How to motivate your employees to feel happier at work

Trust Your Employees

Don’t micromanage when you delegate. Both you and your employees will grow when you instill more trust in each other. When you have some ideas for your business, or when you are dealing with issues, ask your employees for their input.

It’s great to talk about company goals and the future of the organisation with your employees. Demonstrate that their hard work is contributing to the bigger picture. Make them feel valued.

Don’t assign responsibility. Offer it. This will give you a chance to evaluate how others work and give the employees an opportunity to step up to the plate. You may find that some employees work better as leaders or in cooperative teams.

Prioritise Work-Life Balance

A positive work experience should be just one part of a rich, fulfilling life. If you want your employees to feel connected to your business, you need to give them a chance to disconnect.

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is especially important for those who are working from home. Help your employees draw a line between their personal life and work.

Don’t email them about work-related stuff during their off-hours and encourage them to do the same. After particularly busy periods of constant overtime work, make it up to your employees with time off – even as little as finishing an hour earlier on a Friday, does a lot for morale.

Organise Team Building Activities Unrelated to Work

If you have many departments in your company, it is important to gather everyone under one umbrella every now and then if you can. This especially goes if employees from one department don’t have a chance to interact with employees from another department very often.

To help build relationships, plan games or social gatherings for your employees. Let them suggest and pick out team building activities. Blowing off steam is even better when you do it altogether.

Offer Perks Beyond the Basics

Again, giving raises isn’t the only way to make your employees happier. If you are willing to spend more on your employees, you can offer a group pension plan, or you can offer an extra level of life insurance.

Employees will also appreciate other ancillary benefits such as wellness or dental care. To keep employees healthy and happy, you can also offer them transit benefits and gym memberships. This way, you will let your employees know that you truly care about their wellbeing.

Be Flexible

You can easily make employees miserable if you run an office with a tight schedule and no breaks.  59% of respondents to a Statista survey stated that flexible working time is very important to them.

The future demands a flexible work standard, but it takes guts to implement it. If you have an office, allow your employees to work from home one or two days a week. If the nature of your business allows it, let them work flexible hours.

Encourage your workers to take regular breaks. If you can, set up a fitness and entertainment center at the office where they can unwind. Your employees will be happier and love their workplace even more if they can refresh their minds whenever they need to.

Offer Appreciation and Acknowledgement

You don’t need to wait for the annual review to acknowledge the hard work of your employees. Employees can get impatient if they have to wait too long for recognition. This can make way for negativity.

Show appreciation as often as you can. Don’t just offer general praise—be specific. Make sure to always say thank you. Every now and then send them an email that shows how much you value them.

Happiness is Contagious

If you want your employees to smile, you need to smile yourself. Employees will be happier and more inspired if their boss is relaxed, positive, and smiles often. If you make an effort to radiate happiness in the workplace, they will worry less, communicate more, and be more motivated.

Your business will greatly benefit from a positive company culture, and culture always starts with the leader. You can strengthen comradery and boost employee engagement if you have a positive demeanor.