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Autumn is an active time for job changers. After a relaxing summer, returning to the same, and often hectic, duties may feel exhausting. And, if at this point, a headhunter happens to call and offers a brighter future, it might be all that it takes. Or, is it really so?
Good salary and benefits as well as interesting projects are employers’ main instruments of competition but it is equally important to put effort into the everyday work life of employees. I believe that with good everyday work life it is possible to create such solid ground that will keep employees satisfied enough even in tougher times. Then, the promises for a better work future offered by the headhunter do not necessarily feel the best option to move forward in life.
But, how to make everyday work life good enough?
1. Give work a meaning
Several studies have shown that people are not only more productive but also more committed to their employer when their work has a meaning. The most amazing thing would be to change the world but sometimes a smaller meaning is enough.
2. Set both small and big goals
In addition to meaning, we also need concrete goals both as a company and as an individual. Some people get motivated by conquering new market areas, others by increased customer satisfaction or by newly acquired skills. It is recommended that objectives are divided into subobjectives — then achieving these subobjectives can be celebrated on the way to the main goal. This way, it is easier to maintain the feeling of progress and stay on the right track.
3. Create an atmosphere of joy
Both in everyday home and work life it is easy to focus only on practical matters. However, already for some time, creativity researchers have believed that laughter enhances productivity. Therefore, the funny guy role should be appreciated, and some room should be made for laughter. A good guffaw in the middle of a meeting does not only give our brains the micro break they need but also sets us at the next level of creativity and productivity.
4. Be present
When the meeting is over, you do not always have to rush forward. For instance on your way back to your desk, it is a great opportunity to talk to a colleague, human to human, about those issues that seem too insignificant to be sent as an email but still big enough to be mentioned when encountering another person face to face. Tiny issues tend to get bigger, even huge, if you keep thinking them alone.
5. Remember to celebrate failures, too
Even the best ideas sometimes fail, and that’s okay. However, it’s wise to sit down as a group and think what went wrong and why. The bravest ones of us celebrate again — something new has been learnt, which will help later on with other projects.
6. Take care of wellbeing
Everyone is responsible for their own wellbeing. However, there are also many concrete ways for the employer to support the wellbeing of the personnel. Traditionally, we talk about supporting exercising but, luckily, nowadays rest is recognised to be as important as exercise. Modern employers not only offer coaching opportunities but also develop working methods which help employees to take care of themselves and their coping skills.
7. Encourage your team members to engage with each other
The team will be knit together through common projects and ways of acting, but this union should be strengthened by organising activities outside the office as well. Some play floorball together, others recycle their children’s clothes. The whole team doesn’t have to be interested in same things as long as their chemistries match. Already at a recruitment situation, it is possible to see if there are matching chemistries or not by involving team members in the recruitment process.
Even though everything would be in order at the workplace, it is perfectly natural that, at some point of their life or career, people want new kinds of challenges in a new environment. At that point, a good employer understands that the wisest thing to do is to be proud of the common growth path and wish good luck for the future. Good experiences from previous workplaces tend to follow people, and people leaving in a good spirit are happy to put in a good word for their previous workplaces.
Don’t just sit and wait for a headhunter to call. Now is the best time to put effort into your team members’ everyday work life.