International Week of Happiness at Work: 5 ways to create a happier work environment!
Last month, we celebrated International Week of Happiness at Work!
We know that a lot of people out there wouldn’t put ‘work’ and ‘happiness’ in the same sentence, but here at LCVA, we make an effort to ensure that the whole team have a positive attitude and outlook towards our work.
In this blog, we’re going to talk through some of the ways that we create a happy and stress-free work environment, so you have some tips and tricks to improve your mental wellbeing at work. We’ll be looking at five main principles that you can instil into your team that promote positivity.
The first main principle is a focus on work-life balance. If you constantly pile work onto your employees and interrupt the time that they should be spending at their leisure, your team will be overwhelmed with work-related stress, and this could lead to a resentful work environment. But by respecting that people have certain working hours and checking up on people’s workloads, you can ensure that your employees are on track and happy with the amount of work they have to do. And spending more time on their interests and hobbies means that your team will come to work happy and motivated for the week ahead!
We focus massively on work-life balance here at LCVA. We work flexible hours so that our team can spend time with their family, focus on their studies, and deal with the pressures of life. These flexible hours allow us to dedicate time to our other responsibilities, whilst also making sure that our LCVA workloads are being completed as well. As a team, we are respectful of each other’s time and working hours, and we’re always happy to lend a hand when some needs extra time or support with a project!
The next principle is consistent praise and recognition. Recognising when your employees have worked well or reached a milestone, and praising their achievement is essential to creating a happy work environment. This boosts their motivation and engagement with their work, and they are more likely to stay committed to their tasks and strive to do better because their efforts feel valued.
We make sure to celebrate our achievements at LCVA or praise each other when we’ve done a good job or received good feedback. Our teamwork and collaboration help build a culture of appreciation and support – we work together on projects and so we celebrate each other’s achievements like they are our own! This creates a positive work environment, where we are excited to share our feedback and praise amongst ourselves and motivate each other to go that extra mile for our clients!
The third principle is giving your employees a purpose. This helps people feel more engaged and ties their work back to the company’s mission – which will improve productivity and motivate. This might be as simple as explaining why things need to be done a certain way rather than just giving orders. Make sure you are communicating the company goals and values to your employees and explaining how this is affected by how they work.
At LCVA, we hold regular meetings, both with individual team members and with the whole team, so everyone knows exactly what they are working on at all times. By holding these meetings together and updating each other on our work, we can all understand how everyone’s work fits into the big picture and connects with the whole team. This encourages us to do our best for the team, our clients and to represent LCVA, and also gives us an overall purpose to strive towards.
Another essential principle is to invest in your team. Showing your employees that you have faith, trust, and belief in them is the perfect way to create a happy work environment. If your employees know that you value and rely on their work, they will have a reinforced sense of competence and confidence. This can empower them to take on new challenges and contribute more effectively, which will ensure better overall performances and outcomes for your business!
Lora is great at motivating our team by affording us the time and effort to explore different avenues of our industry and expand our knowledge to different areas. If one of us wants to learn more about social media content creation, or engage in more face-to-face meetings with clients, Lora has trust in us and allows us to explore these areas. By supporting us in this way, Lora gives us the confidence to not only nurture our strengths but also tackle and improve our weaknesses!
And last but not least, make your work environment fun and communicative! We know that every single moment at work isn’t always fun and full of happiness – sometimes seriousness is the best way to get the job done! But make sure you set aside time each week to connect and have fun with your employees. Fun and relaxed environments often encourage creativity and innovation, as well as strengthening team relationships and improving overall well-being and productivity.
At LCVA, we prioritise the emotional and mental wellbeing of all of our employees. We check in on each other, share stories about our lives, and laugh with each other all the time! We organise team co-working days or volunteer days where we can connect and bond, but we also organise fun days together where we can join each other for lunch and chat! We are one big family, and this contributes to our positive work culture, where we feel valued, respected, supported, and motivated to do our best for our work family!
So there you have it! 5 principles that can create a happier and stress-free work environment amongst your employees!
If you want to find out more about LCVA and what we do, feel free to message us on social media or email us at info@lcvaservices.com
