Need ideas for creating a happier workplace in 2023? In this article, we have gathered 10 suggestions that can contribute to improve levels of well-being and happiness of employees of your company. These are two topics that are increasingly relevant for organizations: taking care of the well-being of employees and having an organizational happiness strategy. Both are important for the attracting and retaining talent.There are several studies that demonstrate that work environments with happy organizational cultures have a positive impact on employee productivity, in absenteeism and turnover rates, which translates into good results for the company. actions aligned with the organizational strategy and individual needs of collaborators. It is not enough to promote one event a year to motivate employees 365 days a year. You need to create a annual strategic plan, with purpose and intention, that meets the true needs, organizational and individual. It will also not be necessary to invest in actions that exceed the budget. With a little creativity, you can create low cost activities but with high impactboth in terms of relationships and in terms of results.
1. Involve employees in the organization
The more involved employees are in the Organization, the greater the sense of belonging and commitment to “wearing the jersey”. Ensuring that each person knows the company’s DNA – the mission, vision, values and rules – helps everyone row in the same direction, with a common goal. people know and experience the organizational culture: what are the principles that govern the system in which they work? How do interpersonal connections work? What is acceptable and what is not at all acceptable? Some activities that can be developed to encourage this involvement: Ensure that employees know the company DNA and its culture from day one, making a presentation or delivering a “Culture Book”;Creating a regular event where a small group of employees is given the opportunity to have breakfast or lunch with the CEO, enabling approximate hierarchical levels and create a sense of connection;Foster sharing between teamscreating talks in which they present the projects they are involved in and the work they do on a daily basis, allowing everyone to know what is happening and enabling the exchange of ideas, even contributing to solutions or innovation;wall newspaper” (on paper or interactive), highlighting important events in the Organization, teams and individuals.
2. Make work meaningful
Finding purpose at work is one of the aspects that most motivates employees to be committed and to feel happy. If, on the one hand, the feeling of belonging described above is important, on the other hand, it is essential that the person knows what is your role within the system: why you do what you do, who you help through your work and how you contribute to the company’s mission. Another way to find purpose at work, according to positive psychology experts, is to make sure employees are using their character strengthswhich will increase job satisfaction.
3. Invest in the employee’s journey
According to some studies, we spend around 37 years working, so dedicating some time to improve employee experience is an aspect to consider in order to feel happy in the workplace.Some key moments to consider:Beginning welcome even before the employee’s first day of work is a good way to make a good impression from the beginning; integration program for the first 6 months;Create a Individual Career Planguaranteeing the existence of personal and professional progression. exit moment it is also an important date on the journey, even if the employee has found a new challenge, it is important to keep him or her as a brand ambassador.
4. Listen to employees
Listening to people, making them feel appreciated and that their opinion matters, is fundamental to your feeling of appreciation and to strengthen collaboration. Some ideas:Create regular meetings for employees to give and receive feedback: “one-on-one” meetings are one of the most used models; suggestion boxin physical or virtual format, and encourage its use, for example, giving the person the opportunity to implement their idea and select the best idea of the year or quarter.Read more: The importance of transmitting effective feedback to an employee
5. Encourage autonomy and promote a culture of error
The new work models imply the autonomy and self-management by professionals. Companies can help to develop these aspects, on the one hand, by providing the necessary tools for time management and work methods; on the other hand, by creating a culture in which mistakes are accepted and seen as learning, which contributes to the psychological safety and for a workplace where the person feels happy. Some activities that can be developed to encourage these aspects:Implement a ““Creative Day” in which employees can experiment and learn from them, in addition to stimulating interaction between teams; intrapreneurshipgiving people the opportunity to develop the projects presented;To celebratenot only the conquests, but also the mistakes, for the courage necessary for them to happen.
6. Promote recognition
Recognition is one of the factors that most contributes to the individual’s feeling of appreciation, whether by a superior or among peers. Sometimes it may be enough to say a heartfelt “thank you” and show that the person’s work was seen and valued . At other times it is possible to go further and implement a system that makes this practice part of the organizational culture, for example: Make official the ”Praise Policy”, disclosing what is expected of each employee and how they can show their recognition / gratitude, for example, writing a note by hand and surprising the person with a message on their desk; weekly moment in which the teams get together and the work that someone did during that week and that deserves to be recognized is highlighted; A more interactive model can involve acquiring a specific software for employee recognition, such as bonus.ly;
7. Make each Employee feel unique and special
Creating a happy workplace includes adopting emotional salary measures, which means it’s important to make people feel unique and special with the benefits they are offered.Instead of opting for the same birthday gifts for all employees , it is important to look at each person specifically and customize your experience, thinking about what can make her feel special. A 25-year-old’s birthday present should not be the same as a 50-year-old employee’s; the Christmas message, instead of being written by the CEO and the same for everyone, can be written by the direct superior and with a personal touch. important moment of your life it also contributes to that feeling, whether it’s getting married, having children, buying your first home or completing an academic training.
8. Implement labor flexibility measures
Work flexibility is one of the most important factors in attracting and retaining talent, which is why it is essential to monitor trends and implement measures that allow employees to feel that they have some extra space in their working hours: provided for in the legislation; Adjust the weekly working hours, so that they work one hour less a day or have a free Friday afternoon; Also read: Challenges of remote work: Changing the mindset
9. Betting on measures of well-being: physical, emotional and mental
If your budget doesn’t allow you to offer benefits like health insurance, you might consider partnership with some health and wellness spaces, and obtain discounts for employees to be able to attend activities at more affordable prices.Promote one-off workshops for a healthy lifestyle it is also a way of encouraging people to develop better habits, or even encourage the creation of informal groups for walks, runs or padel championships. psychological safety to employees: in scenarios of crisis and uncertainty, which can be triggers for stress and anxiety, it is important to promote transparent and clear communication about the company’s situation and any risks that may exist, as well as the measures to prevent them.
10. Organize convivial activities
If the only time of the year when the whole company gets together is the Christmas event, why not consider other moments throughout the year to bring the teams together, promoting the conviviality, positive emotions and interpersonal connections:Organize activities to celebrate for the festive datesfor example, an egg hunt at Easter or a snack at S. Martinho; Take advantage of symbolic dates to surprise employees with different activities (for example, on Dia ao Contrario, invite people to change teams, or on “Book Day”, challenge employees to create a monthly book club); birthday for the employee to create a ritual that brings the whole team together to sing happy birthday and offer the birthday cake; volunteer activity per quarter, strengthening people’s sense of contribution. It is important to include these activities in the annual plan to have an overview of what is needed in terms of planning and costs, in order to ensure its execution.
A professional writer by day, a tech-nerd by night, with a love for all things money.