Improving Happiness in the Workplace
- Robinson Grace HR
- Aug 25, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 15
According to a recent YouGov poll, just 17% of UK workers love their job, with more than 50% of workers saying that they are unhappy at work.
Here are our top tips for improving happiness in the workplace:
1. Listen to your employees: Encourage employee feedback, follow up with two-way dialogue and implement changes that can have a positive impact whenever appropriate.
2. Promote work-life balance: Encourage employees to take their lunch break away from their desk, leave on time, use their annual leave, and take advantage of flexible working options.
3. Put in place a recognition and reward scheme: from simple app or email kudos, to post it notes, employee of the month or treats and rewards; it’s important to acknowledge success and hard work.
4. Provide development opportunities to stretch and grow your team. It adds skills, keeps staff engaged and can lead to career enhancement.
5. Consider a health benefits package. Providing cash back health plans, employee assistance programmes or access to GP advice can ease employees’ worries and pockets.
6. Use a buddy system to improve workplace support and friendships. Positives relationships with colleagues can lead to improved attendance and job satisfaction.
7. Increase social spaces. Whether it’s a water cooler, a coffee machine, fruit bowl or a lunch and learn session, provide opportunities and places for employees to get together.
8. Build a hive mind approach. Employees that are supported and have a sounding board and collaborators are more likely to enjoy their work environment.
9. Look at initiatives that can increase endorphins and dopamine in the workplace. Whether it’s a meditation app, a discount at a local gym, listening to music at work, providing healthy eating advice or a bench in the sun, anything that increases the feel-good parts of the brain can improve our work environment.
10. Smile. Say hello. Positivity breeds positivity. Engage with your coworkers in the corridors, in meetings and in the carpark. Smiling boosts your mood by releasing cortisol and endorphins.
These are just some of the ways you can improve happiness in the workplace. Remember that everyone is different, so it’s important to find what works best for you.
If you would like support with initiatives to improve company culture or wellbeing, get in touch via clientservices@robinsongracehr.com or ring us on 01793 311937.
1. What makes employees unhappy at work, and how can employers address it?
Employees are most often unhappy at work because of excessive workload, lack of control or autonomy, and feeling unsupported by leadership. Other common issues include inadequate recognition, poor work-life balance, and unclear career development paths.
To address these issues and improve employee happiness, employers can:
Regularly solicit and act on employee feedback, creating two-way dialogue so staff feel heard.
Promote work-life balance by encouraging breaks, flexible working hours or hybrid work, and protecting annual leave.
Introduce a recognition and reward scheme (even simple gestures like email kudos or “employee of the month”) to make people feel valued.
Offer career development opportunities so employees can grow, upskill, set goals.
Provide wellbeing support (e.g. health benefits, counselling, GP access) and foster social connections.
These steps help reduce turnover, boost morale, and increase productivity.
2. How much does happiness at work affect productivity and retention?
Happiness at work has a measurable impact on both productivity and employee retention. Studies show that happy employees are around 12-17% more productive than their unhappy counterparts.
Furthermore, organisations that invest in employee happiness (through recognition, development, work-life balance, supportive leadership etc.) tend to have significantly lower turnover. When employees feel valued and satisfied, they are less likely to leave their jobs.
So for businesses, improving workplace happiness is not just a “nice to have” — it is essential for maintaining a stable, efficient, and engaged staff.
3. What practical steps can small businesses take to improve employee happiness?
Small businesses can make big differences in workplace happiness by implementing affordable, high-impact measures. Some practical steps include:
Listening and feedback loops: regular check-ins or surveys to understand what matters to your team; act where possible.
Flexible working & break encouragement: allowing staff to use flexible hours, encouraging them to take lunch away from the desk, ensuring end of day boundaries.
Recognition and reward: simple, low-cost recognition (verbal praise, kudos emails, peer recognition) can go far.
Promoting health and wellbeing: access to GP advice, healthy snacks, meditation apps, gym discounts; even small improvements help.
Creating social connections: “buddy systems”, communal spaces, coffee breaks, lunch & learn sessions to build camaraderie.
Designing a positive culture: ensure leadership is open, communicative, that positivity is modelled (smile, greet etc.), and that there’s psychological safety.
By implementing these, small businesses can improve job satisfaction, reduce burnout, and foster loyalty without huge investments.
Check out other Blogs in our series:
The content of our blogs is intended for general information and not to replace legal or other professional advice.
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