What makes work happy? What sort of workplaces support individuals and teams to thrive at work? We’ve combined the best statistical research with practical experience to identify five features of happy workplaces.
Friendships. Laughter. A sense of belonging. It is much easier to do great work when we are happy in the company of others. Teams who encourage, support and appreciate each other make problem solving, innovation and success possible.
Flexibility. Fair pay. Space for people’s life outside work. Being treated with fairness and respect is fundamental to happier work. People flourish when organizations are responsive to their needs and value the energy they put in. Teams flourish when colleagues appreciate one another.
Trust. Delegate. The opportunity to self-organize. Sharing responsibility and playing to people’s strengths can unleash an amazing potential in organizations. When people are able to be themselves and use their judgement, they do great work.
Stretch. Enjoyment. Setting realistic expectations. People are happy in their jobs when they are absorbed and progressing their work. By making jobs interesting, organizations pull people into a space where they learn and achieve great things.
Pride. Purpose. Being part of a bigger picture. Doing a job that we feel is genuinely worthwhile is a great source of motivation in our lives and it can sustain us through challenging times. Seeing beyond narrow business goals to how we help other people makes work more meaningful.
The Five Ways will reliably catalyse happier work, so you can use them to guide the ideas and actions you put in place to improve happiness.