Here at Corporate Essentials, we are in the business of helping you make your employees happy to come to the office each day. Why do we do this? Because an office packed with happy people is a better place to work – and we all deserve to work somewhere wonderful. If you have been on the fence about creating a more robust office culture, you might want to consider the benefits to having a happy workforce. Today, our team has gathered a list showcasing 41 advantages to having happy employees.
1. Employees are passionate about their work
Obviously, people who enjoy their work are more fun to be around in the office. Creating a hiring process that focuses on finding those new hires that not only excel in their chosen field but are genuinely passionate about the work they do is a great way to stock your office with employees who are thrilled to be part of your amazing organization.
2. Teamwork is effortless
The lion’s share of work done in any successful firm comes from teams, big and small. The great benefit of having happy employees is that they are willing and able to work together toward common goals. Staff members who enjoy their work are able to move more readily between teams for collaboration on new projects. And as we may have mentioned, cross-team collaboration is the true seed of innovation in many offices.
3. Employees actually care about the company’s success
Since your staff members feel valued by the company, they are invested in the success of the firm. This means they are more likely to collaborate, put in extra hours or do “whatever it takes” to make things run smoothly and come to a successful conclusion.
4. A happy employee is a much more productive one
People who enjoy their jobs are more likely to actually get stuff done. It stands to reason that without the bickering and office drama that comes from a dysfunctional office, employees have less to distract them from their routine tasks.
5. Happy employees mean happy customers
When someone is in a bad mood, they cannot help but leave traces of that discontent in every interaction they have. This is particularly troublesome when you have customer-facing teams. Happy employees are more likely to have positive interactions with everyone – including your all-important customers.
6. Customers recognize high job satisfaction
Many of the so-called halo companies in today’s economy enjoy their favored-employer status, largely. This is thanks to the reputation they have for having happy employees. Customers like supporting businesses that have a reputation for doing right by their staff; everyone likes to be part of a win-win.
7. There is a great office atmosphere
Creating a workplace culture that really hums along is an excellent way to attract and retain happy employees to your firm. Investing in the perks that make a great break room is a solid first step toward cultivating the sort of office culture that results in an office atmosphere people are thrilled to be part of every day.
8. Employees do not want to leave
Solid employee retention figures are a great sign that you have a company packed with happy employees. The benefit of having a stable workforce stretches beyond the obvious consistency in quality and productivity, but can also have a positive impact on your company’s bottom line – less recruitment and retraining is a definite cost saver. What’s more, employees who remain in the workplace longer are more likely to forge strong bonds with coworkers and people with friends at work are more satisfied in their jobs.
9. Happy employees are healthier employees
In general, the CDC finds that workplaces with happy employees suffer fewer sick days. This can be through the increased use of health-based incentive programs creating a culture of workplace wellness. But also, employees who enjoy their jobs benefit from a general feeling of being supported and nurtured, so they are less likely to over-extend themselves and more prone to healthy habits.
10. Happy employees show signs of reduced headaches and eye strains
When employees get along and work in a great atmosphere, they are more likely to get up and walk around every so often. More importantly, people who have others they enjoy interacting with are more likely to refocus their attention once in a while. In either case, the benefits for health and productivity stem from a direct reduction in both headaches and eyestrain which can be caused by spending too much time in a fixed position, concentrating on screen-based tasks.
11. There is more focus
It might sound counter intuitive, but encouraging people to take regular breaks for snacks, drinks and a bit of office banter actually improves their focus. By providing a well-stocked break room. you offer your teams a place to engage with one another about any and all things – from the project they are facing a deadline for to the final score of that Mets game. Giving them an opportunity to reset their focus, albeit for a few short minutes here and there, restores their energy to truly focus on the minutiae of the tasks they must complete for their jobs.
12. Happiness promotes creativity
Another great thing about happy people is that they are more able to tap into their creative stores. Creativity is a huge component of successful business practices. From problem solving to actual creative work, being able to innovate is easier for firms with happy employees.
13. The company is able to hire and retain quality employees
Recruitment and retention is costly – but with a reputation of a happy staff, your company is more likely to reap the rewards of a solid recruitment process. The chief among those rewards is obviously long-term employee retention. This is a boon for firms not only in terms of cost savings, but also because establishing a great workplace culture is far easier when you have people who have worked to shape that culture over time.
14. Employees want to come to work
It is always “time to make the donuts” somewhere – the difference for companies with happy employees is that even the 4 a.m. shift does not seem to mind showing up to do it. Employees who are happy look forward to the time they spend in the workplace, whether it be because they love the break room coffee or because their colleagues are their friends, and that makes keeping things humming along simple.
15. Employees become brand ambassadors
When your staff loves what they do, something magic happens: they promote the business. Not just as a place they are thankful to have paying the bills, but as a place that is supportive, engaging and fun to be a part of on a daily basis. They extol the virtues of your brand, products and services with enthusiasm – and you should harness the power of that enthusiasm to maximize your return on investing in a great culture. After all, everyone loves free advertising.
16. Employees are not afraid to go above and beyond
There is little worse for a person who loves what they do but feels like they are seen as being “too keen” in the office. Creating a culture where people are more likely to want to help requires you to encourage and reward those gestures. This cultivates a cycle of growth in your people and encourages loyalty through trust.
17. Happy employees have better analytical abilities
Without the distraction of petty disagreements and the general malaise of a mediocre workplace, people are freer to focus their talents on generating the sort of work and information that your firm can rely on to succeed. Being able to review data objectively, provide unbiased insight and honest commentary is a big part of productivity in any project’s lifecycle.
18. Employees are willing to fix problems rather than complain about them
In some companies, people are more likely to stand in the corner of the break room griping about the things that bother them than they are to take any action about the issue. In other companies, where happy employees are the majority, you will find that people band together to resolve differences, find new solutions to lingering problems and offer their external experiences as a way of settling problems. Having teams that come together and solve a common problem means your workplace can weather virtually any storm.
19. There are better work relationships
While it is impossible to eliminate all disagreements from your office, a staff of employees who feel good about their job and employer is more likely to have more stable workplace relationships. Exercising discretion, politeness and diplomacy to work toward a common goal, even when there are disagreements.
20. The higher ups are respected
Even with a flat operational structure, someone is ultimately the manager and someone “above” that person is the boss. Respect, on the other hand, is a cycle. Having staff feel respected feeds the overall notion that they are valued and needed by those “higher up.” This feeling of value makes it easier for employees to have respect for their bosses. Mutual trust, value and respect lead to mutual happiness.
21. Employees accept constructive criticism
Largely due to an overall feeling of mutual respect, happy employees are more willing to listen to criticism. And, as luck would have it, the constructive employees receive is more likely to be constructive when it comes from colleagues who also feel happy and respected in the workplace. Constructive criticism is more likely to yield a positive result for the workers on either side of he equation.
22. Employees are more eager to help keep the office neat and tidy
Happy employees take pride in their workplace. This makes them less likely to throw their candy bar wrappers down in the parking lot and also means they are more willing to lend a hand in campus beautification efforts or simply keep their desks organized.
23. Employees can spot problems, faster
When the majority of people in your workplace are happy, they are more likely to notice little things that may be going wrong. This is a great benefit for your company as it means the likelihood of a project going totally off the rails is limited and the chances of someone noticing that there is a typo in that logo for the presentation at 2 p.m. are higher.
24. Less time is spent hiring and training new employees
In no small way due to better retention figures, a workplace with happy employees will save time and money recruiting and training new staff. Happy workplaces are also prone to expansion, however – and this can mean large recruitment drives. The contrast here comes in the process of recruitment and hiring: a happy firm will attract people who fit well within the culture which means less training overall.
25. The company will save money
As we have highlighted in a few cases, happy employees save your firm money because they stay! Other ways your company’s bottom line benefits from happy staff include:
- Decreased absenteeism: because we know that people who enjoy their work are more likely to head into the office;
- Increased productivity: due to people being able to get a cup of coffee, snack or even lunch right on site rather than leaving;
- Increased marketing reach: via social media and other channels thanks to your army of in-house brand ambassadors; and
- Improved timekeeping, thanks to the well-stocked break room your employees enjoy.
26. There is always a loyal team ready to work
When people love their jobs, they are always up for finding new ways to help in the office. This means whatever the project or new idea, you are able to post a request for assistance and people will rise to the challenge.
27. Employees are honest
Honesty is a hugely important quality in both keeping a staff happy and bolstering your workplace culture. Happy employees are more often comfortable giving their honest opinion on everything from the office coffee to the state of the project they are working on with the team on fourth.
28. There is less office tension
Mutual respect, good relationships, common goals and a host of other things that contribute to happy employees mean that your workplace will have far less tension than that of a company where people just keep going through the motions. While it is unlikely any firm could truly eliminate office tension, having a throng of happy people working in your building is likely to keep tension to a minimum.
29. Employees are better at handling stress
Stress management is definitely a skill that some are more adept at than others. The boon for those firms that have happy employees is that, in general, happy people are capable of taking stress in their stride. This is not to say they ignore or skip over it, but more that those employees who are happy in the workplace are able to work through stressful situations with greater ease.
30. It builds trust in the company
We have mentioned this circle of trust, respect and happiness already, but to reiterate: having happy employees makes it easier for everyone to buy into your business. Employees who are well treated give off a better customer service vibe which fosters the notion that the company is a good place. In turn, customers have respect for a company that treats their people well and are more willing to take the firm at their word.
31. There is a positive company culture
Building a positive company culture is about more than supplying great coffee for meetings or giving everyone a zip line adventure at the annual company picnic. It is important that people feeling valued, trusted, engaged and supported. More so, it is important that those feelings are not only mutual, but encouraged. Cultivating a company culture that prickles with positivity takes time and effort – and a great office coffee supplier can definitely help.
32. Constantly attracting new employees
We have mentioned a few times that one of the perks to having happy employees is the reduction in recruitment and retention thanks to people wanting to stay. However, the other side of this coin is the fact that happy companies are often expanding which means bringing a raft of the best people you can find into the company. The good thing is a well-rounded recruitment process will ensure the talent you attract fits well within your positive workplace culture, yielding more happy employees.
33. Employees are energized
The common fact that it takes less effort to smile than it does to frown is worth remembering. Since people are not burdened with the effort of disliking their colleagues, their workplace or their job, they are empowered with more energy to do their jobs and enjoy their achievements.
34. There is faster company growth
A combination of better attitudes, fewer sick days, more engagement, improved connections to other departments and freer exchange of ideas mean that companies with happy employees grow faster. There are plenty of studies that show this to be true, and the best part is companies who find themselves enjoying a “happiness boom” are more likely to enjoy continued growth.
35. It makes the employees look good and the company look good
This circles back to the notion that people are more interested in supporting companies that treat their employees well. People feel better knowing they are “buying in” to something good. Having a happy customer-facing staff reinforces the notion that you care about your teams and your teams care about your firm. You have to start thinking of employee happiness as the “Simba” of your company – hold it up and show it to everyone who might be interested, and great things will follow.
36. A happy workplace shows great social responsibility
Because people in your office care about your business and feel invested in the firm, it is more likely they will encourage and take part in social action days around your community. There is a tremendous amount of credibility that goes with being able to say “yeah, my company helped restore this wetland” or “on Thursdays, we mentor kids from the high school robotics program”. Investing in the community that surrounds your business and supporting worthy causes in the area improve the firm’s image, sure – but those activities also show just how much you care about your people and where they live.
37. Better decisions are made
Clarity is a wonderful thing with which to empower your teams. When the company has happy employees, free from the stresses and squabbles that come from a dysfunctional workplace, making good decisions is easier. This also happens because people feel trusted and empowered to make decisions about projects for themselves. Employees who feel empowered and secure within their roles are more likely to apply their own imaginative and critical thinking to choices they are making – whether they are small choices like keeping the report binders green or bigger choices, like changing the timeline of a product launch to incorporate a potential hurdle. In both cases, good decisions follow happy people.
38. The staff is more optimistic
If you are fortunate enough to have staff surveys show that you have happy employees, you have done a lot of work eliminating distractions and obstacles to their daily routines. As a result, there are fewer things for people to get hung up on, upset by or distracted because of. They will have fewer negative interactions and thoughts than their counterparts at a similar company where employee happiness is lower. Having more to be positive about naturally leads to an overall feeling of optimism about everything from the odds of getting the right cup of coffee in the break room to whether bonus targets will be met this quarter.
39. Employees are comfortable speaking their minds
As we near the end of our list, it is well worth reiterating the importance communication has in employee happiness. In a workplace where free and open discourse is encouraged, employees are happier because they know their opinions are listened to, their experiences are valued and they are welcome to contribute to discussions. If you work in an office where people freely offer their opinions when asked, the odds are solid you work for a company with happy employees.
40. Employees are willing to leave their comfort zones
People who feel secure in their roles are more likely to take chances and risk failure. Because we spend a great deal of our time focusing on the positives of having a great office culture, it might seem odd to mention failure – but failure is a huge, and valuable, part of true success. Cultivating a workplace culture where employees are happy is not the same as creating an environment that breeds office complacency. Happy employees will understand the value in taking calculated risks and relish the challenge and reward of stepping into unfamiliar territory to learn a new skill.
41. Overall, a happy place is a great place to work
The common thread that weaves all 40 of these benefits together is simple: happy employees create an amazing workplace, and vice versa. By putting in the effort to establish a great workplace culture, where people feel valued and enjoy making a contribution, you are creating the sort of “halo” environment where recruitment and retention are easy because talented professionals want to be part of your continued success.
Hopefully, after a list of forty-plus benefits of what happy employees can bring to your workplace, you understand why we are so passionate about providing the support that underpins a great workplace culture. Excellent coffee, nourishing snacks and refreshing beverages in the break room can be a great first step to establishing a wonderful workplace culture for all.
To learn more about how our coffee experts can fuel your in-house cultural revolution, reach out and contact the team here at Corporate Essentials today. With two decades of experience in what makes a great break room tick, we are ready to help.
