paid leave to volunteer for a full week is not an option for your company, consider
instituting a mentoring program within the company. Pair older, more experienced employees with relative newcomers, and encourage them to go out to lunch together, meet for coffees and share experiences and challenges that they face. Research has shown that social support including career mentoring is one of the most predictive of job sa
