Transforming Workplace Wellbeing: The Path to Employee Happiness With employee stress levels at an all-time high, how can you transform a dissatisfied workplace into a more positive environment?

Employee stress levels are reaching new extremes for business leaders. This issue goes beyond mere statistics- it demands action. A stressed and dissatisfied workforce can result in increased turnover, reduced productivity, and poor commercial success. The question is, how can we reverse this trend and create a healthier, more engaged workplace?

This article will see me delve into why happiness at work matters and provide actionable strategies from my new book, Happy Economics, for leaders to measure and enhance happiness within their teams.

I have over 40 years of experience in business and my focus is now on making employees happier at work to drive commercial success within organisations. I launched WorkL back in 2017, which now helps over 1000 businesses globally improve the happiness and engagement of their teams.

Additionally, employees from over 100,000 organisations have taken the free WorkL happy at work survey which helps people determine how happy they are in their current job. The survey features 24 questions and is centred around my employee engagement methodology: Six Steps to Workplace Happiness.

Building WorkL from scratch saw many challenges, as all start-up businesses experience. Proving product-market fit early on, building brand credibility within a growing market and ensuring that we're recruiting the right people in the right roles at the right time. And of course, ensuring that our employees are happy!

How can employers improve the wellbeing of their team

Employee surveys are an effective way to gauge workplace happiness. At WorkL, our surveys are completely anonymous and each employee receives immediate feedback on their results, along with actionable suggestions for improving their workplace happiness. The surveys are thorough, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative questions. For instance, quantitative questions might ask employees to rate their job satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10, while qualitative questions invite them to share written feedback on three areas they'd like to see improved. This blend of measurable data and detailed insights offers a comprehensive understanding of employee sentiment.

After employees complete the survey, employers can explore the answers with follow up questions to uncover why a team may have scored low on wellbeing and how improvements can be made.

When engaging with a team, begin by inviting members to openly share their perspectives on workplace wellbeing. Allow individuals or the group to speak without interruption, ensuring you remain calm, receptive, and actively listen throughout the conversation. Ask clarifying questions to deepen your understanding, and once they've finished, summarise the key points you've heard and outline the next steps. This can be done in a meeting, one-on-one discussions, or through an online survey.

My Six Steps to Workplace Happiness also outlines how employers can ensure a happy team:

• Reward and Recognition –If you're not earning a fair salary, no amount of recognition for a job well done will be enough to make you forget you're not being paid enough. Your pay scale has to meet expectations and Extra Discretionary Effort.
• Information Sharing – Not sharing information makes employees feel an unimportant part of the business. Engagement and commitment can be eroded by this. If you are a business that wants to get the best out of individuals on the team, openness is key.
• Empowerment – The aim of any business must surely be to make their employees feel empowered and this means making them a key part of the decision-making process, listening to their ideas and integrating their suggestions to build and refine your strategy.
• Wellbeing – Health and wellbeing can be broken down into three key areas: physical, emotional and financial. By addressing all three, employers will improve engagement levels and productivity.
• Instilling Pride – Employees who love what they do and feel proud of where they work will speak openly and positively about it to colleagues, potential employees, customers and people in their community.
• Job Satisfaction – Research shows that the two biggest drivers of satisfaction are respectful treatment and trust between employees and senior management. A poor relationship with your manager is often cited as the number one reason for leaving an organisation, no matter how great the brand.

Employee stress isn't just a personal concern, it's a challenge for the entire organisation. High levels of stress can drastically impact productivity, morale, and ultimately, the company's bottom line. Business leaders are in a prime position to transform a stressed, dissatisfied workplace by creating a more supportive, communicative, and balanced environment.

As the workplace continues to evolve, prioritising employee wellbeing becomes a key driver of commercial success, what I like to call "Happy Economics".