5 Ways to Create a Happier (and More Efficient) Office

Much time and attention have been devoted to the best way to keep employees happy and promote a positive attitude in the workplace. While this is of course a noble intention, often companies begin to go about it in the right way, focusing on the outcome rather than effecting actual change to bring about the proper environment to produce the intended result. You can’t manufacture happiness; instead, you must transform your company for the better, get the right people on board with your vision, and move forward. The happiness of the workplace will follow.

One area many businesses tend to neglect is the tool set they furnish employees with. Often, software and hardware solutions are afterthoughts, and the connection between how satisfied a worker is in his or her position and how easy the company’s tools are to use is glossed over. In fact, the frustration of working with out-of-date or inadequate utilities can be one of the biggest hurdles to employee satisfaction. Whether it is your sales front end or your cloud-based project management software, examining the software your departments use on a day to day basis can dramatically revitalize your people’s mental health.

As an example, if you’re still using Microsoft Project as your primary project management tool, it’s possible employee optimism is slowly grinding down as their tools fight against them rather than work for them. MS Project has been a great forebear to software solutions such as Workzone and Basecamp, but for many companies, it may be time to look to modern collaboration software in its stead. The streamlined, always-on online document management software and sharing features can see workers spending much less time spinning their wheels and much more time being productive. This of course leads to bigger paychecks for everyone and ultimately a greater level of personal satisfaction.

In short, focusing on employee happiness at the expense of dealing with the real problem is a grave mistake. Smart, long-term-oriented businesses will instead make their companies a place worth working for, with technology investments that show they care about the work experience as much as the final results of each sale and customer interaction. Only then will these companies bear the fine fruit of happy people.