There are many different reasons why an employee may start to feel unhappy in the workplace. It could be that the role they have is no longer one that suits them, and they want to pursue a new career. On the other hand, it may be something in the workplace, or you, as an employer, maybe doing something unsatisfactory. In many workplaces, the employer is separate from the employee, so it is difficult to fully understand their needs, what motivates them and what will keep them happy. Of course, what makes someone happy will vary by individual, but there are certainly some foundational practices that you can employ.
When your employees are happy, the quality of work will significantly improve, as well as the engagement, productivity, creativity, innovation, customer service, business growth, and the general atmosphere in the workplace. Spending time and energy on keeping your employees happy will prevent high and unnecessary costs in recruiting new employees, training them, and dealing with a high turnover. When employees are loyal to your company, they are much more likely to want to progress themselves, as well as the business. Happy employees are less likely to burn out, take sick days, and stay stagnant in their roles and work.
Employee happiness is key to the survival of your business, staying competitive, and being innovative. Here are some top reasons why they may be happy, and what you can do to turn it around.
You are unfamiliar with your employees
Everyone has their preference with their boundaries when it comes to making friends in the workplace. As an employer, you do not have to make friends with your employees (unless that is something you want or has naturally happened) but you do need to get to know them. Not only will this benefit your business as you will better understand how people work, their strengths, and their weaknesses, but it will also enable you to have better working relationships, a better atmosphere, and can better understand and meet their needs. You must spend some time getting to know your employees, their interests, their career goals, their plans, and their aspirations.
Employees don’t feel listened to
It’s not always about money or job titles for a lot of employees. The majority of dissatisfaction can stem from employees not feeling listened to, or even provided with the opportunity to raise concerns or speak their minds. Just as it is important to listen to your customers and take on board their feedback, the same rings true for your employees. Not only is it important to make your employees feel heard, and like their voices matter, but to take them seriously, talk about what they raise and ensure any issues are properly addressed. Every employee will have a unique perspective on your business, and more often than not are the people on the front line to your customers. Their insights can be invaluable to your business and its growth, as well as their happiness, productivity, and professional development.
Employees don’t feel they are paid fairly
Money isn’t everything, but it does play a major role. The amount you compensate your employees should be fair and take into consideration their role in the company, their skills, experience, and the responsibility and accountability they take on in day-to-day activities. If you don’t pay your employees what they are worth or have a plan to help them progress to the level they would like, then you will risk losing good talent and a valuable employee, as they may choose to seek alternative employment at a company that they feel will value them. This could cost you more in the long run, as you spend time, money, and resources recruiting, interviewing, and training new staff.
Employees work in an unpleasant environment
The environment you create for your employees is vital, in both a physical and mental place. If your office space is dirty, untidy, cluttered with the mess, cramped, and has problems with it, employees are going to be dissatisfied. Remember that full-time employees spend the majority of their time at work, so it needs to be a pleasant place to be. If your environment is not up to standards, physically, then you may consider an office cleaning service, tidying up and decorating, to make it a more productive and inspiring place to be. It is also important to consider how you can make it a pleasant place to be, by ensuring there is good morale, good attitude, and everyone can get along in the workplace. To do this, make sure there are opportunities for employees to get to know each other, and deal with conflicts accordingly.
In all cases, what benefits your employees has a positive effect on your business too. So why would you not invest in making your employees happy? You can guarantee it will make it a much better place to work, and your business will skyrocket as a result.