In today’s working world, a happy employee is a productive employee. While almost everyone values a positive company culture (who wouldn’t?!), Millennials are America’s largest workforce, and they’re especially intrigued. In fact, according to USA Today, they’d be willing to trade a high salary for a better work environment. So, to encourage a happy and healthy workforce at your business, we recommend you:
- Give recognition and praise. Your employees work hard for you, so make sure they know you recognize the effort they put in. If they do an exceptional job on a project, show them you care. Brag about them to the rest of the office or treat them to lunch. Small celebrations and kudos go a long way in ensuring your employees feel appreciated.
- Bond outside the office. It’s important for your employees to feel close and comfortable around their management team, but they should also feel comfortable around each other. Take a day to participate in a bonding activity, whether that be a team building workshop or a company picnic. Building connections between employees will boost morale, but it will also encourage collaboration and make your work environment a fun place to be.
- Offer flexibility and work/life balance. A big salary can be great, but working in a place that allows you to balance your life is even better. And when your employees are happy and fulfilled in their personal lives, they’ll be able to offer more to their work. With that, you could try allowing flexible schedules, plus work-from-home days and/or mental health days.
- Encourage exercise. Exercise has been proven to boost energy, improve memory, mental health and moods. Encouraging your employees to remain physically active can promote productivity. So, encourage your employees to take walking meetings, pay for their monthly gym memberships or even attend a group workout class. (Bonus: You’ll get to bond at the same time!)
- Stock up on healthy snacks. Harvard Health suggests eating healthy food can improve someone’s mood. You can help by filling the kitchen with fresh fruits and vegetables, and foods with low sugar.
At the end of the day, building a happy and healthy workforce is crucial to building your business. Make a conscious decision to choose perks that increase positivity, and you’ll also increase productivity. (Now that’s a win-win, right?) Then, attract an all-star team with our tips to help you bring in top talent.
