Happiness and productivity at work: 5 measures

The well-being and participation of employees in their respective departments significantly improves productivity and efficiency. Companies must be aware that the area of emotions and feelings is an area that must be worked on, expanded and developed with care, especially in such complex times as we are living in.

Happiness impacts productivity at work

Various psychological studies show that happy teams are the most productive. Companies that invest in it, make an effort to develop this area and work on emotions and affections, end up improving the productivity of their team: they obtain good results compared to companies that neglect this aspect.

Happiness at work retains up to 44% of talent within a company, according to studies by US consultancy Gallup.

5 steps to boost happiness at work

Below, we share five steps to create happy work environments.

1. Continuous feedback and communication

Dialogue is key; all unidirectional actions without communication are useless. If we want to know the degree of employee well-being, the key is to ask them directly about what makes them happy. Collecting qualitative and quantitative data will help us to measure the temperature of the company:

• How does the employee view the company?
• How do you see how things can be improved in all respects?
• What ideas would be interesting to help you perform better in your work?

Based on the data collected, companies should develop and adapt a wellbeing plan and establish a happiness index.

2. People first

People first business tactics place people and their working environment at the centre of professional action. This field is very broad and mixes psychology, coaching, training, pedagogy and management. The basic idea is to devise strategies that focus on the interests and needs of the employee, such as:

• training;
• the analysis;
• participation;
• communication;
• promotion;
• stability;
• other company-specific and individual factors.

Let's start treating workers as people and avoid referring to them as "resources" or "candidates".

3. Vision, mission and commitment

If there is one thing that drives talent, it is to give meaning to what they do every day. Let's set interesting goals, both at an efficiency level and at a human level.

What are we working for?

Surely there are dozens of targets in our company that show admirable and exemplary human values. Let's shine a light on them. It is about going beyond paying the employee or associate a monthly salary for performing certain functions and occupying a position. Let's give them a collective sense of purpose, let's set goals for the progress and well-being of the company. That extra will give us meaning and commitment.

4. Transparent communication

It is about implementing a transparent and accountable communication policy. We must effectively communicate how the work of the teams impacts on productivity. Employees need to know what is happening with their work and how it benefits the company in order to feel involved and interested in the common goals.
Business coaching experts say that people who are constantly informed about how their work impacts the bottom line increase their productivity.

5. Trust

Happiness at work cannot be achieved through emotional pay alone; job improvements must be real and tangible.

Recent research indicates that employees particularly value teleworking, work-life balance and trust.

If employees can work from home in a flexible and self-managed way, they will feel this as a sign of respect, trust and certainty. This decision brings with it many other benefits:

1. Productivity is often improved.
2. It reduces fixed costs.
3. It allows a better balance between personal and family life.

Final tips

What conclusions do we draw? Better business results can be achieved if we introduce principles, methodology and strategies to enhance well-being at work into our corporate culture. This is why we need to put this issue on our company's agenda. Well-being equals motivation, which ultimately translates into productivity.

As the famed psychologist Shawn Achor noted, "happiness is the fuel for success, not the other way around". In other words, if we are happy and work in optimal and motivating conditions, we end up being more diligent and productive people. Nowadays, work and well-being must inevitably go hand in hand.