Countless studies have shown that happiness leads to more success, increased productivity and overall workplace wellbeing in companies. However most workplaces are focused on success rather than happiness. The approach to creating a successful company needs to be flipped on its head to be successful.
Instead of purely focusing on success and reaching targets, we also need to focus on workplace wellbeing.
The good news is that workplace wellbeing programs have become more and more fashionable however in many companies they fail miserably because they are not built from the bottom up.
Wellbeing in business should become business as usual and it has to be supported and embraced by the team not forced by the top.
Here are six keys to effectively develop workplace wellbeing and happiness.
- Values driven culture:
Make sure your team understands the values that guide the company and knows exactly how to display said values.
One of the biggest killers of workplace wellbeing and happiness is gossiping, backstabbing and bitching. Have a policy where you make it clear that any of this behaviour is not tolerated in the business.
- From the bottom up:
Workplace wellbeing has to come from the bottom up, not from the top down, it needs to be driven by people within the business not just the business owner in order for it to be effective.
It’s all about finding out what your team needs, and not implementing something that may look good on paper, or to the outside world, but doesn’t truly support your staff.
This ensures the responsibility of your employees happiness falls onto one another, avoiding the ‘you vs them’ mentality faced by so many business owners, and you can collaborate and unite as a team.
Let the team decide on activities, but also prompt ideas to see what ignites their excitement.
- Appoint a team happiness rockstar:
By appointing someone in the team to be responsible and aware of other staff’s wellbeing you are immediately allowing more junior employees the opportunity to shine in ways other than what their job description may outline. Help them succeed by allocating a small budget – whether that’s simply to shout the team coffees once a week, or buy flowers for someone in the office who’s having a tough week, acknowledging each individual staff member beyond the work that they do can in turn reflect greatly on their quality of work and loyalty to your business.
At Basic Bananas we have a designated Team Happiness Rockstar whose role it is to make sure everyone in the team feels appreciated and enjoys work. She also comes up with ideas to improve our workplace wellbeing.
One of her most recent projects included finding out each team member’s love language based on the book The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman which enables us to effectively communicate with each team member.
- Mindfulness:
Studies show that mindfulness can increase productivity and generate better results. We all know how draining the 3pm slump can be, so instead of stocking the office cupboard with sugary treats to get staff through the afternoon, opt for a daily meditation to reawaken your staff and give them the reboot they need to get through the last few hours in a productive way.
But be consistent. There’s no point in saying you’re going to do it and getting too busy. You need to take the charge, and commit to those 10 minutes every day so that even when you’re out of the office, the staff prioritize this and understand its value to their own work.
At Basic Bananas we do a daily ten minute meditation at 3pm, it can become a habit if you do it long enough and the effects are beyond what we can see!
- Celebrate the small stuff:
Celebrating is an important ingredient for team members to feel appreciated and like they matter. Make celebrating another habit in your business.
Every week we have a Friday lunch team meeting, and before we get into action points we take the time to celebrate small wins for each of our staff, allowing our employees to take the floor and share with us their win for the week, or perhaps something they’ve noticed another colleague has done well. This allows everyone within the business to feel valued, rather than waiting until yearly reviews to acknowledge a job well done.
- Change your environment:
Whether you’re in a busy corporate office space, or on a worksite, pulling your staff out of the work ‘zone’ can really empower staff and inspire bigger ideas. At Basic Bananas, we host ‘board’ meetings literally, on surf boards in the ocean, so we’re away from technology and can truly connect with one another, with nature and with our ideas – some of our best concepts were formed while bobbing on a wave.
Don’t be stuck within the office walls; take the team out of their work environment as it is guaranteed to stimulate creativity and team bonding.
About the author
Franziska is a maverick entrepreneur, leading marketing and brand strategist, speaker, author and the co-founder of BasicBananas.com, OceanLovers.global, YoursSocially.com, TheBusinessHood.com and Impacteurs.com.
In 2013 Franziska was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognising her innovation, creativity and philanthropic involvement.
A true visionary, no challenge seems to be too big for Franziska. She is known for her rebellious nature and challenging the norm. Franziska has this rare combination of being both creative and strategic, which makes her a powerful thought leader in the business world.
The key to Franziska’s success is her down-to-earth attitude, infectious energy, integrity and fearlessness to take the lead. As a Swiss-born Aussie with a sharp-witted humour, and the ability to speak five languages, she has also been known to make up a few words.
Franziska is a big believer in social business and is always on the lookout for social projects; the latest ones include the adoption of a Mongolian wild horse and a whale.
