What makes a happy workplace?

How happy is your workplace? A good working environment is at the top of many’s wish list, and can be as important to some jobseekers as a competitive salary or a strong benefits package.

Creating a happy workplace is a good way to increase job satisfaction and develop loyal employees, but it isn’t always easy to achieve. So what does it take to make a happy workplace? Take a look at some of the suggestions below and transform your workplace into a happier one.

Flexible working

As more and more businesses start offering flexible working to employees, it becomes an increasingly important deciding factor when looking for job opportunities. Flexible working improves the work-life balance for your employees, helping them to manage childcare and other commitments around their working day, while also increasing productivity. Flexible working has proven benefits for mental health, so why not offer it in your workplace?

Training and development opportunities

Company loyalty is becoming rarer today, and it’s easy for workers, particularly from younger generations to move around several companies throughout the course of their careers. One way to encourage employees to stay is by offering training and development opportunities. By giving your staff the opportunity to learn new skills and work their way up through the company, you’ll stand a better chance of retainment and develop a strong workforce who’ve grown through the company. Some useful training programs to have include sales training, management training, and marketing courses to help your employees develop a range of skills. Investing money into training is a great investment for your business, providing benefits for both you and your employees.

Encourage wellness

A healthy workforce is a happy one, and focusing on the health and wellbeing of your employees can help them feel valued and appreciated. There are different health and wellbeing initiatives you can introduce to help employees look after themselves better. Offering healthy snacks instead of typical sweet treats, discounted gym memberships and cycle to work programs are great for improving health in the workplace to ensure fewer sick days and happier staff.

Many companies arrange health and wellbeing days to show employees how they can manage their health better, as well as address any barriers that could be stopping them from achieving wellness.

Reward hard work

While getting paid is an excellent incentive to show up to work, having other rewards can encourage employees to work harder, as well as recognize their achievements. It’s easy to focus on what can be done better, but by rewarding hard work and showing praise – you’ll instill pride in your employees and show that what they do matters to the company. Have regular feedback sessions where you focus on what’s gone well to keep up the enthusiasm and create a more positive working environment.

Creating a happy workplace is in the best interests of your company, so always look for ways you can make your office a better place to work. A happy workplace encourages people to work their best, helping to turn your business into the success that it deserves to be.

Photo by MARK ADRIANE

Christine Buske is a former academic who left science at the bench, and now considers herself a woman in tech. She is a frequently invited speaker, and enjoys talking about career transformation (particularly leaving academia for the business world), tech, issues around women in tech, product management, agile, and outreach. She is a proud Canadian resident, and qualifies as a "serial expat".

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