::Happy Employee, Happy Company::

Have you ever heard the old saying, “Happy wife, happy life?”  The same thing is true for your workforce.  Happy employees are normally engaged employees.  Happy employees, higher productivity and results.  Goals met.  Clients satisfied.  All good things that healthy companies strive for on a daily basis.

Did you know that there are actually people who study the science of happiness?  Dr. Mark Holder, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, does just that.  According to Dr. Holder, happy people are more extroverted, have strong friendships, don’t worry a great deal and tend to be more spiritual.  They also tend to be engaged in more active leisure like joining a sports team rather than playing computer games.  They volunteer more and engage in acts of kindness.

The term “engaged” is a popular one in the HR world today.  We all want engaged employees.  So, how do you “make” an engaged employee?

You start out by hiring a generally happy person.

Makes sense, right?  However, employees are not like watermelons.  You can’t thump them using your thumb and middle finger to find out if they are ripe and ready to be the best dessert ever!  You can, however, use one of the many assessment tools that are available to locate a person with the basic characteristics of a happy person, along with other traits you feel the job requires.

The ancient Greeks defined happiness as “the joy we feel when we are striving after our potential.”  Once you hire the happy employee, make sure you give them meaningful work and purpose in their job.  Placing a happy person in a job they are qualified to do and are passionate about will result in a more engaged employee.

Then to maintain that engagement, you must give positive reinforcement, recognize accomplishments and show you care about them as a person.  Foster a culture of open communication and trust.

See how easy it is to have a happy employee… happy company?