Researchers have long been investigating the relationship between employee happiness and their performance at work. Different studies suggest that happiness indeed makes people more productive. The direct relationship between morale and productivity prompts employers to try to measure their own team’s happiness. It’s not surprising, as there’s a lot on the line here, business-wise. Whether we’re talking about the financial benefits of happiness or the costs of unhappiness, the bottom line remains the same: you need to keep track of your team’s morale. The question is, how to measure things as emotions and feelings? Fortunately, the employees themselves can often tell you accurately how they feel. Before they do, however, there are other signals you shouldn’t ignore. Let’s take a closer look at these.
The first and most obvious indicator of workplace unhappiness is employee turnover. A high turnover rate often signals underlying issues within the team or company culture. Employees who are unhappy are more likely to leave, seeking better opportunities elsewhere. This can be incredibly costly for businesses, both in terms of recruiting new talent and the loss of institutional knowledge and experience. Another key indicator is absenteeism. When employees frequently call in sick or are otherwise absent from work, it often reflects deeper dissatisfaction. While occasional absences are normal, a pattern of absenteeism can signal that employees are disengaged or unhappy with their work environment.
Productivity is another crucial indicator of employee happiness. Unhappy employees are less likely to be productive. They may lack the motivation to complete tasks efficiently or to the best of their ability. This can result in lower quality work, missed deadlines, and a general decline in team performance. Monitoring productivity levels can help identify when team morale is low, allowing for timely interventions. Beyond these obvious indicators, there are subtler signs of workplace unhappiness. For instance, changes in behavior, such as increased irritability, withdrawal from social interactions, or a noticeable lack of enthusiasm, can all be red flags. It’s important for managers to be observant and attuned to these changes in their team members.
Some signs of employee unhappiness aren’t difficult to spot. When they occur, however, it’s usually very late to counteract. I’m talking about an increasing turnover rate: when you see that more people than usual leave your team, it may very well be a sign of workplace dissatisfaction. Other signs that should raise a red flag are absenteeism and lower productivity among your team. Are they plaguing your team? It’s time to gauge your team’s morale and, if the results indicate so, make some improvements.
Fortunately, there are also early signs pointing to potential unhappiness. If you’re using resource management software, go through your team’s schedule and timesheets. Two patterns that should attract your attention are overutilization and underutilization. Overutilization occurs when employees are consistently working overtime or are scheduled too tightly. This can lead to burnout, which not only affects their current productivity but can also have long-term health implications. On the other hand, underutilization can be just as detrimental. Employees who are not given enough work or are not challenged can feel undervalued and unmotivated. This lack of engagement can lead to dissatisfaction and eventually, higher turnover rates.
Another critical factor to consider is the balance of workload within the team. A well-balanced workload is crucial for maintaining employee happiness. When workloads are unevenly distributed, it can lead to feelings of resentment and unfairness. Regularly reviewing and adjusting workloads can help ensure that all team members feel valued and are contributing equally. Additionally, providing opportunities for professional development and growth can greatly enhance employee satisfaction. Employees who feel that they have opportunities to learn and advance in their careers are more likely to be engaged and happy in their work.
I’m not sure about you, but my happiness does not last. Okay. I am aware that my job involves tasks I dislike. There’s no reason to be happy – I accept them. Throughout every game, people do things that are not fun but will help them work together. Please snort that bitter. Bring one to teamwork. The happiness metric is an indicator that happiness has some meaning. However, I do not believe that happiness in the workplace is an important factor; it is partly the responsibility of a firm but it is not a mistake.
Even if your business culture is imperfect, you can create a microculture for agile teams and projects that make measurable progress. Team morale and checking its progress in the past can be the main factor in employees’ happiness metrics. Everyone in an organization is required to design and build a positive environment for workers. Everyone contributes, even other teams. It has been suggested that the person has influence over the culture, but if the wrong apple is, it could be a huge impact on the quality in the long run.
It’s important to recognize that while happiness is a valuable metric, it doesn’t capture the full complexity of the work environment. Happiness can be fleeting and influenced by external factors beyond the workplace. Therefore, it’s essential to look at broader indicators of employee well-being and engagement. These can include measures of job satisfaction, feelings of accomplishment, and overall mental health. Implementing a comprehensive approach to employee well-being that goes beyond happiness can lead to more sustainable and meaningful improvements in the work environment.
I already implied it in one line, but I hate happiness measures because they measure everything wrong (and even incorrectly). However, despite the importance of happiness, I think a Scrum Team could benefit more if the team-oriented work was more suited to the nature. How can I get more knowledge on Scrum? In an organized team, people are happy going the extra mile, even though it can make them a little unhappy throughout the job. It will be accepted by them.
Fortunately, there are concepts which capture this aspect of a successful team. Managers must promote a corporate culture through actions and recruitment decisions. Those involved in implementing projects need to be able to clearly define scopes and deliverables for their teams and customers. That is, besides that. Your team needs real commitment in order to get better results on the job. This is accomplished best when you have an idea that is not necessarily the mission of the company. The leader of a team also holds a vital role even larger than reporting and monitoring: looking ahead, working out obstacles and preventing them from hitting the team.
In addition to promoting a positive corporate culture, it’s crucial for managers to foster an environment of trust and open communication. Employees should feel comfortable voicing their concerns and suggesting improvements without fear of retribution. This openness can lead to a more collaborative and innovative workplace where employees are more engaged and motivated. Regular feedback sessions and team meetings can provide valuable opportunities for employees to share their thoughts and for managers to address any issues promptly.
Measuring and tracking your team’s happiness level requires you to initiate an honest conversation with your team. While you’re able to run anonymous surveys (see the section below for examples of tools you can use), it all starts with explaining why you’re gathering this kind of data in the first place. Being transparent with your team will pay off: you’ll be rewarded with valuable feedback.
You should also emphasize the importance of providing candid assessments of one’s happiness level. People may feel that indicating their negative mood might be frowned upon or that being all smiles will be rewarded somehow. Finally, some could also feel that talking about their moods is “childish” or even unprofessional. Make sure to address any doubts or concerns before you launch the process.
On a project level, you can make use of team meetings (e.g. retrospective sessions) to run a quick survey. You can also use the daily scrum to periodically rate team happiness on a scale from 1 to 5. Team management experts from Scrum Inc. have outlined the following questions you can use: On a scale of 1 to 5, how happy are you with your role? On a scale of 1 to 5, how happy are you with your team? On a scale of 1 to 5, how happy are you with the company? What could we do next sprint that would make you happier? (Source: Scrum Inc.)
Running a survey in a meeting setting facilitates further discussion. This is especially valuable if you want your team members to have an actual impact on their workplace. Aggregated quantitative data obtained via rating-based questions can be later compared with the next survey. This way, you can see the trends and evaluate the direction your team’s health is heading in. Another way to track team happiness is to install a mood tracker in your team’s room/your office.
A niko-niko calendar is an example of such a tracker used by many agile teams. The basic premise is very simple: you create a space for your employees to record their mood each day. They could draw emoticons or use colored post-it notes. Over time, you will see how the general level of happiness in your team changed (or stayed the same). If you want to obtain in-depth insights about the team’s happiness and the emotional state of individual team members, you can organize 1-on-1 meetings with them. Monthly meetings with team leaders provide ample opportunity to discuss the current mood of each employee. Ask about things that could make that person happier, take notes and establish goals for the next 1-on-1.
Mood trackers can be a simple yet effective tool for gauging team morale. They provide a visual representation of the team’s overall mood and can help identify patterns or trends. For example, if you notice that the mood is consistently low on certain days or during specific projects, it may indicate underlying issues that need to be addressed. By regularly reviewing the mood tracker, managers can take proactive steps to improve team morale.
In addition to mood trackers, there are other tools and techniques that can help monitor and improve team happiness. For example, regular check-ins and feedback sessions can provide valuable insights into how employees are feeling and what can be done to improve their work experience. Team-building activities and social events can also help boost morale and foster a sense of camaraderie among team members. For more on managing team happiness, you can check out Teamdeck’s guide.
There is a wide selection of web apps, browser extensions or Slack bots that can support your happiness tracking process. Here’s a sample collection of tools you can choose from: Officevibe sends out anonymous surveys via Slack. As a manager, you can see your team’s dashboard and analyze the team health scores. Additionally, you’re able to follow up on your team member’s feedback through the app, so that they remain anonymous.
Friday could be a great companion to your happiness-related team meetings. The app sends out surveys, the anonymized results of which are available to everyone on the team. This in turn provides a basis for your next all-hands discussion about the team morale. HappyMeter asks employees questions via email. You can see the scores on a team-wide dashboard. On top of that, managers get an in-depth view of the results, including alerts for when someone has an especially rough day.
Happy Index collects anonymous responses to happiness-related questions. Team members have access to their own dashboards, so they can see how their mood changed over time. Managers get an overview of their whole team’s happiness. One good illustration of everything coming together is Slack. The team received a remark that the company did not offer a rider on Slack until a new release of the preview release a month later that said: Those notes were released today. The memo is an important moment for me. This has helped to focus the team back on what they are doing. The issue no longer involves the features of the products. The report focussed solely on how people use Slack and how they use Slack to achieve their goals. Although Saddles memos are long, they are worthwhile reading. Why saddle?
For more tools and tips on keeping your team happy, check out [Teamdeck’s leadership tools](https://teamdeck.io/leadership/tools-happy-remote-team).
Let’s hear from Joanna Ignaczak the HR Manager at Apptension (the company that brought Teamdeck to life): We carry out a biannual workplace happiness survey among our employees. The Net Promoter Score shows us whether our team members are becoming more or less likely to recommend Apptension as a good workplace.
Apart from that, we ask about different engagement factors: do people feel appreciated? Do they feel like they can grow professionally here? These aspects affect team happiness much more than, say, employee benefits. Different perks are nice but they don’t make people come to work eagerly each day. We try to track team happiness as early as during the onboarding stage. We want new people to feel great at their new workplace: the sooner we learn about any potential ways to improve team happiness and areas in that regard, the better.
Workplace happiness cannot be ignored if you want to have a healthy, productive team. Tracking the mood of your team members is easier when you make transparency a crucial part of your team culture. Teammates who are encouraged to share their point of view openly will likely tell you about their feelings sooner. A systematic team happiness measuring process rooted in the company culture will help you better understand your team and, as a result, manage them more effectively.
To effectively track and improve team happiness, it’s essential to build a culture of transparency and trust within your organization. When employees feel that they can speak openly about their feelings and experiences without fear of judgment or repercussions, they are more likely to provide honest feedback. This feedback is invaluable for identifying areas where improvements can be made and for understanding the true state of team morale.
Creating this culture starts with leadership. Managers and team leaders need to model open communication and actively encourage it within their teams. This can be done through regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and team meetings where everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts. It’s also important to follow up on feedback and show that it is being taken seriously. When employees see that their feedback leads to tangible changes, they are more likely to continue sharing their insights.
In addition to fostering open communication, building trust within the team is crucial. Trust is built over time through consistent actions and behaviors. Managers should be transparent about their decisions and the reasons behind them. They should also be fair and equitable in their treatment of team members. When employees feel that they are being treated fairly and that their leaders are trustworthy, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated.
Regular check-ins and feedback sessions are essential tools for tracking and improving team happiness. These sessions provide opportunities for employees to share their thoughts and for managers to address any concerns or issues that arise. They also help to build a culture of open communication and trust within the team.
During check-ins, managers should ask open-ended questions that encourage employees to share their feelings and experiences. Questions like “How are you feeling about your work?” and “Is there anything we can do to support you better?” can provide valuable insights into the state of team morale. It’s important to listen actively and empathetically to employees’ responses and to take their feedback seriously.
Feedback sessions should be a two-way street. While managers provide feedback on employees’ performance, employees should also be encouraged to provide feedback on the management and the overall work environment. This reciprocal approach helps to create a more collaborative and supportive work environment.
Team-building activities and social events are powerful tools for boosting team morale and fostering a sense of camaraderie among team members. These activities provide opportunities for employees to connect on a personal level and to build stronger relationships with their colleagues.
Team-building activities can range from simple icebreakers and games to more elaborate events like retreats and workshops. The key is to choose activities that are fun and engaging and that encourage teamwork and collaboration. These activities help to break down barriers between team members and to build a sense of unity and trust within the team.
Social events, such as team lunches, happy hours, and celebrations, also play a crucial role in boosting morale. These events provide opportunities for employees to relax and unwind and to get to know their colleagues in a more informal setting. They help to create a positive and supportive work environment where employees feel valued and appreciated.
Providing opportunities for professional development is another important factor in enhancing employee happiness. Employees who feel that they have opportunities to learn and grow in their careers are more likely to be engaged and motivated. They are also more likely to stay with the company, reducing turnover rates and contributing to a more stable and productive team.
Professional development can take many forms, from formal training programs and workshops to on-the-job learning and mentoring. It’s important to provide a variety of options to meet the diverse needs and preferences of employees. Encouraging employees to set personal and professional goals and supporting them in achieving these goals can also enhance their sense of purpose and satisfaction in their work.
Ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all employees is essential for maintaining a positive work environment and for boosting team morale. When employees feel that they are being treated fairly and that their contributions are valued, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated.
Fair treatment includes providing equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of their background or position. It also means recognizing and rewarding employees’ efforts and achievements and providing constructive feedback to help them improve. Ensuring that workloads are distributed evenly and that all team members have the support they need to succeed is also crucial for maintaining a sense of fairness and equity within the team.
When issues arise, it’s important to address them promptly and effectively. Unresolved issues can lead to dissatisfaction and can negatively impact team morale. By addressing issues as they arise, managers can prevent small problems from becoming larger ones and can maintain a positive and productive work environment.
To address issues effectively, it’s important to have a clear process in place for identifying and resolving problems. This process should include regular check-ins and feedback sessions, as well as mechanisms for employees to raise concerns anonymously if needed. It’s also important to involve employees in finding solutions to problems and to show that their feedback is being taken seriously.
Leadership plays a crucial role in promoting team happiness and in creating a positive work environment.
Leaders set the tone for the team and their actions and behaviors have a significant impact on team morale. By modeling positive behaviors and by fostering a culture of open communication and trust, leaders can create an environment where employees feel valued and motivated.
Effective leadership involves more than just managing tasks and projects. It also involves supporting and empowering team members, recognizing and rewarding their efforts, and providing opportunities for professional growth. Leaders should also be proactive in identifying and addressing issues and in finding ways to improve the work environment.
A happy and engaged team brings numerous benefits to the organization. Engaged employees are more productive, more innovative, and more likely to stay with the company. They are also more likely to provide excellent customer service and to contribute to a positive and supportive work environment.
Happy employees are also more likely to collaborate effectively with their colleagues and to support each other in achieving common goals. This sense of teamwork and collaboration can lead to better outcomes for the organization as a whole. By investing in employee happiness and engagement, organizations can create a more positive and productive work environment and achieve better business results.
In conclusion, tracking and improving team happiness is essential for maintaining a healthy and productive work environment. By fostering a culture of transparency and trust, implementing regular check-ins and feedback sessions, and providing opportunities for professional development and social interaction, organizations can enhance team morale and achieve better business outcomes.
When you think about how to improve your company’s chances of success, employee engagement is probably not what first comes to mind. Initially, you’d rather focus on aspects such as performance, motivation, and skills development. After all,...
