Trending
Employee Happiness.
This coupling of words has been a buzz for quite some time for HR pros, but I am not sure the buzz has been taken seriously simply because it gets on the bandwagon with the other shiny objects that can change the business today. But I am here to tell you employee happiness is one of out the thousands of shiny objects on the bandwagon you need to pay attention to0.
Why?
Many of us measure employee happiness with just that, whether or not an employee likes their job. However, happiness is manifested in so much more than just liking a job. Happiness is weaved into liking one’s position, duties being completed, workload, co-workers, work environment, etc. and not finding enjoyment out of the host of impacts in the work environment can cause stress for someone. Especially as we see more workplaces shift to less people completing more work.
Stress alone can impact the organization through increase turnover, decreased productivity, and high absenteeism of employees. Lost productivity from employees in the US costs organizations approximately $200 billion each year. And this isn’t from employees not being at work, this is on the basis the employee is present, but lacks productivity. If this doesn’t wake you up, it should.
Getting employees engaged in the work they do is not easy, but it does start with the work environment, culture, and relationships. And we know this because we see it time and time again. Take Zappos for instance – they have created a culture and work environment that has lent itself to create a $2 billion dollar business. A lot based on the culture they create inside, which directly impacts how their customers get service. So why can’t all organizations imitate this same behavior?
Because it is hard and it takes awareness. And the awareness first starts with understanding employee happiness is, again, more than just whether someone likes their job. To assist on the journey of understanding what impact employee happiness can have on the business, I recently came across an infographic I would like to share.
Take a look and share your ideas and thoughts on how you are promoting employee happiness in the workplace. Including YOUR OWN!