Workplace Wellness: How Can Leaders Up The Happiness Factor?

It has to be worked at.  It is far easier to focus on the difficult,the stressful, the negative and the disappointing.  There are so many examples of them happening all around us and the media, our colleagues and our friends are more than eager to point them out to us.  These things make up most of our normal, everyday conversations.

According to an Ipsos Mori survey, 77% people in the developed world say they are happy. And contrary to some beliefs, as we age, so do people’s general happiness and satisfaction. One study found that about 62%of 18-34 reported being happy and satisfied, however, 78% of those over 65 reported being happy and satisfied.

Happiness can be either a feeling or a way of showing, meaning that happiness is not necessarily an internal or external experience, but can be both. 40% of our happiness seems to be controlled by our thoughts, actions and behaviours.

Happier People Live Longer: One study found that happier people were 35% less likely to die during the 5 years of the study.

Happier People Are More Productive: Happier people were found to be 12% more productive than less happy people.

Happiness Can Combat Stress: Happier people were found to have less cortisol and hence less stress, than those who were less happy.

 

Not everyone can be happy all the time, but there are things that you can do to promote your overall health and happiness. Sometimes it is the simple things that can increase our happiness. For example, each additional happy person that you surround yourself with, it was found that your own feelings of happiness increase by 9%.

Gratitude, Generosity, and Self-Care

Research shows that gratitude is the number one personality trait that promotes happiness.

Performing kind acts can help reverse feelings of depression, decrease feelings of hostility and isolation, decrease intensity and the awareness of physical pain, and increase sense of self-worth, happiness, and optimism.

Happy people focus on fun and laughter, eating happiness promoting food, having a healthy sex life, sleeping well, getting outside, and taking the time to savour moments and experiences.

Companies with happy employees were found to outperform the competition by 20%, have 37% higher sales, have employees who take 10X fewer sick days, were 3x more creative, and were more likely to stay with their employers for the long term.

Big Viking Games in London, ON., hired a ‘happiness engineer’to create a low-stress work environment in a high-stress industry. The video game company is dedicated to doing just about anything to keep their employees happy. Their arsenal of happiness includes daily catered lunches, a soft-serve ice cream machine, and even puppies. Albert Lai, co-founder of Big Viking Games, believes that if the company creates a happier work environment everyone will want to be a part of it. He then hopes it will attract the best people for every position in the company. Those people will then design the best products, and create more profits.

Lai knows that he will get a return on this investment from the employees they hire. “Can you afford not to do it, and be successful?  We cannot afford to have anything less but stellar people working with us,” say Lai. His theory seems to be proving itself. Its progressive culture has also landed them in the top ten of the 50 Best Workplaces in Canada in 2017 and 2018.

Hiring a happiness engineer may not be an option for all companies, however, all companies can benefit from upping the happiness factor in their workplace. As a leader, look at how you can you focus more on gratitude, generosity and self-care within your teams.

Ask your teams what suggestions, large and small, will create a happier workplace for them. Even small steps are noticed and appreciated.  Try not to make the mistake of looking at these as minor details. As Lai mentioned, unhappy employees are not giving you their best and are not able to give you their best.  This is impacting your bottom line.