We spend most of our week at work, and so it’s important that you and your employees are as happy as you can possibly be while there. An uncomfortable, unpleasant working condition will seriously affect productivity levels, so it’s vital that your workplace is an inspiring, happy environment. Prestige Recruitment Group has therefore listed six small things you can do to make the workplace more enjoyable for everyone:
1. Allow a Sociable Environment
It’s important that you allow employees to have breaks and time to talk about things that aren’t work-related in order to ensure that people feel as happy as they can be while working. If appropriate, let employees talk freely, play music or play games when on breaks. If employees are allowed to talk freely in the office, it’s likely that they will probably discuss work-related subjects too, which increases productivity anyway!
2. Communication
Employees will feel happier in the workplace if there are regular, structured levels of communication. This can come in the form of offering feedback, regardless of whether it’s negative or positive. By communicating frequently with your employees, you not only get to measure their development, but they also feel appreciated on an individual level, which will make them happier. As well as this, if you make yourself an approachable manager, employees will enjoy work more.
3. Offer a Good Training Program
Everyone feels motivated at work when they feel like they’re being invested in. If you offer employees a structured, thorough training programme where they are learning, they will enjoy work more because they’ll be engaged. Linking into this, you could offer new starters a mentor who will be the person they can approach about anything. This clearly illustrates to new employees who they can communicate with about anything and everything, and also lets them learn things first-hand.
4. Continuous Development
Linking into the previous point, don’t just stop training when your employees have been in the company for a few months. An element that makes individuals happy in the workplace is when they feel like they’re still learning – and that’s because they’re still engaged! Provide opportunities for continuous development, whether that’s sending people to networking events, letting them attend seminars or allowing them to spend time educating themselves on online learning platforms!
5. Perks
Offering employees things like free coffee and free snacks will seriously improve motivation and happiness in the workplace. Think about your own experiences – when you start losing motivation at work, what’s the first thing you’ll do? We bet it’s grabbing a cup of coffee or a quick snack. Now imagine that coffee is free – don’t you feel happier?
6. Breaks When They’re Needed
In some jobs, this isn’t possible. For example, if you work in retail, it may be more difficult to step out of your working environment whenever you need it. However, if this would work in your workspace, do it! Let employees leave the office whenever they feel like they need a break from their computer. It’s surprising how much happier an individual is when they feel like they’re trusted enough to manage their own time!