Happiness at the workplace and its importance in a company's growth.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

?Every individual wants to be happy at work. Happiness is a very subjective topic. What makes you happy and content doesn’t necessarily make others feel the same way.?

Happiness at the workplace for some people can be enjoying the tasks you are working on, having a good time at work, and having supportive colleagues and a manager/boss.?

For some people it can be feeling valued and recognised, getting an opportunity to socialise, achieving peace of mind and a great work-life balance.?

For others, it can be getting excellent pay and other incentives and benefits.

How does happiness play an important role in any company?

Happiness at work may vary for every individual, but it plays an important role in the growth of the company.?

Although the connection between happiness and productivity is not new, many employers or businesses still downplay its significance.??

If the employees are happy and satisfied with their work, they will be more productive and will provide better services to the company. According to the University of Oxford, a comprehensive analysis on happiness and productivity found that employees are 13% more productive when happy. (Source )

It helps in creating a harmonious and positive work environment. The atmosphere becomes lively and the work pace of every person in the company gets enhanced.

It also helps employers to retain employees for a longer period of time. A comprehensive explanation for this is that no one would want to leave a job where they are having a great time, getting paid well, and feeling valued. 63% of companies say retaining employees is actually harder than hiring them. (Source )

Being happier at work is also associated with improvement in health. Stress prevents a person from working well, which in turn creates a number of serious risk factors that may require the person to take time off and remain at home, which has an impact on the productivity of the organisation. Your immunity is better maintained and your stress level is lower when you are happy. This basically means that it keeps you healthy and stops you from depleting your productivity at work. Companies with happy and engaged employees experience a 50% decrease in workplace accidents, a 41% reduction in quality defects, a decrease in medical expenses, and a 37% decrease in absenteeism. (Source )

Being happy also increases an employee's sense of ownership over the mission of the company, which motivates other employees to take their jobs seriously. Shawn Achor in According to The Happiness Advantage (2011), a company with happy employees could see a 37% increase in sales and a 31% increase in productivity. Happiness also directly affects the creation of a high-performance work environment and the quality of life for those engaging in the workspace. (Source )

Having happy employees is not a bonus but a need of the time, as productivity, dedication and retention all depend on it. As per Happiness Business School, more than 50% of CEOs claim that corporate culture impacts productivity, creativity, profitability, company value, and growth rate. (Source )

“There is a lot of stuff we can’t control, but it is completely in our power to decide what the definition of a good job is. That’s up to us.” – Mike Rowe

-Bhavika Bhagtani, Talent Associate at Passion Connect