5 ways businesses can measure employee happiness

Happy workers are more productive, more motivated more likely to stick around. There’s a plethora of research that showcases a link between happiness and success in the workplace. It makes the work environment more enjoyable, connects colleagues and brightens day-to-day life.

There are a myriad of things employers can do to improve happiness levels in the workplace. But how will you know you’ve made progress if you don’t track employee responses? The journey to better mental health in the workplace is always evolving. So understanding how far you’ve come is important.

Use the five strategies below to measure employee happiness levels in your business.

1. Consider Employee Assistance Programme data

Having an employee assistance programme in place is a great way to support employee mental health. The programme can provide counselling support to help employees through life’s challenges. But the reporting service included with the programme can also be an advantage. Employers can access a breadth of data from the service. Stats include call volumes and high-level call categories (without breaching confidentiality limitations). This data can be an indicator of mental health in the organisation. It can also help employers observe trends in employee happiness.

2. Wellbeing surveys

The best way to understand employee happiness? Ask the employees themselves. Setting up a regular wellbeing survey will allow you to keep your finger on the pulse of employee wellbeing. Here are a few questions you could consider including:

· Do you feel comfortable with your colleagues?

· Do you enjoy coming to work?

· How would you rate your work-life balance?

· Are you inspired at work?

· Could we do more to make the workplace a happier environment?

· Do you feel valued for your work?

Anonymous surveys will encourage honest responses. These questions can give you an insight into employee perspectives. Then you’ll be able to adapt your wellbeing strategies as and when needed.

3. Address happiness levels in one to ones

The responsibility for employee happiness at work tends to fall on the line managers. Line managers play a vital role in engaging with the happiness of their teams. Since they interact with team members so often, they are best placed to spot potential mental health issues. Encouraging managers to address how employees are feeling at work in their one to ones can help you to understand happiness levels team by team. Ask managers to report back on their team's emotional state and morale. Then you can compare mental health trends across the workplace.

4. Have an open discussion

Kick start conversations about happiness in the workplace with an open discussion. Communication in the workplace can improve happiness levels generally. Employees feel more connected, involved and valued. Bringing together people from different teams across the organisation in focus group-style sessions can give you invaluable insights into workplace opinions. Let the employees lead the way. When employees feel involved in the direction of the organisation, their engagement at work increases. Plus, you’ll also have access to a breadth of data from employees across the business.

5. Track staff turnover and retention

Figures show that the 20% least happy employees are twice as likely to leave their job in the next quarter than the 20% happiest employees. Happiness at work has a direct impact on staff turnover. If lots of employees are leaving, there’s probably a reason. When you track employee turnover rates, you can get a handle on any abnormal patterns. You can begin to spot signs that something might not be right in the workplace and start to address them. Comparing this data with your employee wellbeing strategy can reveal hidden correlations.