Happiness is… an engaged and fulfilled workforce

Demands on our time are greater than ever. Consequently, the time we spend in the office needs to be higher quality, with workplaces supporting employee performance. Companies are increasingly aware that happy and nurtured employees also make for engaged, empowered and high-performing employees. Research by Harvard Business Review has indicated that happy employees have, on average, 31% higher productivity. Ultimately, businesses where staff wellbeing is not only taken seriously, but is made a fundamental priority and placed at the heart of operations, are transforming the workplace landscape. Simultaneously, we are seeing the emergence of an increasingly demanding new generation of workers who want to safeguard their quality of life and happiness at work. JLL’s recent report, Workplace – Powered by Human Experience, which analysed responses from more than 7,300 respondents from 12 countries, found that 71% of UK employees think that happiness at work is the best ingredient to guarantee a unique work experience. Creating change Promoting happiness is not a simple “box-ticking” exercise achieved with the introduction of a ping-pong table or a novelty slide. It is about focusing on the human experience as a whole and ensuring that employees share the values and truly feel part of the company they work for. Indeed, our research revealed that only 12% of the respondents felt that their office should facilitate games. Therefore, creating change will require a greater convergence between real estate and HR strategy. As part of the evolved concept of wellbeing and happiness, JLL’s report also revealed that employees want to feel that their workplaces provide opportunities for personal learning (54%), creativity (53%) and inspiration (43%). Companies are stepping up to better help employees realise their professional and personal goals. Whether creating team workspaces to boost creativity and collaboration, or delivering higher quality services and amenities, companies are taking greater responsibility for overseeing the physical and mental wellness of their people, helping to ensure they are fulfilled at work. With 60% of surveyed employees wanting to feel recognised at work, firms need to demonstrate that they fundamentally care about their staff, and that employees are as important as their clients. Businesses are increasingly adopting a more forward-thinking mindset to focus on talent retention and attraction – especially when it comes to targeting a diverse workforce such as the pressured “sandwich generation” and aspirational millennials. Today’s workforce places a greater emphasis on work-life balance, employee benefits and their quality of life at work. One way to think about this is by developing a “start-up culture” to recruit and retain talent. Employees crave an entrepreneurial atmosphere: many survey respondents stated they did not want to work in a large corporation and one-third of those who did still wanted a start-up environment. Creating a start-up culture goes beyond instituting structured policies to move employees into a different mindset; namely, it is one that prioritises creation and collaboration. This is where the culture of a business and the use of its environment can most visibly intertwine. For example, developing “breathing space” in the form of breakout areas, using standing desks or holding standing meetings, and enabling flexible working can be the most straightforward ways to foster a start-up mentality. Grasp the nettle Prioritising employee happiness needs to be driven by employers. What is evident is that happiness is essentially about engagement, empowerment and fulfilment – all very strong levers of performance. However, real estate is only one part of this equation. At the same time, managerial approaches linked to recognition, personal learning and development also affect employees’ feeling of fulfilment. Another element straight out of the Silicon Valley play book is the “chief happiness officer” (CHO). Nearly nine out of 10 respondents were enthusiastic about having someone with the responsibility to act as the custodian of their wellbeing. The importance of wellbeing and happiness in the workplace is one that has taken root recently in some of the world’s biggest corporations. Google already has a CHO, and Virgin, with its staff consultations on workspaces, is a pioneer in putting people at the centre of office design. Many other businesses are getting ready to follow suit. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in the world of work with different countries, companies and industries developing starkly different approaches to generating an ideal working environment for their employees. However, our research revealed that there are some universal trends; for example, the positive relationship between low workspace density and employee effectiveness, and the strong impact spaces dedicated to collaboration have on productivity. Clearly, the environment a company creates for its employees affects their happiness and wellbeing and, ultimately, the productivity and profitability of a company. With only 51% of employees stating that their workspace allowed them to work effectively, there is much more businesses need to do to improve the workplace experience. The first step can be as direct as talking to employees to understand their needs and priorities. Not only does this provide the clearest direction on what is good and bad about the workplace environment, crucially, it also provides employee engagement, which is key to facilitating organisational change. The best companies create a nurturing environment where there is a fusion of life and work, and direct human-to-human interactions. Tom Carroll is head of EMEA corporate research, JLL