Why Keeping Employees Happy is Vital to Productivity

Any employer worth his salt knows the importance of keeping individual and group morale on a high plane. But on what does this depend? You could be the most agreeable fellow in the world, yet get absolutely nothing done. You could be a surly taskmaster who is uniformly resented. But is there a sane middle ground between jovial pushover and ill-tempered tyrant? Of course there is. Here are some tips for building and maintaining a happy AND productive work atmosphere:

Happy = Productive

A fundamental point to understand is that a HAPPY employee is a P-R-O-D-U-C-T-I-V-E employee. If someone is not productive on his job, no amount of patting on the back or sympathy will make him a happy employee. If you want a happy staff, get them to work. Once productivity is rolling forward and people are earning their paychecks, THEN take up major and minor points relating individual and group morale – don’t neglect either step.

Tools of the Trade

Do people have what they need to do their jobs? A carpenter or mechanic without the right tools would be severely limited. An office with a broken or non-existent printer or scanner would be seriously impeded. Any job requires specific things in order to function. Without those essentials, productivity suffers and people aren’t happy anymore. But they don’t always alert you when they should. So you must ask around and take a look around yourself. You may be shocked by what you find. Work out what tools are needed and ensure they exist and are used and taken care of.

Equity

Nothing stirs up ill-feelings and outright rage more than injustice. Equity, fairness, justness, etc. are vital to maintain in a business or any activity. People deeply resent double standards, favoritism, nepotism, and other such isms. There’s nothing wrong with hiring your nephew, but if you give him the promotion when someone else does twice the work, you are making a BIG mistake. Be fair in your dealings. Always hear both sides of a dispute before making a call. Make decisions based on productivity and you’ll get more productivity.

Invite Contribution

People have good ideas. They also have bad ideas. Regardless, listen to their ideas. Discuss them. Then you can sort out which ones to act on. People like to know they are a contributing force in a group, so allow them to be so. Very often the people with the best ideas are the ones who are in there pitching, but it can also be the person looking in from outside who best sees how something can be improved. Allow a cross-flow of perspectives and you may get some dramatically productive results.

Culture

Certain extremely successful companies, like Google and the Virgin Group (Virgin Records, Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Galactic, etc.), have made a point of crafting a company culture that centers around PEOPLE – its employees AND its customers or users. The basic philosophy is that the company is nothing without its people, and when you invest in that it will pay dividends. The stats of those companies seem to prove a point.

While we can’t all be Google, and last I checked there was only one Richard Branson, any company can work to build a company culture that values people and productivity. Take a look at your business and if you haven’t already done so, look at what makes it unique in its field and start laying down some of the basics of your company’s culture.

Policy

“Company Policy” does not mean everyone acts like a robot and only does what they are told and nothing more and nothing less. It is the opposite of that. Good, sound, sensible policy means you have a yardstick for operation and a set of standards to adhere to, not because you are a mindless automaton, but because you have pride in accomplishment. Your company’s culture and policy should be integrated, meaning they should mesh together with the same purpose, the same vision, the same spirit.

Speed

Want to increase productivity and happiness? Move faster. Get others to move faster. Who wants to work in a slow and sluggish workplace? But that is just the start. Isolate what is slowing or stopping operations or processes and take remedial action. Free up communication channels and production channels. You’ll breathe sighs of relief as you do so and so will your employees.

Fun

Don’t forget to have a good time. If it isn’t fun, it probably isn’t really worth doing in the first place. Ask any child. Nothing beats fun. You may have deducted that “happiness” and “productivity” and “fun” are inextricably linked. Cultivate an atmosphere wherein all three exist in abundance. “Work” should for the most part be fun and enjoyable. The difference is in the attitude. If you approach work as arduous, difficult and not fun, then it will be arduous, difficult and not fun. If you approach it as worthwhile, animate and adventurous, then that is what it will be.

Sources: 

1. entrepreneur.com 

2. fastcompany.com