A new study conducted by Social Market Foundation in Britain proves that happy employees are more productive in the workplace. The study involved 700 random people who were shown a 10-minute comedy clip with snacks and drinks. The participants then were followed up with a series of questions to ensure that the experiment actually made them happy. The result showed that productivity increased by an average of 12 percent.

Based on the study, we think it’s important for your team to improve happiness in the workplace. We have compiled some inspirational ideas from several members of Forbes Technology Council to keep your team motivated and, most importantly, happy at work.

Review Performance

Performance review that is usually held in a monthly meeting can also be a chance to appreciate your team’s performance. Dan Pennell, CEO at WMTek, motivated his team members during daily performance meetings by highlighting outstanding performances, handing out gift cards to top performers, and aligning daily work with monthly goals. This way, “Our team chemistry and motivation have gone through the roof.”

Allow Them to Work Remotely

Matthew Lieberman, CMO at PwC thinks that allowing employees to plan ahead based on upcoming work and/or personal deadlines and to get the work done when and where they want results in happy team members and better productivity. Allowing employees to work remotely is also a sign of trust that can help with your team’s happiness and retention.

Goes in line with Lieberman, President of OptinMonster Thomas Griffin has applied this policy for his team. “Our employees can choose where they get to live and how they want their work environment set up. We communicate on Slack and through video conferencing and use Asana to assign projects to ensure deadlines are met. Allowing your employees to work remotely is a sign of trust, and I think they appreciate that.”

Challenge Them with Puzzles

Playing puzzle has many benefits for children and adults. USA Today Classifieds stated that puzzle improves collaboration between co-worker as well as better problem-solving skills. Regarding these benefits, giving puzzles to the team challenges them to collaborate and come up with a solution.

A sense of being successful in solving something will make them happy. Try what Chalmers Brown, CTO & Co-founder at Due does to his team. “My team loves problems and challenges, so I like giving them puzzles, scenarios and project issues to decipher (the harder, the better). When they solve it or figure it out, they are excited and amped to continue working.”

Open New Opportunities

For a lot of people, tackling a new project can keep you motivated. As Juliette Rizkallah, CMO at SailPoint management solution, stated, “Aside from a great culture, a recognition system and a fun work environment, the key thing that keeps me and my team motivated are new opportunities, such as tackling a new project for which we may not have proven skills for yet. Believing in the team and each individual–and demonstrating it daily–is the best morale-booster one can give.”

Listen to Them

Every employee wants to be heard. As a team, why don’t you take some time to have a meeting and share problems? From this session, you’ll know what actually is troubling your teammate and help them solving the situation. You can also try to make them open up to you like David Lefever, CEO at The Mako Group does with his team. “Most of the time, foosball tables and other fancy office gimmicks do not do the trick. Asking what drives people and listening to their answers goes a long way with our people.”

So, what do you think? Do you have certain ways to keep your team happy and motivated? We’d like to hear your opinion.

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Concept by: Rizky Anggara

Design by: Risky Ramanda

Written by: Novrisa Wulan

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References:

http://fortune.com/2015/10/29/happy-productivity-work/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/12/04/16-ways-to-keep-your-tech-team-happy-and-motivated/#15acb7bb5aaa