As part of our Seven Spokes of Wellness Series: Hiring Happiness Engineers
Companies in all sectors have been increasingly investigating and investing in the happiness of their employees.
You might have heard that back in 2014 Big Viking Games in London, ON., hired ‘happiness engineers’ to create a low-stress work environment in a high-stress industry. The video game company was (and is) dedicated to doing just about anything to keep their employees happy. Albert Lai, co-founder of Big Viking Games, believed that if the company creates a happier work environment everyone would want to be a part of it.
Big Viking Games Happiness Coordinator’s primary goal was to ensure the happiness of all Viking employees by executing on their perks, assisting with company events, and even stocking the pantry with groceries and other necessities like cookies. But let’s be clear, it is not their job to keep people happy 24/7. Frankly, it is impossible for people to be happy 100% of the time. Their job is to create work environments where employees can bring the best of themselves to the workplace and fulfil their aspirations.
The Director of Happiness at Social Chain outlines that their duty is to create a fun and enjoyable workplace for staff by celebrating all staff achievements, organizing group activities, arranging classes on valuable life skills and creating welcoming spaces that encourage creativity. Companies like Etsy have gone so far as to create their own Gross Happiness Index.
Employee Happiness As A Business Strategy
Happy employees are engaged employees. An engaged employee is someone who works with passion and feels a profound connection to their company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.
Happiness does not just happen. It has to be worked at. Happiness is a changeable state.
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. A good chunk of our happiness (about 40%)seems to be controlled by our thoughts, actions and behaviours. (Sonja Lyubomirsky)
So why does this matter? A UK study in the Journal of Labor Economics concluded that happier people are about 12% more productive than those who are not. Happier people were found to have less cortisol and hence less stress, than those who were less happy.
Companies with happy employees were found to outperform the competition by 20% (University of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy), have 37% higher sales (Harvard Business Review), have employees who take 10X fewer sick days (iOpener Institute for People and Performance), were 3x more creative (Harvard Business Review), and were more likely to stay with their employers for the long term.
Leaders can look at all of their processes to ensure a happy experience by ensuring that onboarding, career planning, performance management, engagement and recognition to off-boarding and retirement are reviewed from a happiness-oriented approach.
How You Can Achieve A Happy Culture Without A Chief Happiness Officer?
Ensure the foundation is solid. If the basic needs of an employee are not being met, there is no point in trying to increase their happiness level. Are they compensated fairly? Do they have the resources to do the job effectively? Is their time and experience valued and respected? Do you hire, fire, and promote based on your company values?
Give your people a voice. 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 believed, unhappy employees are not giving you their best. This is impacting your bottom line. Encourage open communication, constructive feedback, and recognition of achievements.
Encourage an enjoyable environment. This involves employees doing things they find enjoyable in the office, such as having open conversations with colleagues or learning a new skill. Offer training programs, workshops, and mentorship opportunities to help employees develop new skills and advance in their careers. Very few people are naturally prone to perform well in teams without instruction and guidance. Emphasize the importance of teamwork and collective success over individual achievements. Spend time on teambuilding exercises, effective communication, stress management, and conflict resolution.
In cultivating a happy culture within an organization, leaders play an important role as stewards of employee well-being and organizational success. Monitoring and analyzing the happiness levels in your team will help you to predict and manage employee engagement and employee retention. You will not be able to please everyone or make everyone happy, but the majority of your people will respect your efforts and this will positively impact your corporate environment.
Contact Beverly about hosting a mental health workshop on how to create engagement in the workplace. Discover tips to deal with stress, build social connectedness and focus on the importance of workplace relationships!
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If you have some strategies to share – comment on this posting!
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