For some people, feeling unhappy at work is not a big problem. They think that if they don't like their job and work environment, they will still work and find happiness outside the office. However, the relationship between happiness and productivity is not a new thing. Yet, to this day, many companies still underestimate the importance of happiness in the workplace. Consider the following statistics:

• Happy employees stay in their jobs four times longer than unhappy employees

• Happy employees are 12% more productive

• Happy employees spend twice as much time on their work

• Happy employees have 65% more energy than unhappy employees.

From these statistics, it becomes clear that having happy employees is not a bonus, but a necessity for every successful workplace. Productivity, motivation, dedication, and retention all depend on it.

Another thing to consider when examining the impact of happiness is that it can have a multiplier effect. Seeing good employee performance can influence the performance of other members. Therefore, build a happy workplace so that employees can be more productive, and the business can become more successful.

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How do you build a happy workplace?

1. Determine the company's core values

Try to record some fundamental issues that are important in the company. For example, environmental sustainability, personal development, as well as mental and physical health.

Once the vision and values have been determined, anyone who joins the new work culture will become more passionate and driven to embody the vision for the company's future.

If they do not embody these values, they will never feel that they are part of a larger vision and do not have a strong sense of ownership. So, make sure that every employee who is currently working and all prospective candidates who will work in the company are well acquainted with the company's values.

2. Create traditions in the workplace

What concrete steps can be taken to interpret the company's values in the workplace? What activities will help the company achieve its vision faster? There are no rules about what traditions should be created, but they should represent the values that the company has.

For example, adopting a 20% leisure time rule, celebrating one day for appreciation day, or simply taking time to chat in groups after work. Or, you can also create a tradition to take a break during work with Mindtera's JEDA audio. JEDA can help employees release emotions, train focus, and create better sleep quality.

3. Know and understand employees

Creating a happy workplace is a combination of understanding every employee's needs and knowing what they need to feel valued. Do both consistently to be fair to all employees.

Start by getting to know and understand employees by exploring their mindset and behavior through psychological assessments regularly. Find out employees' abilities in setting goals, working with others, making decisions, and other aspects related to work and daily life.

4. Encourage open communication

‍Encourage all employees to convey problems or suggestions by showing that they are being heard and supported. For example, Feedback Analysis from Mindtera can help you collect, listen, and analyze employee feedback in real-time. There, employees are also given the opportunity to provide feedback anonymously. So, employees can convey suggestions or problems comfortably and confidently.

Regular Feedback Analysis can also help in collecting data to deeply study employees and know what makes them happy.

5. Provide personal and professional development opportunities

When employees feel capable of doing their job better, it's a good idea for managers to facilitate personal and professional development. Happiness is found in companies that provide support and opportunities for self-development.

Personalizing training with individual development plans, offering support with further education, and facilitating a comprehensive Employee Assistance platform can be options for employee self-development facilities.

Measure employee happiness, so you know what needs to be improved

There is no specific way to measure happiness. However, measuring happiness requires a combination of approaches.

The first approach is to use turnover forecasting. Mindtera's turnover forecasting uses the eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score) method. eNPS is a tool to measure what employees feel about the company and measure the impact of employee initiatives and work culture. The eNPS survey asks one simple question related to employee satisfaction in the form of a scale.

Thus, turnover prediction and analysis can help you find and monitor employee growth trends. Additionally, it can also make it easier to identify problem areas and take appropriate preventive steps to retain the best talent.

The second approach is to use a happiness index. Mindtera's happiness index measures employees' level of happiness regularly and reliably through assessment. Every day, employees must check in on their emotions and energy levels at that time. Thus, what employees feel and how high their energy levels are at that time can be monitored well.

From these two combined approaches, it can help to measure employee happiness. Because happiness will never be static, it needs to be monitored in the long term and sustainably.

Mindtera: Solutions for Building a Happy Workplace

A happy workplace is an ongoing process that combines mindful habit formation, developing a positive work culture, and listening to the desires and needs of employees. Using Mindtera, a reliable EAP platform, can help companies achieve better teamwork and increased productivity for more engaged employees.

Mindtera believes that employee happiness comes from a shared vision - with coworkers, managers, and the company itself. Investing in team happiness will not only improve morale, focus, and productivity, but also help build a more stable and successful business.