When companies get happiness wrong

It’s in the best interest of your company to keep you happy at work. Happy employees mean higher productivity and less turnover, but according to this Fast Company article, many employers are relying on the physical surroundings of their space to keep their staff happy.

“There is a real difference between happiness gimmicks and working in a well-being culture–one that values people, manages them by praise and reward rather than fault finding, and that enables them to work flexibly and provides them with work-life balance. Research shows that these are the real keys to happiness,” the article says.

A kitchen stocked with snacks and ping pong tables aren’t cutting it anymore, folks. And did they ever, really? According to research, doing things to foster wellness and autonomy, such as offering telecommuting options, can also contribute to happiness.

This isn’t groundbreaking news, but it’s still something employers need to be remember when it comes to priorities in the organization. Exciting perks and beautiful offices are great, but those things aren’t going to be the deciding factor that your employees consider when a recruiter reaches out to them on LinkedIn about a job opening. People care about compensation, career growth and getting along well with their coworkers and superiors. Those are the things that will run through their mind as their fingers hover over the keys, deciding how to respond to that LinkedIn message. The end of the article perhaps sums it up best: “Happiness and contentment at work is not about sushi for lunch and massages at your desk, it is about how bosses treat those that work for them.” 

How do you define happiness at work? Let us know in the comments!