Employee happiness is linked directly to productivity, so if your business overlooks people’s feelings and concentrates solely on bottom lines and targets, you could be missing out.
The concept of looking after employees’ emotional wellbeing is apparently still alien to some companies, as around one-third of UK adults feel unhappy in their job.
According to the Work Happiness Score study of around 1,800 companies, conducted by Indeed, 90% of people believe it’s important to be happy at work, regardless of the salary. In fact, research shows the average worker in Britain would even take a pay cut of 10% if they found a job that made them feel exceptionally happy.
Why prioritise employee wellbeing?
Employees who enjoy their job have a positive effect on those around them. They boost workplace morale, which in turn improves customer satisfaction.
An organisation that neglects employees’ wellbeing will lead to a reduction in engagement, deteriorating performance and ultimately a higher staff turnover rate, all of which can have a negative impact on the business. In short, a happy workforce can fuel productivity.
A survey of employees who felt dissatisfied in their job found one in six were actively seeking other jobs. A major cause of unhappiness was feeling under-valued by their employer.
How can businesses make a change?
Creating an energising environment; a strong work community is linked to employee wellbeing.
Famous business leaders who have adapted their leadership style to create a productive workplace, where everyone feels happy, include Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson.
Winfrey is famous for her Oprah Winfrey TV network and lifestyle brand magazine. She employs strategies to ensure her employees feel like one big family, emphasising the importance of listening to each other and all growing together.
Branson is co-founder of the Virgin Group and has always demonstrated a leadership style that puts employees first. He has his own take on the saying, “The customer is always right.” While this is important for every business, Branson says “employees come first” rather than clients, because a good company that takes care of its workforce knows the employees will then take care of clients.
Businesses with the best company values can reap the rewards of getting the most out of their employees. In fact, studies show companies with good values create an environment where everyone feels happy and enjoys going to work.
Impact of technology
The evolution of technology has minimised the time and effort required for employees to complete many of their tasks. However, when technology goes wrong, it becomes one of the biggest causes of workplace dissatisfaction. Data published by Statista reveals 70% of UK employees believe technology has a negative impact on their wellbeing when it fails, due to the frustration and stress this causes.
A key requirement of every office is high speed internet for business, especially since 53% of employees say staring at a buffering screen for a prolonged period has had a negative effect on their wellbeing.
Below-par tech can also impact other important aspects of your business, such as video calls to clients and colleagues in remote offices. Making a video call requires greater focus than a face-to-face meeting. Participants need to work harder to ensure the conversation continues to flow smoothly. This is why the equipment for video conference meetings is exceptionally important, with a high-speed internet connection being vital.
Any video call delay can make an already challenging call even more difficult. Long silences are not conducive to successful business dealings. Fast broadband is also important to meet the demands of email usage at work. For most employees, checking their email is the first thing they do every morning. They also check regularly throughout the day.
If you have a slow broadband speed, the sheer volume of multiple employees checking hundreds of emails every day can impact other tasks, slowing down the system until everyone’s workload becomes unmanageable.
In addition, this can also affect customer satisfaction, as consumers expect a fast response to their online queries. Any delays can lead to a loss of trade and customers having awkward phone conversations with employees that can lower morale even further.
Serviced offices London
Keep employees happy by providing them with the required tools of the trade so they can carry out their duties efficiently.
BE Offices’ serviced offices in London offer a bespoke workplace that brings people together to thrive. Our office-centric workspace encourages a flexible environment for your business, enabling an employee-driven approach that is both accommodating and adaptive. A study by McKinsey found that 69% of employees felt less stressed and were more productive when working in a flexible environment.
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