Mike Monaghan, Director of Auto Motivate, a human performance development consultancy for the automotive industry, discusses the importance of happiness in the workplace.
Countless studies and surveys have provided empirical evidence that it does! So, why is it that so many companies leave employee engagement and happiness up to the individual, thinking it’s their choice?
The same data and analysis have shown that a happy and engaged employee can be as much as 65% more productive.
Some companies do try to provide team-building events, like social nights and BBQs etc. However, this does not address the root cause of the lack of engagement and happiness at work.
We spend an average of 11,200 days at work over our lifetime, so a few BBQs and pizzas won’t keep your people engaged or happy enough to deliver that optimum performance over a sustained period.
Without some form of long-term personal engagement and development program, you are likely to see many variable workplace behaviours or worse staff turnover. The cost of that in today’s labour market is exponential.
Is there a solution? Well, is there a magic pill or a silver bullet? Absolutely not, but there are many things which can be done to improve both happiness and engagement at work. Let’s address the elephant in the room, it’s not, never was and never will be all about the money.
It has much more to do with culture, environment, and rewards, but it’s more about an organisation having empathy and a listening culture. The world of work is changing rapidly due in part to the effects of Covid and the shift in generational thinking.
Too often, there is a very real clash of thinking in this arena between bosses and workers, directors and HR departments, and even between managers and other managers.
One thing is clear this is not going away and will soon become a much bigger issue if a policy and program are not put in place. Many world-class organisations are moving quickly in this direction to both attract and secure their talent pool.
The phrase you will hear more and more over the coming years is Psychological Safety. This is how a company provides an environment to facilitate a new type of learning and development program for all of its staff, including its directors – especially its directors!
Ask yourself this question; If you were not happy at work, how long would you stick it out, and what do you think happens to your performance and engagement?
You can see why now is the time to look very carefully at how you are going to secure your long-term success and sustainability.
For a free no-obligation consultation, please contact mike@auto-motivate.com
