Whether managing a virtual or a more traditional office-based one, keeping you team happy and\r\ncontent can be a challenge. Making sure your staff are happy is an important\r\nand admirable goal in and of itself. It also has distinct benefits for the team\r\nand the business overall: happier workers are more productive, meaning that\r\nyour company in general will work better and be more likely to reach its\r\ngoals.
"},"body":{"body":"\r\n\tWhether managing a virtual\r\nteam\r\n\t or a more traditional office-based one, keeping you team happy and\r\ncontent can be a challenge. Making sure your staff are happy is an important\r\nand admirable goal in and of itself. It also has distinct benefits for the team\r\nand the business overall: happier workers are more productive, meaning that\r\nyour company in general will work better and be more likely to reach its\r\ngoals.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tBut how do you make this happen? Let’s take\r\na look at five easier ways to encourage your team to be happier and therefore\r\nmore productive.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\t1. Encourage Your Team To Love Their\r\nWork\r\n\t\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tSomehow, we seemed to have developed a\r\ngeneral belief these days that everyone should their job. We’re expected to\r\nhave the Monday blues, spend our work days waiting for the clock to hit 5pm and\r\ncount down the days until vacation so we can escape from the drudgery that is\r\nour job. However, not only should we believe it is possible for our team to \r\n\tlove their job,\r\nwe should expect it! In a world where everyone is free to follow their\r\npassions, and in the context of almost limitless possibilities, why wouldn’t\r\neveryone enjoy their work?\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tIf not, something is wrong, and it is your\r\njob as the leader to work out what this is. Moreover, create an environment\r\nwhere all employees are expected and encouraged to love their work. If you\r\noperate with the assumption that everyone should hate their job and be waiting\r\nfor the work day to be over s so they can go back to “real” life, then this is\r\nlikely how they’ll feel. Rather, assume that your team do the work they do\r\nbecause this is what they love, and help them find new ways to develop\r\nthemselves and new tasks to challenge themselves so they can continue to love\r\nwhat they do every day.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\t2. Involve Your Staff In The Bigger\r\nPicture\r\n\t\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tMaking sure your staff feel invested is one\r\nof the key ways to improve \r\n\temployee\r\nengagement\r\n\t, and to make sure they are happier at work (and in general).\r\nStudies have shown that employees who know how their role contributes to the\r\nbroader goals of the company, or otherwise makes a difference are much more\r\nmotivated to work harder. This also gives them a sense of satisfaction in their\r\nwork as it takes them beyond the day-to-day grind of tasks to working towards\r\nlarger goals and objectives.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tMake sure to clearly communicate to your\r\nteam how their work contributes to the broader goals of the company, why you\r\nask them to do the things they have to do, and why their role is important. Furthermore,\r\ninvolve them in the larger goals of the organisation, through things like\r\nemployee involvement in organisational planning. This will help your staff to\r\nfeel like they are fully involved and invested in the bigger picture.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\t3. Make Sure Your Staff Feel Appreciated\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tAnother key element when it comes to your\r\nteam’s happiness is appreciation. Research consistently shows that when staff\r\nfeel appreciated they will be happier, more engaged and less likely to quit. Conversely,\r\nfeeling under-valued or under-appreciated is one of the most common reasons\r\npeople give for leaving a job.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tShow your team they are appreciated by\r\ndemonstrated your gratitude. This can be something as simple as saying “thank\r\nyou” for a job well done or for taking on a difficult or perhaps just boring\r\ntask. It could also take the form of public recognition such as shout outs in\r\nstaff meetings or on social media, or by demonstrating your appreciation through\r\ngifts or rewards such as staff trips.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\t4. Foster a True Team Environment\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tHumans are social creatures, and are\r\nhappier when they are part of a community. Build a strong, united team and not\r\nonly will you notice positive results in terms of workflow and achieving\r\norganisational goals, but your employees will be happier and more likely to\r\nlook forward to coming to work.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tTake steps to encourage effective\r\nteam building\r\n\t such as team building days or retreats, as well as on going\r\nactivities such as work-based clubs and sporting teams. However it is not all\r\nabout specific “team building” activities. A lot of this also comes down to the\r\ngeneral environment you create, from keeping an open door policy to valuing\r\nevery team member’s thought and opinions and fostering open communication at\r\nall levels.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\t5. Create a Space of Gratitude\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tThe idea of gratitude may seem like\r\nsomething of a fad in recent times, but there is a good reason why many are\r\nproclaiming the benefits of mindfulness and gratitude. Psychological research\r\nhas found a \r\n\tstrong\r\ncorrelation between gratitude and overall happiness\r\n\t. This is because\r\npractising gratitude opens people up to\r\npositive emotions while encouraging them to appreciate positive experiences,\r\nwhich in turn improves their overall health, helps them build better\r\nrelationships and deal with issues and adversity.\r\n
\r\n\r\n\tEncourage your team to cultivate an\r\nattitude of gratitude by practicing simple gratitude attitudes in the\r\nworkplace. This could be asking your staff what they are grateful for, or what\r\nthey are looking forward to for the week, as a regular feature at meetings.\r\nThis is also an area where you can lead by example and actively practice\r\ngratitude as a way to encourage your team to do the same.\r\n
"},"authorName":"Cezar","authorBio":{"authorBio":"Founder of Skillmeter: https://skillmeter.com"},"publishedOn":"2019-10-28T19:17:56.103Z"}},"pageContext":{"id":"02c470c0-80d9-56fd-91d6-5e15f4c056dc"}}, "staticQueryHashes": []}