Shiny, happy, people

Take a look around your office – what do you see? Are you surrounded by smiling faces? Or does your team look down in the doldrums?

Of course, most of us strive for happy employees (and a happy workplace) but sometimes we can get so caught up in ‘the business’ that we can forget to look around and take note of what people are telling us (verbally or otherwise).

But taking note of these things is important – as the likelihood is that eventually unhappy employees will become ex-employees….

So what can you do to maintain, or boost, your team’s happiness levels at work? A recent report into what makes ‘happy companies’ looked at what creates the most positive atmosphere at work. Amongst them was competent leadership, a healthy team environment, a good work-life balance, and even smart people and free food!

With that in mind, here are some suggestions as to how you can help to make sure you have a team of shiny, happy, people (not necessarily holding hands…):

– Paint the big picture – People need to understand what they are working towards – and are much more likely to be motivated, willing to pull together and happy in their work if they have a sense of shared responsibility. Without this there’s a danger they will prioritise the wrong things.

– Get involved – Leading a team isn’t about delivering instructions from on high. You need to get stuck in with the rest of the team. People will be much more willing to go the extra mile if they know that their leader is willing to roll their sleeves up and muck in when necessary.  

– Face conflict head on – A negative atmosphere can make coming to work very unpleasant indeed. It there is conflict within your team, make sure there are opportunities for people to discuss any issues openly, in a calm, and if necessary, facilitated, manner.

And of course, it’s also essential for all of us to celebrate success and have fun – make sure you make time for the team to celebrate successes (big and small) together – be it a team event or a pizza on a Friday.

For support with employee engagement, performance management, and training, contact us on 01229 615 280 or email info@turnstonehr.com for a FREE consultation.