Is money the key to retention and productivity? It helps, says the Christian Science Monitor’s Marilyn Gardner, but it's not enough. Beyond pay and benefits, lie eight key factors that influence "happiness" at work—factors that motivate workers, foster accountability and make work more rewarding.
1. Appreciation
Praise tops the list for many workers says Gardner. So many supervisors go out of their way to let employees know what they have done wrong, but don't bother to congratulate and praise them for success. A sincere thank you or a letter highlighting the employee's contributions mean a great deal.
At AltaStaff, we encourage our candidates to create a 'brag book' to document their career achievements for use in performance appraisals and to create a professional portfolio which highlights the capabilities they develop in each role.
2. Respect
The most important factor in keeping employees happy is treating them with fairness and respect.
Respecting employees' ideas and time, as well as their ability to make decisions and be creative, makes them want to stay. Job dissatisfaction escalates when employees are not treated with respect or feel that their work is not appreciated.
3. Trust
Trust is the demonstration of that respect. Trust fosters accountability, a sense of purpose and a feeling of inclusion.
In a nationwide survey of 500 employees about what matters most in their relationship with a manager, 90 percent of workers rank honesty, fairness, and trust as their top three needs, says Terry Bacon, author of "What People Want."
4. Individual Growth
What people also want is an opportunity to grow and learn on the job. Employees want to understand how their efforts contribute to the business and want to feel that they are making a difference to their team, their department, and the company.
Today's workers want training, want to take on new challenges, and want to advance based on their new abilities. Giving a raise without increasing responsibilities could actually backfire, notes Gardner. As one expert says, if you give more money to an unhappy employee, you end up with a wealthier unhappy employee.
5. Good Boss
Bosses also play key roles in determining a worker's happiness factor. More than half of employees responding to an annual job-satisfaction survey by Yahoo! HotJobs admit that they don't leave companies, they leave bosses.
In a recent Robert Half survey, Gardner notes that 1,000 Gen Y workers ranked "working with a manager I can respect and learn from" as the most important aspect of their work environment.
6. Compatible Co-workers
Working with people you enjoy is also very important, says Gardner. Spending the day—every day—with people you don't like does not make for a productive workplace.
7. Compatible Culture
Employees want a work environment that fits their needs. That could mean hard-driving, high paying, or it could mean high flexibility and significant attention to work/life balance.
8. A Sense of Purpose
Most people find happiness at work when they feel connected to the core purpose of the organization. When we are able to find work that uses our capabilities and allows us to address important values in our life's purpose, it is the best way to find happiness at work.
Whatever an individual's personal recipe for happiness on the job, Jeff Garten, author of the forthcoming book "Career Contentment," urges people to take the long view.
"Career contentment is different from job satisfaction," he says. "It is a deeper state of mind about one's direction, fulfillment, calling, engagement. Job satisfaction comes and goes with each job, but career contentment is a lifelong quest and mind-set."
People want to make a difference, they want to give back. Employers that provide employees the opportunity to make a contribution, and focus not only on job satisfaction but also career development, do a superior job of creating a pleasant and productive work environment.
Source: Seven things employees want most to be happy at work [1]