Happy employees make for happy customers

Work happiness. You see the term everywhere these days. But what is it, really? In short: it is the amount of fulfillment and satisfaction you experience during your work. That might sound a bit fluffy, but in this blog, we explain why work happiness is so important. And how you can ensure that not only your employees go to work with a smile, but that your customers are happy because of it too!

Of course, what makes someone happy varies from person to person. One person thrives in a competitive work atmosphere, while another feels more comfortable in an environment where the focus is on the content rather than on targets. Nevertheless, more and more employers are coming to the conclusion that it is smart to ensure their employees are satisfied.

Why is creating work happiness so important? We could, of course, give an ideological speech about good leadership and the moral importance of taking good care of people. Those are certainly noble motivations. But it is primarily the more practical considerations that make so many organizations prick up their ears when they hear terms like ‘work happiness,’ ‘job satisfaction,’ and ‘employee engagement.’

First of all, there is the tight labor market. Especially in these times, you want to prevent your valuable employees from looking for greener pastures elsewhere. With sufficient work happiness, you are more likely to retain your talent.

If they feel completely happy in your organization, employees won't even think about switching to another employer.

Another reason for investing in work happiness is perhaps even more important for the average employer. If you enjoy your work, you become more productive, score higher in positive behavior toward colleagues and customers, and perform better. That makes the customer happy, too! So, more work happiness means higher customer satisfaction and also brings in more money.

Plenty of reasons to get started on taking the job satisfaction in your organization to the next level! We are happy to provide a few tips that will give work happiness a boost:

1. Open communication

Transparent internal communication is the foundation for trust and employee engagement within your organization. Is an important organizational change on the horizon, has a new client been brought on board, or have you had a financial win or setback?

Make sure your employees are informed about this in an honest, clear way. And invite people to contribute their thoughts on certain issues, if there is time and space for it.

When employees feel that they know what is going on and are being heard, they develop a bond with the company that goes far beyond just the paycheck. They feel truly involved and almost naturally become ambassadors. That positive loyalty radiates to (potential) customers. Moreover, this is a good breeding ground for your employer branding. After all, the work happiness of existing staff is a major magnet for new applicants.

2. Invest in relaxation

A proven recipe for higher output? Doing nothing every now and then. It might sound contradictory, but taking regular breaks really does wonders for productivity. By shifting your focus to something else (or nothing at all), your brain gets room to wander.

That is exactly when you come up with solutions and ideas that you rushed past in the hustle and bustle of the day.

The body also goes into relaxation mode during such a break, which lowers heart rate and blood pressure.

After such a recharging moment, you have renewed energy to continue working with focus. Do not see it as lost production time, but as a smart investment.

Pausing instead of rushing prevents absenteeism and ensures better productivity in terms of both quality and quantity. So, it always pays for itself.

So, drag that colleague who always eats lunch behind their screen outside. Provide a cozy coffee corner where people can catch up, or put some nice patio furniture outside for lunch.

Install a meditation app on all work phones as a standard. And, also important in this age of the internet and mobile phones: agree with each other that it is perfectly normal to go offline and be unreachable from time to time. Does a colleague have a day off? Then agree with each other that it is not done to bother them.

3. Provide enough challenge

If there is insufficient challenge in the work, an employee runs the risk of succumbing to a bore-out. Doubts about whether the work being done is really meaningful can also dampen work happiness. You can almost wait for the employee to drop out or go looking for another employer where challenges are plentiful. 

Don't wait for that moment, but take action. Give employees the space to develop and grow. For example, provide a varied set of tasks or offer an interesting training. Look beyond purely functional things, too. If an employee gets energy from gardening or learning a new language, that can also provide extra motivation. 

4. Give sincere pats on the back

Has an employee brought a project to a successful conclusion? Did a colleague's brilliant idea lead to an improvement on the work floor? Or did the decisive action of the company emergency response officers prevent an accident? Don't brush it off with “that's what you're paid for.” Give a heartfelt pat on the back. 

By giving a compliment, you show the employee that they are seen and appreciated.

Such a sign of appreciation doesn't always have to be paid out in euros, by the way. A bouquet of flowers or a card with a personal message is also a pure work happiness booster.

Don't forget to thank an employee who leaves the organization, for whatever reason, for their contribution. Nothing is as bitter as closing the door behind you unnoticed once your last working day is over. It's incredibly unpleasant for the former colleague, and it's also damaging to your employer branding. 

5. Know the talent that you are

When you do work that truly suits you, a day flies by. You go home feeling good, tired but satisfied. Yet a large part of the working population has more or less stumbled into a job by chance and then never moved on, and many people ask themselves the infamous question “how much longer?” Work happiness is then hard to find, and every workday seems to last a week. 

Allow your employees the job that fits their personality, competencies, and wishes. Of course, they have a responsibility in that themselves, but as an employer you can also contribute in various ways. 

First, there is personal attention. Hold a career conversation with every employee regularly.

Are they still in the right place, or does it seem time to move on to another department or employer? Don't be afraid that the employee will immediately head for the exit. Often, by shifting some tasks and responsibilities, or offering training, you can create a new picture that someone does feel comfortable with.

Many employees find it complicated to figure out what exactly fits their personal talents and possibilities. That's not so strange: the labor market has countless variations and it's hard to make the right choices. Advise the employee to take a personality, competency, and/or motivation test.

These can offer good starting points for a further career conversation. Various tests can be found online, and they can often be taken for free.

Bringing in a career coach can lead to surprising insights in just a few sessions. The coach professionally guides the employee to bring their own talents and areas for development to the surface and then explore the labor market.

If the employee concludes that it is time for another employer or even a career switch after all, the career coach can help prepare for job applications. That may seem a pity in these times of staff shortages, but keep in mind that an employee who isn't comfortable in their own skin is very likely to drop out or perform poorly. 

Ideas to increase work happiness online, too

There are countless online solutions that can help increase work happiness. For example, share news via the intranet and invite people to share their ideas online. Fill your knowledge platform not only with a wide range of courses, but also with vitality tips, a food diary, and (office) fitness and meditation exercises.

Offer online personality and competency tests and the option to make an appointment with a vitality or career coach. Need more ideas? Get in touch with us, we'd be happy to think along with you!