Anything you enjoy, you’re naturally going to do a better job with and give more of yourself to, so making your job something you look forward to, rather than simply a responsibility, is essential. Not every day is going to be a load of laughs from beginning to end, but employees should derive enough happiness and satisfaction from their roles overall to see them through the tougher moments and greater professional challenges.
As the start-up doctrine drastically changed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with fast growing game-changers like Google and Pixar, soon to be followed by Zappos, Facebook and others, the very idea of what an office could and should be changed. We all can’t work for Google or Apple (which are two of the top 50 best places to work in 2019, according to employees ), but we can all make an effort to make our office a more enjoyable place.
Just remember that a happy team is the foundation to a great customer experience and a successful business.
Show recognition and gratitude to your team
Recognizing the contributions of all the members of your team will help you build internal bonds. Also building an attitude of helpfulness and gratitude internally will inevitably affect the way you treat customers, leading to improved customer satisfaction. Regardless of the industry, companies that understand that people are their most important asset will thrive.
Always notice the ones who are willing to go the extra step, and try to let them know how meaningful that is.
Make fewer meetings
The last thing anyone need is to many meetings in a busy day. Meetings take up valuable time you need to finish your daily tasks, and often your most productive time at that. Mr David Sacks, when COO of PayPal, would disband any gathering of more than three or four people that he deemed inefficient.
Stop the presenteeism
Presenteeism occurs when your team members still turn up to work, but they have limited productivity and are simply being “present”. They feel like they need to be seen working their hours, so they stay at work, even when they aren’t really achieving anything. We’ve a culture where people don’t feel that they can just get up and, without guilt, go and work somewhere else to get something done.
Many high profit companies have already move to a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE), the polar opposite of presenteeism, where you don’t have to keep office hours or even come in at all but work from home or a cafe instead.
Don’t forget to rest
Lately we’re mislead to believe that working 80 hours a week is necessary to become a CEO. All the evidence is that ever-longer hours lead to diminishing returns, with creativity one of the first casualties, to say nothing of the deleterious consequences for physical and mental health. Going home on time and getting
a good night’s sleep are critical to working effectively. Besides, breakthroughs — so- called “shower ideas” — often come when you’re not working.
Going even more further Microsoft’s division in Japan says it saw productivity grow by 40% after allowing employees to work for four days a week rather than five. Workers at Microsoft Japan enjoyed an enviable perk this summer: working four days a week, enjoying a three-day weekend — and getting their normal, five-day paycheck.
Social time in office hours
It could be lunchtime pizzas or afternoon coffee, but a social meeting should take place in the office and in office hours: the post-work beer traditional in Britain or Aperittivo in Italy, discriminates against working parents, long-distance commuters and people who don’t want to drink, plus eats into valuable evening recharge time.
