Work happiness is more important to many employees than a high salary. I see this time and again in conversations with directors, HR managers and employees themselves.
Based on years of practical experience and scientific research, I've distilled the ten factors that most influence work happiness. In this blog I list the ten most important factors of work happiness.
Trust is one of the most important factors when it comes to work happiness. It's mainly about the trust you as an employer give your employees, and less about the trust the employee has in themselves. Self-confidence is a different factor. There are many ways to give trust to your employees. What you should especially avoid is micromanaging everything and controlling what an employee does. In a work environment with a high level of trust, employees show more commitment and perform better.
Connection is a major factor in work happiness. People are largely herd animals and want to feel connected to their colleagues. Employees therefore also want to feel connected to the organization they work for. This means they want to know what's happening within the organization. And they also want to be informed about business developments and changes from management. Connection can be stimulated through an open and trusting work culture, in other words a culture where employees dare to ask questions or express their opinion.
This is one of the most important factors influencing employee work happiness. The appreciation or recognition an employee receives comes up in almost every article about work happiness. And for good reason. When employees feel appreciated and recognized, they often show extra commitment to their work. In addition, appreciation also helps people grow, gain more self-confidence, and as a result perform even better. Giving your employees appreciation is therefore a must.
An employee experiences fulfillment when they truly feel that carrying out their work contributes to a higher company goal. Fulfillment also ensures employees draw more energy from their work. Fulfillment also comes from achieving results. Fulfillment therefore goes especially well together with appreciation. When one of your employees achieves good results and you express your appreciation for that, it can be a major factor in increasing work happiness.
Autonomy and trust are quite similar. Autonomy comes more from the employee themselves and is, especially in the Netherlands, a prominent factor in work happiness. Employees see autonomy as an opportunity to handle matters or take action in their own way. It's also about the freedom you as an employer give your employees to carry out tasks independently, and about recognizing your employee's professionalism.
Respect might sound like one of the easiest factors of work happiness to influence, but in practice it's different. There are still hierarchical companies where managers show no respect for their employees, or where experienced employees don't show the desired respect toward less experienced colleagues. When employees respect each other, they're also often happier. Moreover, when employees feel respected, they'll be quicker to share their opinion. Constructive feedback benefits your organization's results.
Of course, salary level plays an important role in choosing a job. But once an employee has started, enjoying their work is very important. Enjoyment is therefore a major factor in work happiness. Enjoyment relates to how the work is experienced. It's important for employees that they like their work and that they work for an organization they believe in. When employees come to and leave work with enjoyment, they also perform better.
Challenge is also an important factor in work happiness. If employees aren't challenged, they'll quickly find their job boring. If, as an employer, you see that an employee always carries out their tasks in a very positive way and has time to spare, give that employee extra challenges. Just make sure you don't give such an employee too many extra challenging tasks that could come at the expense of their health.
A clear development plan is also a major factor in work happiness. An employee's development and growth path relate to their personal challenge and the appreciation you as an employer express toward that person. A clear view of growth within the organization, through a personal development path, ensures employees put in more motivated effort. When employees have no prospect of growth within the organization, they'll often do the bare minimum. In short: through a clear development path and by offering growth opportunities, you ensure your employees perform better.
The work environment is the final factor of work happiness, but is certainly not unimportant. Hybrid working continues to gain popularity, but there are still many employees who work 3 to 5 days a week in the office. It's therefore very important that the work environment is stimulating. In other words, a place with good energy. Where focused work is possible, where there's sufficient daylight, and an environment where employees can also unwind and have fun.
Of course, these aren't all the work happiness factors, but they are the most common ones. I've researched the other factors that increase work happiness. This uncovered no fewer than 40 additional work happiness factors. That's why the JobAligner Work Happiness App includes 50 work happiness themes, with every employee answering one work happiness theme each week. JobAligner periodically analyzes the answers, so the employer has a crystal-clear picture of which work happiness factors need attention. For these challenges, I draw up a practical improvement plan so the work happiness score in that area can be improved.
The ten factors in this article aren't an abstract ideal. They're concrete points of leverage for any organization that wants to take work happiness seriously. Trust, connection, appreciation, fulfillment, autonomy, respect, enjoyment at work, challenge, development and a stimulating work environment: together they form the foundation of a place where people want to be and want to perform.
Organizations that understand this and work on it structurally see the results. Lower absence, less turnover, higher productivity. But above all: employees who go to work with enjoyment and fulfillment. And that's exactly what it's all about!
