A Gallup study, reporting data from more than 180 million people, found that just 13% of us are “happily engaged at work.”
As well as a sad statistic for employees, it’s also something that employers need to take note of, as the happiness of their people can have significant impact on the success of their business.
Type “How to be happi…” into Google Search and “How to be happier at work” is the first suggestion to pop up, with 73.5 million results in 0.24 seconds.
So there’s a lot of advice out there, which seems to boil down to a mixture of “it’s genetic”, emotional intelligence, relationships with your colleagues, empowerment and personality (back to genetics and emotional intelligence).
So is there anything that can help from a workplace design point of view, apart from moving somewhere sunny, near a beach?
Here’s 5 suggestions:
1. One size doesn’t fit all.
Design spaces that suit the task and the teams that will occupy them. Some teams need to collaborate constantly, some need to make lots of noisy calls, some need privacy and quiet.
2. Make friends
In spite of 1., do create spaces where people can chat freely on a break and are encouraged to have some social time. If you’ve got friends at work it makes it a much better place to be.
3. Personalisation
Giving people genuine choices in how and where they work helps to tick the empowerment box.
4. Stay healthy
Not all companies can provide fitness centres and juice bars, but most should be able to provide chilled water, enough natural light and ventilation and task furniture suited to the job. Including standing desks and meeting rooms, comfortable breakout spaces and a worthwhile walk to the tea point will help as well.
5. Show you care
A large lump of happiness is dependent on an organisation’s culture. Good management, providing support, listening to complaints and suggestions, being flexible and understanding that everyone has pressures away from the job will make for a happier experience.