A happy work environment is a productive work environment.

A basic yet important truth that every entrepreneur needs to keep in mind is that the happiness quotient of his employees will strongly influence their performance levels. A happy employee is bound to be in a positive frame of mind and the energy that comes from being so is sure to have a constructive effect on his work. The exact opposite stands true in the case of an unhappy employee.

Of course, a whole lot of factors apart from work determine a person's happiness, and the boss (for obvious reasons) does have control over these external factors. But he does have the power to manipulate his office environment in such a way that it remains a generally optimistic one.

1.       Be There for your Employee

The key to a happy employee is to be there for him. A good boss is one who takes keen interest not only in his company's achievements, but in those of his employees as well. Shrenik Gandhi, Director of Blues N Coppers Events Pvt. Ltd, expresses this notion precisely when he says, "Recognizing every small and big achievement does the trick. It is up to me to give my employees new opportunities to learn and grow. I do actively take interest in their careers and make a progression plan for them, keeping their dreams in mind. For me, it is all about building a relationship with the employee and making him feel wanted and needed."

2.       One Community

Rajiv Dhingra, Founder and CEO, WATConsult emphasises on the importance of breeding the One Community like feeling among workers. He says, "We hold daily quizzes (not related to work) and give out simple gifts to the winner. The purpose of this exercise is to get everyone together and infuse a feeling of friendly competitiveness among everyone."  Exercises like these are an essential and useful tip for every budding entrepreneur. If your workforce feels one, they will work as one unit and stand up for and support each other. This feeling of belonging is sure to make every employee feel happy and involved. 

3.       Weed Out Negativity

Negativity and ill-will are the foremost reasons behind dissatisfaction and unhappiness felt by employees. This negativity could be experienced because of how a particular worker behaves or because of the general recessionary mood of the industry or because a particular team effort didn't yield the results it had to. Whatever be the case, it is the responsibility of every entrepreneur boss to make sure that he works towards eliminating any negative feelings/environments and fostering an atmosphere of positivity.

4.       Balance

This one is probably a no-brainer but that doesn't make it any less important. Ask any employee across any level and he will say one thing when asked what makes him happy - a healthy work-life balance.

As the old adage goes, 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'. All bosses should not only keep this in mind but implement it as well. Like, if necessary, rules should be made pertaining to the time an employee spends in office per week or whether he must work on successive weekends or not, etc. Also, taking employees on off-site team building trips is a good way to ensure that the normal work routine is interrupted with something exciting.

Giving the employee the freedom to pursue his hobbies is also advisable. For example, if an employee wants to take piano lessons twice a week then he should be encouraged to do so. This freedom of pursuing his passion is sure to make him happy and this positive feeling will reflect well in his work performance too.

Keeping people happy at work is an art and it is up to the entrepreneur to practise it with aplomb and élan. 

smementor@moneycontrol.com