Everyone wants to be the best boss they can, but too often CEOs, Founders, and upper management fall too quickly into the realm of the David Brents and Michael Scotts of the world while trying to be the cool, fun boss.

And while many of these higher-ups claim to be considerate towards their employee happiness, it is mostly just information they have learned and regurgitated from team-building seminars and corporate retreats. But the world of business has changed. More people are working from home; there is a more significant emphasis on enjoying your job to breed motivation, as opposed to doing it just for a paycheck.

Now, many people work to live, as opposed to live to work, so how can you get the most out of your employees to create an efficient, successful office?

FAIRNESS AWARENESS

Being a fair manager or CEO is integral to keeping office morale high. This can include factors such as having an open-door so that employees feel they can come to you with anything, and not worry about any potential backlash. Furthermore, demonstrating an understanding of the rigours of working nine-to-five, seven days a week can help immensely in breeding an environment of trust.

While you shouldn’t bend to every whim of your employees, making concessions by understanding what makes a successful office tick will go a long way in driving your office to work to the best of their abilities. Make allowances, put yourself in their shoes, and keep an open line of communication. Let your employees understand that they are heard, and you will be able to breed loyalty throughout.  

PROPER OFFICE CULTURE

Your office culture will affect on the productivity of your workers. This can be anything from the lighting to the general atmosphere of the office. It shouldn’t be all fun and games, as this can lead to distractions in the workplace and carelessness.

But also, you don’t need to run the workplace like a fascist regime. There needs to be a balance between work and relaxation. The number of hours people work in the modern world can hurt productivity and lead to both presentee- and absenteeism, which is a death knell for any productive office.

KEEP THEM HEALTHY

Keeping your employees healthy will also help with happiness, which will only lead to better productivity. Depending on the type of workplace, be it factory, warehouse, in the field or office, you need to ensure that safety is a high priority. This will avoid any nasty workplace incidents and injury, as well as save potential lawsuits from negligence.

Additionally, a lot of companies include health plans, and this is an attractive to prospective employees. If your company does not have one, consider researching business health plans which could substantially increase your employee happiness, and take away a lot of the stress associated with sick days and medical support.

You want to get the most out of your employees, and while this is, of course, a two-way street, you are the one they will look to if things need to be fixed and modified throughout the workplace. Understanding their needs and analysing issues from their perspective will give you better results and will inspire them to work to the best of their abilities.