Factors That Affect Employee Happiness

Author: David Godden, published: Sep 30, 22

The focus for any employer should be to build a workforce where everyone is happy and performing at their optimum level. Unfortunately for business owners, this is rarely the case.

According to the State of the Global Workforce Report, employee stress is at an all-time high, and the UK is performing worse than most other countries regarding employee engagement. Only 9% of UK workers are engaged, which can be compared to a figure of 33% in North America and 27% in South Asia.

Employers must take employee happiness seriously; in doing this, they need to determine what factors contribute to how employees feel. These are some of the main factors that affect employee happiness.

The Environment

Various factors contribute to the environment in the workplace. It includes the physical environment and amenities available to employees—for instance, a break-out room, comfortable seats, and a safe workstation. The culture also significantly contributes to the environment. If you take a step back, you can quickly assess the culture. Is there high absenteeism within the business? Are people gossiping about others? Are managers calling out people who make mistakes by name to others? These, amongst many others, contribute to a negative working environment. When individuals feel uncomfortable within their environment and consequently unsafe, it can cause them to become unhappy and disengaged.

Management Approach

It is acceptable to offer feedback to employees, even if it is negative. However, it is not good to accuse employees without giving them a chance to explain. How managers approach situations with employees can seriously affect how employees feel. For instance, if a manager feels like an employee is disengaged, they should come by asking if they are OK and if any issues are affecting them. An accusation of being disengaged will push the employee further away. Managers need to be adequately trained to deal with employees' emotional well-being and provide constructive feedback.

Level of Appreciation

All employees like to be valued and appreciated for their efforts at work. If you do not respect them, they will likely feel discontent and disengaged. Therefore, ensure you understand your employees while giving constructive feedback when and where appropriate and necessary.

Work Autonomously

No one wants to be micro-managed in the workplace, so you must give your employees space to develop within their roles. There must be trust in your employees. Otherwise, they are unlikely to feel content. Controlling employers will never get the best out of their employees.

Lack of Communication

Employees want transparency in the workplace, whether it's related to the business or their performance. So even if you have something negative to say, it is always better to be honest with your employees than to leave them in the dark. Employees will appreciate honesty, whether it's positive or negative.

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You can't always understand how your employees feel about specific workplace factors unless you ask them. At Thymometrics, we have always-on surveys and anonymous feedback where you can find out about the particular needs of your employees. You can call us at 01223 750251 or email hello@thymometrics.com to find out more. You can also visit our website, thymometrics.com.