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THREE KEYS TO CULTIVATING A HAPPY WORK ENVIRONMENT 

Published: Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Business LabourConsumer AffairsManagement

Creating a happy working environment is critical to productivity, employee satisfaction and profitability. There are three key elements impacting on the cultivation of such environments; management techniques, management-employee relationships and peer-to-peer relationships.  

    Issued by Perfect Word Consulting (Pty) Ltd

    Creating a happy working environment is critical to productivity, employee satisfaction and profitability. There are three key elements impacting on the cultivation of such environments; management techniques, management-employee relationships and peer-to-peer relationships.

    Area² reports on a MusicWorks survey, conducted by music licensing organisations PPL and PRS for Music, which revealed that 77 percent of businesses say playing music in the workplace increases staff morale and improves the atmosphere. According to American journalist, Alexandra Robbins, “A Health Affairs study comparing patient-satisfaction scores of almost 100 000 nurses showed that a better nurse work environment was associated with higher scores on every patient-satisfaction survey question.”

    Regardless of the industry, it is clear that South African businesses must focus on creating environments that are conducive to happy employees and managers. Unfortunately, management teams often negatively impact on the working environment, rather than promoting happiness – which in turn will secure productivity.

    “Management often demands respect instead of understanding that this is to be earned through their actions. Building relationships and developing good interpersonal skills are crucial elements to successful employee-manager interactions,” says Liane McGowan, happiness guru and Founder of Happy Monday CC. “Managers also make the mistake of constantly adding pressure to their most valuable employees. This added responsibility is not necessarily seen as a vote of confidence, but rather it makes them feel more burdened, leading to demotivation.”

    In addition to listening to (and actually hearing) what employees have to say, management must become creative in their rewards for exemplary performance, with an understanding that remuneration is not the only form of incentive applicable to the workplace. “There are three things that every management team must implement to build greater relationships; listen, support employees and entice them to perform with more than just money.”

    Just as the vertical manager-employee relationship impacts on the working environment, so the horizontal peer-to-peer relationship can create either a happy culture, or one of discord. The key is to create an environment where colleagues better support each other, promoting inclusivity, appreciation and encouragement. “How employees relate to each other is learnt behaviour – and, unfortunately, most tend to follow in the footsteps of management,” adds McGowan. “Our day-to-day lives are so busy that we forget the basics of socialisation and humanity.”

    Creating an environment that breeds content is about more than being “warm and fuzzy”. Building happy cultures in the workplace leans on scientific evidence that denotes various business benefits, positively affecting the bottom line. “When employees enter a positive atmosphere at work, they are more motivated, productivity increases, and they feel valued in their positions, encouraging them to give more of themselves,” concludes McGowan. “How your employees feel rubs off on your clientele and suppliers, resulting in lower staff turnover, better communication and, ultimately, greater customer satisfaction.”

     

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    Boilerplate:

    Happy Monday CC offers the first South African wellness campaign that focusses on mental health and happiness at work, delivering employee wellness campaigns that make the difference! For more information please visit www.happymonday.co.za or contact Liane McGowan at liane@happymonday.co.za.

     

    Liane McGowan Biography:  

    Happy Monday CC was founded by happiness guru, Liane McGowan. She obtained a degree in Psychology through UNISA in 2012. Liane has worked as an operations manager with Currin’t Events for over 12 years, working directly with medium and large corporates in South Africa. During these years, Liane identified a need for a mental wellbeing focus and began researching the topic of happiness within the corporate space. Liane conducted her honours research report in 2010 on the prerequisites for successful retirement for adults over the age of 60; where she found that happiness in retirement was linked to happiness in the workplace.