Five Simple Ways to Keep Employees Happy at Work
By: Andrea Trapani
While this isn’t the typical communications related content we feature on ID Tags, we thought it was an important topic to discuss because we’ve learned that happy and healthy (both physically and mentally) employees produce the greatest results.
Having now spent the past week as the “official” office manager at Identity (I had been working my way into this role for quite some time now), I feel more than qualified to give my advice on how to keep your office happy and productive. Well, Nikki said I’m qualified and should share my advice, and she is the queen of the blog!
Of course, most importantly, you have to make sure that all of the machines are running and that everyone has EVERYTHING they need to do their job. But, getting your team excited about coming to work every day requires some extra effort. The following points are more about the human element of office management and HR:
- Take the extra step. Businesses try to make things so nice for customers and clients, but why not make it nice for our team, too? Instead of just having your morning bagels in a bag for everyone to paw through, take things one step further and put them on a tray (you know you have one from the last catering order) and separate them out a bit. Employees who have an aversion to sesame seeds on their cinnamon bagel greatly appreciate this gesture.
- Change it up. Don’t get in a rut – have squagels instead of bagels (yes, there is such a thing as a squagel). Instead of just Coke, add Squirt or an Arnold Palmer drink to your beverage selection. This assumes you are already providing refreshments to your team. If you’re not, shame on you!
- Make the environment fun and give your team unexpected laughs. One of my favorite things to do – and now I have to do it again soon – is to put a fake foot sticking out somewhere in the office. I call it putting my best foot forward! Lame and cheesy, I know, but it makes people laugh every time.
- Listen, look and feel. Recognize when someone is having a bad day and try to make it better. Simply letting someone know you’re available to talk it out can often relieve stress. Really pay attention to your coworkers. Do they seemed stressed out, or are they just having a wardrobe malfunction? We’re humans, and we have emotions that we sometimes just can’t hide away at the office. On the more positive side, get super excited when you hear someone is engaged or something else really awesome happened to a coworker, and make sure to bring the team together to celebrate.
- Be yourself and be human. My definition of human runs closer to weird than most (see above foot example), but weird human nonetheless. Generate positive energy. Share yourself with your team, and inspire them to do the same.
Regardless of the industry you work in, we can all use this advice to make our work environments a happy and fun place to spend time. Remember to constantly put out positive energy, and I promise it will have a ripple effect that will infuse your office with joy!
