A happy workforce is an engaged, creative, loyal, and innovative workforce, reflecting a positive culture, the perfect team to take your small business from strength to strength. If you need that all important happiness factor in your workplace, intertwined with a robust culture, check out these five ways to create a positive culture in your small business:
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The Happiness Factor: 5 Ways to Create a Positive Workplace Culture in Your Small Business
1. Embrace Inclusivity
Diverse and inclusive workplaces foster more trust and commitment from employees – two factors that are central to creating a positive environment. Inclusive workplaces also see better employee engagement, innovation, and positivity in their day-to-day operations. Perhaps best of all, businesses that put effort into creating an inclusive workplace attract the most promising candidates and benefit from an invigorated workforce every time they take on new staff.
2. Improve Top-Down Communication
When front-line employees are disconnected from upper management, they often begin to feel that they’re not valued. As a result, many struggle to find purpose in their work. Resentment can build over time, and a toxic work environment can grow. What starts as a simple communication problem can quickly snowball into a company-wide pandemic of unhappiness.
To improve top-down communication in your small business, you must share important information and feedback in a timely and open manner. The last thing you want is for workers to hear about new decisions via the office grapevine. Instead, make sure they’re aware of changes that may affect them as soon as possible. This promotes trust, transparency, engagement, and consistency.
3. Promote A Culture Of Wellness
Around 85% of workers feel their employers should play a role in their physical and mental health. And they have a solid point. Benefits galore tend to flow when employees know the people they work for care about their health and well-being.
If you want to take advantage of these benefits, there are endless ways you can promote wellness in your small business. For example, you could offer:
- Health insurance
- Passes or discounts for local gym facilities
- Healthy food in the kitchen or vending machine
- Free fruit and water
- Free or discounted access to therapy
- A good work/life balance with remote opportunities
- An office with excellent ergonomic design
4. Help Employees Feel A Sense Of Purpose
Numerous recent studies tell us that people are happiest when they know their work is making a difference. The benefits compound if they also know they’re making personal progress in their careers.
A great place to start is by ensuring your employees know and feel invested in your company’s mission and vision. Help them find a personal connection to it and understand the part they play. This should help inspire that all-important sense of purpose. Additionally, offering skill-boosting opportunities like paid training, educational courses, and chances to progress within the company. This should further enhance their job satisfaction and happiness.
5. Ensure Your Employees Feel Seen & Heard
According to Forbes, 74% of employees are more effective at work when they feel heard. They are also much more likely to feel happy in the workplace because they don’t feel like they’re just a cog in a monotonous machine.
To get this step right, acknowledge employees by name and recognize their contributions. Provide opportunities for them to safely and sincerely make suggestions for improvements in the company and actively listen to their feedback. You can profoundly improve employee engagement, loyalty, and happiness with simple measures that remind them of their value.
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy. It’s all that matters.” –
Audrey Hepburn
Turn your small business into a powerhouse of productivity with these positive workplace tips! You’ll soon be benefiting from a happy team that’s ready to boost your success.
