Want A Happier & Healthier Workplace?

This year has been an interesting year for many of us. It has brought about its fair share of challenges and I think many people are looking forward to a fresh new year.

I have already started planning what my work life will look like next year, have you thought about yours?

This year I have worked with many individuals and organisations that have experienced high stress levels and anxiety as a result of difficulties in the workplace. For some, it has been looming redundancies, and for others it has been increased workloads and high expectations from management. In many cases, it has been personal circumstances at home that have affected ones performance at work.

Life is always going to have its up and downs, but sometimes the little things that are put in place at work can determine whether staff manage the ups and downs well (or not so well).

So in planning for a successful new year at work, what can we all start thinking about NOW to create a happier and healthier workplace for ourselves in 2017?

Here are FIVE quick ideas to get you started.

1). Incorporate Some Perks Into The Workplace

Do you get a bit jealous when you read about the office perks that the employees at Apple, Google and Facebook get? Well some of the perks are easily replicable in our own work places. Yes paid health care insurance and paid wellness programs sound great. But more flexibility, free lunch or casual dress days throughout the year also make an impact on staff happiness. Even a coffee-machine made coffee over instant coffee can make a difference.

2). Deliver Praise and Recognition Regularly

All of us like to feel appreciated for what we do. It not only makes us feel good, but we are more likely to repeat what we are doing when we are rewarded in some way. For workplaces praise and recognition to staff can be provided in many ways informally and formally. It can come in the form of verbal praise or even a brief thank you email. For a bit more formality, you might want to have monthly awards for team members. Whether it is a small card, a bottle of champagne or a weekend away, praise goes a long way.

3). Make Sure The Health Of Your Workplace Is Priority

Being healthy is not everyone’s cup of tea, but the fact that an organisation would go out of its way to provide healthy type activities shows an employee that they are cared about. Provision of healthy fruit, fitness challenges, office cookbooks, and golf weekends all make a difference to the wellbeing of staff. They key here is to keep it fun!

4). Schedule in Fun Events

Creating a sense of ‘we are in this together’ is extremely important for workplace happiness. People want to celebrate with others when things are going well, and need to know that they are not alone when things are not going quite so well. Also, having friends at work just makes it more fun. So having enjoyable events to look forward to gives teams a chance to connect with each other on a more personal level. Lunches outside the organisation, Friday drinks or once-a-month casual hangout days would work a treat.

5). Invest in Personal Growth of Employees

Many organisations are fairly good at providing professional development opportunities for their staff, but what about personal development? Our professional life is an extension of us personally; so it’s in a workplaces best interest to give their staff opportunities to learn about topics such as resilience, stress management, communication skills and emotional intelligence to help with personal growth. ‘Lunch & Learns’ are a great way to incorporate personal development into a busy workplace.

Small steps now can make a big difference to how next year works for you.

Marny