5 Simple Secrets to Creating a Joyful Workplace
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Finding ways to make work environments even a little bit happier can have a tremendous payoff
Key Takeaways
Happier employees have been proven to be more productive.
Even small efforts to make work happier for team members can make a big difference.
Have a company culture that prioritizes happiness, positive reinforcement, and providing workers with what they value are ways to generate workplace joy.
This year can be described using many words, but most would agree that “joyful” is not one of them. The pandemic alone has blurred work-life balance, compounded many common stressors, and brought on widespread general malaise. Positivity is in short supply.
That is why it is more important than ever to inject some happiness into your daily work.
Studies have shown that happier employees are more productive, creative, and even more successful at sales. While happy companies may not all be alike, those with more than their share of positive people model behaviors worth emulating.
Here are five secrets to generating workplace joy:
1. Make happiness a habit
Positive thinking is contagious and habit-forming. Leaders who model positivity in their professional life are more likely to see their attitude and actions imitated by their employees. And research shows that a positive mindset improves performance on nearly every level.
Bringing joy into an average workday can be as simple as acknowledging everyone with a smile and personal attention. Company leaders should cultivate a culture of appreciation and kindness. This environment should be reinforced by the company’s policies, both formal and informal.
To encourage a culture of happiness in your workplace, look for ways to engage in at least one positive activity each day (or maybe each week). Schedule team activities on the company’s time to encourage employees working from home to maintain their connections. In the office, plan ways to get people moving and interacting. Celebrate employee milestones and achievements.
2. Reward often
Especially during difficult times, positive reinforcement is an essential component of workplace happiness. Grand gestures are unnecessary—often, all a reward needs to be is something that will convey appreciation with thoughtfulness.
Promote with great fanfare and recognize “lesser” achievements that do not merit a promotion but are otherwise noteworthy. A cash bonus is nice, but so is an extra perk—perhaps an additional day of paid time off, or a better office or parking spot, or a paid-for meal to take home.
3. Pay attention to the little things
Instead of company-wide initiatives you’ve read about somewhere, look for organization-specific ways to improve mood and morale. Figure out what brings your employees joy. And if it’s within reason, provide it for them. This could be as relatively easy as enhancing basic workplace amenities or as challenging as greater flexibility in work hours. You won’t know what works until you ask and do some active listening.
4. Introduce new experiences and opportunities
Sometimes, a change of pace or role can have a positive impact on an employee’s outlook. Boredom and unhappiness are often related. For team members returning to work after being home-bound, for example, the office may soon lose its novelty and feel more like a cage than a healthy environment.
Giving teams the autonomy to reengineer the way things have always been done can ignite some new interest in the job.
Additionally, offering employees ways to educate themselves on the company’s time and dime can increase workplace happiness. Subsidizing career development classes, informational and recreational outside trips, and guest speakers can spark some curiosity and joy.
5. Help employees thrive
In times of extreme stress and pervasive negativity, the way out is not just surviving but thriving. Thriving is the psychological state in which people experience a sense of both vitality and learning. Rather than giving into malaise, thrivers find a way to use the situation to pivot, grow, and develop.
How? These individuals are not inherently more resilient or mentally fit. They have simply harnessed something within themselves that allows them to be positive and outward-looking. Some of their secrets are avoiding negativity and thinking neutrally, being mindful of what they say, managing their energy, and actively seeking positive relationships.
A path to mental wellness
Joy seems like an extravagant thing to prioritize amid an economic downturn and widespread unease in our country, but it’s proven to be a formidable defense during a crisis. And the need for positivity and mental well-being is universal. Bringing a little bit of joy into the workplace—prioritizing it—has exponential benefits.
Carrington Legal Search is celebrating 20 years in business: we were in the trenches with our clients during 9/11 and 2008. We partner with our clients to identify leaders and mission-critical talent to shore up and grow companies even during the most challenging times. We are here for you! To make our nationwide network work for you, get in touch at 512-627-7467 or email carrie@carringtonlegal.com.