The coronavirus crisis has affected many companies and their employees, and the transition to telecommuting has been more or less successful in some cases. In fact, it has become the norm in most companies, creating a growing distance between teams and their managers. This phenomenon has also made it more difficult to measure the real satisfaction of teams, who have sometimes felt forgotten and isolated. Despite this, it is important that employee happiness remains a top priority for companies if they are to continue to perform well.
The coronavirus crisis has affected many companies and their employees. The transition to telecommuting has been more or less successful in some cases, and has become the new norm. In fact, it created a distance between teams and their managers, making it difficult for the latter to really measure the satisfaction of their employees, who could sometimes feel forgotten and isolated. Despite this, it is important that employee happiness remains a top priority for companies if they are to continue to perform well.
Although the situation is rather positive in Belgium in terms of happiness at work, the figures dropped following the arrival of the coronavirus early last year. Apart from that, the trend has improved in recent years. In 2016, in a ranking drawn up by Ederend-Ipsos, it emerged that 70% of Belgian workers felt good at work (Ederend-Ipsos, 2016). In 2019, according to a survey conducted by Attentia, a Belgian company specializing in human resources management, these figures rise to 4 out of 5 Belgians (Attentia, 2019). Among the elements that explain these good results, we find a top 3 composed of: colleagues and atmosphere, work-life balance and work content.
But why talk about happiness at work at a time when corporate results take precedence over the human element?
"According to a survey conducted by Elke Van Hoof, director of the Resilience Centre (a center of expertise for the treatment of stress and burn-out), 83% of employers have introduced initiatives to improve worker well-being, but half of them spend no more than 10,000 euros a year on them." (L'Echo, 2020)
Despite these encouraging figures, almost one in five Belgians say they don't feel happy at work. And while these figures may seem low, they nonetheless represent a challenge for any good human resources manager, for a number of reasons.
As well as the health problems an unhappy employee can develop, it also means that 20% of the workforce is not performing at its best. Among the things that make employees unhappy are, above all, a lack of career prospects and a lack of attention to well-being.
In fact, employee happiness and company results are closely linked. When you consider that happy employees are 13% more productive than unhappy ones (Oxford University, 2019) and that companies with happy employees grow 3 times more than others (Ted, 2021), you can understand just how important workplace happiness is to business success.
So how do we make employees feel good in the workplace?
Team well-being starts with a healthy working environment. This can range from greater employee involvement in decision-making, to transparent and open communication, to a modern and appropriate layout of the premises.
But the manager alone cannot guarantee employee well-being. It is the result of sincere collaboration between employees on the one hand, and managers on the other. This collaboration is not only essential for the long-term survival of the company, but also for the happiness of its employees.
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