Did you know that a happy employee is 6 times less likely to be absent from work, 35% more productive, and 9 times more loyal to his company? More than a sweet utopia, happiness at the workplace constitutes a genuine lever of performance. Here are some insights into this new management approach.

For many years now, happiness in the workplace has become a flagship theme in management across the world. Originating in the United States, this tendency is increasingly invoked within major corporations and should, likewise, arouse the interest of small and medium-sized companies everywhere else.

Happier and More Productive

It must be said that the studies carried out are thought provoking! Indeed, according to research published by the prestigious Harvard Business Review, it seems that a happy employee is 6 times less likely to be absent from work, 35% more productive, and 9 times more loyal to his company.

The link is thus established between happiness on the workplace and motivation, productivity, and loyalty. Moreover, well-being within a company constitutes an important attraction vector in the recruitment of talents. This is notably the case with the new generations, who grant increasing importance to working conditions. It is thus relevant to think in terms of employer brand-image when management considers this question in particular.  

Fostering Well-being

Concretely, then, happiness in the workplace is tributary on well-being within the company. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this amounts to “a mindset characterized by satisfactory harmony between, on the one hand, the aptitudes, needs, and aspirations of a worker and, on the other hand, the constraints and the possibilities within the work-place.” Business concerns are thus invited to take a whole range of measures in order to foster the fulfilment of its staff-members. 

This ambition has given rise to a new profession—that of the Chief Happiness Officer (CHO) or responsable du Bonheur, in French. Invented by Chade-Meng Tan, a software engineer with Google Corporation, the concept developed in Silicon Valley before conquering the rest of the world. In Morocco, the function appeared a few years ago, notably in the tertiary sector of the economy. Its aim is to facilitate the life of employees in order to get them to work better by allowing them to establish ties with each other, adapt their working hours, facilitate mobility, foster career advancement, keep up cohesion, etc. 

Improving One’s Management

At the level of management, research underlines the importance of developing trust-based relations with employees. It leads to a certain autonomy which is a source of satisfaction. Similarly, it is important to value fellow collaborators by giving meaning to their activity and seeking to involve them in company life. It is equally the occasion to stimulate them, by setting challenges to be raised together with them. Collaborative work is strongly recommended to mobilize salaried employees and to heighten their enthusiasm in-house. Finally, communication must play a major role, giving a hearing to everyone and responding to the expectations of staff, as a whole. 

Creating a Good Climate

Happiness within the company also depends on working conditions and the ambience prevalent within the company. Here again, good practices are well known and it is fitting to make the necessary efforts in that regard. The layout of the premises, the decoration, along with lighting, and refurbishment of a common area where staff could share a cup of coffee constitute areas worthy of reflection in the interest of improving the working environment. Similarly, it is imperative to set up a good climate on the work place: a good ambience is indispensable and the example must often come from the manager.

To foster good relations among staff members and contribute to their fulfilment, it is possible to introduce some leisurely activities within company premises (games, sports’ room, a garden etc.) and to organize common activities, such as team-building, for instance. 

Developing One’s Own Approach

Beyond these recommendations, it is essential for every company to develop its own approach. In fact, the stakes are different depending on the sectors of activity and, of course, it is necessary to adapt one’s priorities in the organization. This will make it possible to identify some indicators allowing assessment of the progress made: turnover rate, number of application received, social climate inquiries, in-house surveys … as well as productivity and company turnover which should likewise progress, in due course. 

A New Profession: Chief Happiness Officer (CHO):

A Chief Happiness Manager (CHO, or Happiness Manager—responsable du Bonheur, in French, is a new profession created within a company for the purpose of improving the well-being of employees. These missions consist essentially in establishing a positive work culture and creating social link designed to foster cohesion and organize activities to make staff members happier. The scope of the function depends largely on the sector of activity and the size of the company.

Beware of “Great-washing”!

Just like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which contributes to contentment, happiness at work must not be the subject of excessive communication that is disconnected from reality. On the one hand, it is evident that this concept may not be mobilized until the company has come to fully respect its legal obligations: administrative declarations, right to work, security standards, etc.

On the other hand, the approach must be centred on staff, ensuring that progress is achieved, and not really on marketing and communication aimed at enhancing the company and its image. After “green-washing,” companies should take guard lest they should succumb to “great-washing.”

The Moroccan Observatory of Happiness:

Set up in 2015, the Moroccan Observatory of Happiness is an association which regularly undertakes studies on happiness in Morocco. Its goal is to follow through various stake-holders, including companies, for the purpose of better understanding this question.

Accordingly, in 2017, the Observatory published the first “National Survey on Well-being in the Workplace,” in partnership with the firm, OpinionWay.

On the basis of the study, it seems that 12 factors particularly impact the level of well-being on the workplace:

1. Quest after meaning;
2. Mastery of the tasks;
3. Balance between private and professional life;
4. Remuneration and gratifications;
5. Level of autonomy and responsibility;
6. Openness onto the outside world;
7. Safety and wholesomeness of the work environment;
8. Support given by the hierarchy and mutual help between peers;
9. Organizational transparency and permanence;
10. The possibility of career advancement and the expression of one’s creative potential;
11. The least physical difficulty in executing the tasks assigned;
12. The general ambience at work.

Please find all of the pertinent results on the Observatory’s web-site 
http://www.omb.ma/resultats-de-letude-sur-le-bien-etre-au-travail/