The problem is that too many of these companies think that higher profits are more important. However, more and more evidence is showing that employee happiness is a huge reason why companies can earn more and be more successful.
This infographic will help you understand how important this correlation is.
Check it out:
Free bonus: Download this infographic as a PDF. Easily print it or save it on your computer for quick reference.
1. Companies with happy employees outperform the competition by 20%
Happy employees are typically the ones who care about the organization and have a desire to help your company achieve success.
Simply put, when your employees are happy they care more. Your team’s goals are more compelling. They feel invested in the company’s performance.
Otherwise, your employees wouldn’t be happy and they’d be putting in a minimum effort to avoid being fired.
Happy teams like what they do, so their work feels less like work and more like fun.
I can vouch for this wholeheartedly. I love helping companies make their offices better places to work, so my work makes me happy and I want to do more of it.
2. Happy employees are 12% more productive
The last point is a perfect segue way into why happier teams are more productive. We’ve established that being happy at work means you like what you do and where you work.
But why does that lead to higher productivity?
At one of our recent weekly “Crush It Calls”, a member of our team mentioned how lucky he feels that he wakes up and gets excited to come to work.
That made me remember how rare that is. Most people wake up and dread going to work. So being excited and happy about what you do is one of the best feelings because let’s face it, we spend almost half of our waking lives at work or working.
Enjoying what you do typically makes you want to do more of it. Plus you’ll notice that you find fewer reasons to get distracted.
3. 67% of full-time employees with access to free food at work are “extremely” or “very” happy at their current job
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that free food is one of the top perks that employees desire. It’s one of the major reasons why companies like Google and Facebook use it as a way to attract and keep top talent.
Still not convinced that people care about food as a perk? Consider this:
That same study found that 48% of job seekers weigh company perks, including the availability of snacks, in their decision to work for a company.
If your company isn’t offering free food or snacks, it’s time to consider leaping. If you’re looking to get office snack delivery for your team each month, SnackNation can help you get started.
4. Happy salespeople produce 37% greater sales
Maybe you’re a skeptic about all this “people stuff”. You might think that focusing on engagement and happiness is just a new-age fad that millennials like to trumpet, but that it doesn’t affect your company.
This stat should put things into perspective.
Still, think all this employee happiness stuff isn’t important?
5. 36% of employees would give up $5,000 a year in salary to be happier at work
He says he takes care of them. He knows what’s going on in their personal lives and he offers help wherever he can.
This leads to his employees feeling appreciated and happy, even when they know they could be making more money working somewhere else.
For example, one of his lead designers turned down a job offer for almost 3 times the salary he was earning at the time, just because he was happily working with Neil.
Neil goes against the conventional wisdom that people should leave their problems at the door when they step into work.
Instead, he tries to understand their problems and goals and tries to help them solve them.
So treat your employees like part of your tribe and take care of them.
6. Close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50%
There have been countless studies done that prove having more friends improves happiness and overall employee satisfaction. So it makes perfect sense that having more friends at work makes us happier too.
If you think about it, you typically spend more time with the people at work than you do with your friends outside of work (and even your spouse, for that matter).
Here are some quick tips on how you and your team can develop better friendships at work:
- Psychologist shares the secret to making friends at work
- How to make friends at work [Slideshow]
- Workplace Hack: Make More Friends at Work to Become More Productive
7. People with a best friend at work are healthier and 7x more likely to engage fully in their work
While employee happiness and engagement are not the same things, they are generally correlated. It’s pretty rare to see someone who loves walking into the office each day but finds no value or purpose in their work.
When you have friends at work, you get this feeling that you’re doing something together. You guys are out to accomplish the same goal, and it’s with people you genuinely enjoy being around. In addition, strong social connections help build mental resilience and decrease blood pressure, as outlined in this article by LifeDojo. It can also have a positive impact on employee morale at your organization.
Having close friends at work is very similar to being on a sports team. On a sports team, you’re not out there playing and competing for just yourself. You’re playing for the collective group and you want everyone to win the Championship.
8. The top 3 factors contributing
to job satisfaction are job security, opportunities to use skills and abilities, organization’s financial stability
There is a correlation between how much you earn and your happiness. Being broke and not being able to pay the bills is almost always a guaranteed recipe for unhappiness.
A study done by Princeton found that once a person makes about $75,000 a year, income no longer affects happiness.
So it seems like money should serve as a threshold, not an indicator of how happy your team members are.
9. Employees who report being happy at work take 10 times fewer sick days than unhappy employees
- Staying twice as long in their jobs as their least happy colleagues
- Spending double their time at work focused on what they are paid to do
- Believing they are achieving their potential twice as much
Those are some pretty shocking stats.
So what might explain why happier employees take fewer sick days?
Studies have shown that being happy boosts your immune system. Unhappiness leads to stress, which can negatively impact your cardiovascular and immune systems.
In addition, laughter and humor (typically seen more among happy employees) strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, and protects you from stress.
10. Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For”
11. Only 42% of employees are happy with the rewards and recognition their company offers
It’s no secret that recognizing employees leads to them being happier. People have an intrinsic desire to be recognized for their efforts and accomplishments.
A report from McKinsey found that a $1000 payment was 10 times more effective at motivating and engaging employees when it was given through a recognition program than when added to base pay.
Considering that the minority of employees are happy with the rewards and recognition their organization offers, it might be time for you to reconsider what you’re providing.
Looking for some unique ways to recognize your employees? Check out our complete list of employee recognition ideas.
Conclusion
Having happy employees is insanely important for the health of your organization. Happier teams work harder, are more productive, and work better together. For some practical ideas on how to make your workday more enjoyable, check out this list of 25 creative ways to help you feel happier at work.
