Providing Purpose is the Key to Employee Morale and Productivity
Have you ever heard of The Happiness Research Institute? Situated in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark, the Institute carries out ongoing studies into tangible evidence of the happiness and well-being of countries, societies and the people therein, on both professional and personal levels. Through its extensive research, they have discovered that the #1 source of contentedness is derived from having a sense of purpose. Studies of actual job satisfaction demonstrate that purpose ranks top, and is twice as important to an employee as simply having a good boss (#2). Meik Wiking, the Institute’s CEO, puts it simply, “We need a sense of purpose.” Providing Purpose is the Key to Employee Morale and Productivity When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible. - Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Now let’s -- metaphorically-speaking of course -- jump on a plane and head over to Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. of A., where we’ll find another organization which looks at people’s morale, motivation and satisfaction levels -- this time, specifically in the workplace: the Boston College Center for Work & Family. In 2016, they published their study, “Employee Well-Being: A Comprehensive Approach,” which concluded that the five key elements of the happy and satisfied employee, rising above culture and location, are: Purpose: The satisfaction derived from your daily activities. Social: Establishing strong relationships with those people who support and care about you. Financial: Simply having sufficient financial resources for your economic security. Community: The sense of security about where you are. Physical: Being in good health. This article will provide five ways, based on this research, to increase your employee morale (and, in doing so, their productivity) within the workplace. Enhancing your employees’ experiences, and making them more engaged in the business itself, is a vital part of business growth, and is key to its performance, regardless of whether you’re an industry giant, an established small business or a startup. 1. Professional development and internal promotions We’ve all heard about "company culture.” This simple two-word phrase should reflect exactly what your company is about to both your employees and your clients, and an integral part of that is treating your employees as you would your clients and customers. Sadly, many of today’s disengaged employees cite the issue of a profound lack of professional career development as one of the primary reasons for their insatisfaction. Yes, time and other restrictions can make regular in-house training, professional courses, and one-to-one discussions difficult to organize; however, all managers need to recognize the benefits of these, both for themselves, and their employees. And promote internally? One word - essential. 2. Credit where credit’s due William James, U.S. psychologist and philosopher, once said, “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” Being acknowledged for what we do well is a basic human desire, and we expect a form of appreciation for that. This appreciation, if given in multiple ways, highlights your satisfaction with a “job well done” even more. It’s an essential part of what should be your company culture, too. Rewarding performance can be verbal, written, financial or even through an unexpected gesture, like personalized gifts for employees. These can be a great way of demonstrating their efforts have been recognized and deserve a reward. A combination of some of these only intensifies your thanks. 3. Forget feedback... listen Organized feedback sessions, on a regular basis, have been described as an important business tool for both employee development and performance improvement. However, in essence, it is simply listening. Many businesses (way too many, in fact) fall into the trap of constantly requesting feedback, and not actually listening when it’s given. Just take one moment to consider how absolutely frustrating that must feel to the employee concerned. Feedback, when the tool is used correctly and effectively, resulting in positive actions and outcomes, will also help your employee understand your particular preferences, and will help you identify their strengths and weaknesses in given areas. It should be viewed as a discussion. If it’s not, then what really is the point? 4. Empowering all Flexibility, business agility, and the immediate response are imperative in today’s digital technology-driven economic world. If your business, whatever its size, cannot provide a particular client’s required outcome, you are at risk of simply alienating them, and moving them to a rival company. It’s as easy and as quick as the click of a mouse. One of the dangers to your ability to respond effectively is the old business model of hierarchical thinking, which disrupts the free flow of communications and, thus, its operations. A prime and often-heard example of this is, "Oh, I need to run that past my boss first.” Such time delays seriously impact upon the effectiveness of a business. The answer? Empower all, if you can. Demonstrate your confidence in those you have hired. The use of empowerment creates further in-house levels of cooperation and trust, more engagement from your employees in the business, and even in your good self. 5. Building connections through working together Remember one of the elements mentioned in the brief introduction, that of community? People desire to feel a part of something. In-house collaborations (especially between employees whose paths would not normally cross) are a sure-fire way to increase the creativity, drive, and innovativeness within a particular project or idea, and thereby produce the required results quicker and more effectively. Don’t worry, just keep your staff happy! Keeping your employees fully engaged with your business brings many benefits, both personally and professionally. These five ways to increase your employee morale (and productivity) described above, if practiced devotedly as an essential part of your company culture, will drive your employees to greater things, and drive your business too. So, how would you motivate, engage and inspire a workforce that has become disengaged from the business? If you have any ideas, experiences, or just comments you’d like to add, please do so in the comments section below.
4 Important Things Rehab Taught Me About Forgiveness
When I was first admitted into rehab in 2012, I quickly had to come to terms with a lot of brand new concepts that were very foreign to me. I learned about the causes of my addiction in the first place, and also how to overcome cravings and prevent relapses. While I learned a lot from all of these, one thing that really helped me to avoid relapsing (again), and to instead focus on creating a brighter future for my life, was learning to forgive. There were many people in my life who I was secretly wishing I could say "I’m sorry for everything" to, or who I wanted to forgive for doing wrong by me, but I was way too scared to think about doing that. Today, I would love to share four important things about forgiveness that I learned while I was in recovery.4 Important Things Rehab Taught Me About ForgivenessWithout freedom from the past, there is no freedom at all.- KrishnamurtiWhy is it important to forgive?During your addiction, there were likely many things that you said and did that you now regret. The feelings of remorse are huge, and they're always there at the back of your mind, eating away at you from the inside. You might have strained a relationship that had a lot of meaning for you, with your family, friends, or a special loved one. You might have lost track of who you were, or sabotaged your career and financial stability. No matter what it is, it’s unhealthy to be walking around in life holding a grudge against yourself and others. In order to successfully approach recovery, it’s essential to let go of all the baggage that’s holding you back.How can I forgive?As a recovering addict, I shared my addiction recovery treatment with many people, mainly the 12-step program. Forgiveness is deeply rooted in this program, as its aim is to bring you a lasting recovery. Learning how to ask for forgiveness, how to seek it, and how to forgive yourself is vital to each process as demonstrated with the 12-step group. Forgiving is easier said than done for people like me, and it was very hard to wrap my head around the idea. Even after I had accepted it as an important step towards my recovery, I still didn’t know how to go about it. I can’t turn back time and change the mistakes I made, and there were a lot of people from my past who I was just too scared to approach again. I can’t just show up on the doorsteps of those I hurt and ask them for forgiveness. I lost that chance years ago. This is when I discovered that I could forgive anonymously. I decided to write letters and anonymously post them to their door. Not only was it therapeutic to put all my thoughts down on paper, it also helped me to fully understand that I truly meant every word I wrote. If you don’t want to approach anonymously, you can always keep it private. It’s no one’s business but yours. You can also create a list of what you regret and how you can learn to make peace with it. The best part about forgiving is that once it’s done, it’s over. Letting go is such an amazing feeling. Your spirits will become lighter as you finally lose the weight of all the guilt and negativity you’ve been carrying with you. The intense relief that comes with it is better than any high I ever had.Let go of your mistakesWe are our best and worst critics. When I was at my worst during my addiction days, I was always keeping a record of every bad thing I did. This only made me feel worse though, so I drank or used more to numb the feeling. Keeping tabs on every mistake I made was so counter-productive, and it held me back from getting the help I needed. After I began the 12-steps program and learned the importance of forgiveness, I soon discovered that I was slowly letting go of that record-keeping habit. I swapped it with keeping a record of all the achievements and milestones that made me proud -- like when I reached ten days sober, six months sober, one year sober, and when I got a job again and patched up my damaged relationships with people I cared a lot for. Switching out of my negative mindset and to a positive attitude really did a lot for me both mentally and physically. Embrace your futureOnce you’ve forgiven yourself and others, and moved past the stage where you need to hear the words, “I forgive you,” what’s left for you to do? Well, the simple answer to that question is to embrace all the incredible opportunities that are available to you now that you are sober. Go out and approach your future goals with motivation, optimism, and excitement. The best things happen when you are least expecting them to. Everyone has a different experience when they are recovering, but everyone has the same goals: to not let your addiction control you anymore. Accept that you are human, and no one is perfect. Only you can control the bright future that you have ahead of you, and that is the true magic and power of forgiveness during your recovery.And what about you? Do you have your own tip about addiction and recovery that you have learned personally and would like to to share? Leave a comment below. We’d love to hear it!