How Happiness Improves Productivity

Remote work continues to grow and as technology advances and the business world shifts due to needing to adapt to worldly events. Instead of needing to hire people from the local area your business is based, you now have access to a massive global market filled with skilled online workers.

The idea of working a traditional 9-5 desk job at a fixed location and then retiring during the twilight years is no longer something that is welcomed by the modern workforce. Everyone wants a higher level of autonomy in their lives. If businesses wish to remain competitive in the business world, they need to provide flexible working conditions if they want to retain the talent they need to remain competitive.

However, there are still several business leaders that disregard remote working as something beneficial to their organization. Some of them believe that keeping a vigilant watch over their employees through face-to-face interaction and daily communication is necessary for managing workers effectively, but that is not the case.

The immense benefits provided by remote working have improved various aspects of an employee's life, such as health, happiness, and productivity. Happiness has proven to be a primary source behind the productivity of a worker. If they are not content with the work they are doing or how their life is going. Their work will be severely affected, leading to less productivity.

According to a study conducted by Owl Labs, they discovered that full-time remote employees reported being happier in their jobs by 22% more than workers who never worked from home. It also showed that these happy employees were more likely to remain with the company longer than on-site workers. They chose to work from home because of better work-life balance, increased productivity, less stress, and not needing to commute.

Happiness plays a tremendous factor in how your employees view your organization. If they are not enjoying their time with your organization, they are more likely to stop caring about the work and eventually drop off. Let’s go into further details on how happiness improves productivity among your remote workforce.

Happy remote workers mean satisfied customers

Even if you provide some exceptional products or services, your business will fail due to a lack of interest. Recent studies show that customer loyalty increases whenever they see the employees of that business are happy and engaged.

Your remote employees are the driving force behind customer satisfaction. If your clients are interacting with an employee with a positive tone, they’ll experience excellent service. However, the same could be said for a negative mood, which would sour the relationship between your brand and customers. Whenever a remote employee is unhappy with their work, their interactions with customers can and usually suffer as a result. Over time, this will severely impact your organization.

Place yourself in the shoes of your customers. How would you feel if you spoke to an employee who was unhappy and doesn’t enjoy their job? Dealing with their attitude makes the meeting unpleasant and tiresome. However, if you were to deal with a sales representative who is genuinely cheery and pleasant, you may look forward to your future meeting with them. When a client wishes to work with your organization, you will discover that they are more likely to buy your products.

A business that treats its customers poorly will be doomed for failure. If your customers are treated poorly by your employees, they won’t be returning to your brand anytime in the future. If your remote workers are unhappy with their job or your organization, they are more likely to treat your customers terribly. The results will be the exact opposite of what you were hoping for when you started your company.

Satisfaction

One of the more common reasons for employees choosing to work from home is due to no longer needing to commute to work. According to data provided by the Census Bureau, the average commute time to work across the US metropolitan area is around 117.7 minutes per week. Over a month, that is nearly an entire day of work that can be used for other purposes such as spending time with family members, friends, or relaxing.

Knowing that they have extra time to do other things ensures they are happier with the organization that they are a part of. When it’s time to buckle down and get their daily work task done, they will do so with a smile on their faces. That ensures that your remote employees interact more positively with each other and customers as well. The satisfaction of being able to get things done, whether it be work or other obligations, lets them remain more productive.

Flexibility

One of the many benefits granted to remote workers is the flexibility they have over their schedules. They also have an overall better work-life balance as contributors to their job satisfaction. According to a survey conducted by Flexjobs, 79% of employees stated that they would become more loyal to their organization if it permitted them more flexibility. It seems that the job itself is only a piece of the happiness puzzle. The other part is about how the job manages to fit into their personal lives.

Remote workers can leverage the extra time they are granted by remote work to pursue other things that make them happy outside of working hours. Perhaps they’ve always wanted to pick up a hobby in painting, learn a new language, exercise more often, or take online classes to advance their academic efforts. With remote work, the possibility of doing these things increases even more.

Flexibility is also very important because it ensures that your employees have the time they need to rest and recharge so that they don’t burn out. Being overworked is a common cause of burnout. Coupled with not having enough time to rest, it’s almost a given that your employees will soon be too tired to keep working at the same pace. For that reason, you’d want to give your employees flexibility to ensure that they aren’t overworked and under-rested. Because in the end, it will come back to affect your entire team's productivity.  But it's a problem that can be avoided.

Higher level of performance

According to a study published by Social Market Foundation, happiness increases an employee's productivity by 12%. They gathered a group of people who were given happiness shocks, which consisted of the participants watching few-minute clips of comedy videos or receiving snacks and drinks. They observed if these methods made the participants happier. It was discovered that these workers were far more productive compared to the ones who received none.

Participants who enjoyed watching these comedy videos and then proceeded to achieve their task performed at a higher and more precise level. An interesting exchange when you consider that they are only watching ten-minute comedy videos or snacking. It shows that having the proper, positive mind frame can impact your employees' work performance. Having unhappy remote employees will lead to terrible attendance and experience a rise in stress and burnout rates.

Powerful motivator

Motivation is something that everyone needs to do their best and remain engaged with their work. If you are not feeling motivated to do your work, chances are you will only put the minimum effort into accomplishing your daily tasks. If you want your remote employees to perform at their best, you’ll need them to be engaged and motivated.

According to this study, they looked into what lay behind a person's sense of motivation to commit their time and invest effort when trying to reach those vital goals. What is it that prompts a person to persist when they are dealing with an assortment of obstacles and challenges?

The published research shows that when a person feels happy, they display a substantial level of motivation, primarily due to their positive outlook that they have control over achieving the goals they are striving towards.

Better Health

Working off-site grants your employees a wide range of health benefits for both the body and mind. Considering the amount of time people spend their waking hours working, it is critical to ensure that it's being done healthily. It means one that has a positive impact on all aspects of a person’s health. Everyone requires varying health needs, some need a comfy mattress, some need soothing music - remote work provides everyone with a way to cater to their particular needs.

One of the most significant benefits of remote working is the reduction in stress and mental disorder in everyday life. Flexjobs discovered 97% of workers saying that having a more flexible job hour would have a massive impact on their quality of life. It allows them to remain out of office politics, not dealing with the stressful commute, and remain comfortable by staying in their personal space, which contributes to improving their overall mental health.

Furthermore, physical health is usually improved thanks to remote work. The extra free time provided to them by remote work allows them to schedule enough time to work out. According to a recent study, remote workers spend around two hours and 44 minutes on physical exercise each week, which is a 25-minute increase to on-site workers.

Due to their overall improvement in health, remote workers are less likely to take fewer sick days than traditional office workers. Since they are being exposed less to other sick coworkers and passengers on public transport, they are less likely to catch a cold or flu. Remote work prevents someone from getting sick too often and spreading it to others in the office space, lessening work delays. The additional mental clarity and energy allow them to work more productively and generate higher quality work.

Conclusion

A happy remote worker ensures that your organization produces high-quality results. By taking the time to ensure your remote employees are enjoying their work and being a part of your company, you will reap the benefits in ways that will leave your competitors envious. Take the time to look over your current programs and see what you can do to improve their days and make them happier for being a part of your company.