The feature article in the current Harvard Business Review: “The Value of Happiness – How Employee Well-Being Drives Profits,” offers a compelling argument for the bottom-line benefits of engendering happiness in the workforce. Citing research, the article states that “Happy employees produce more than unhappy ones over the long term. They routinely show up at work, they’re less likely to quit, they go above and beyond the call of duty, and they attract people who are just as committed to the job.”

Authors Gretchen Spreitzer of University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and Christine Porath of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business contend that a happy workplace creates thriving employees: those who are “not just satisfied and productive but also engaged in creating the future—the company’s and their own.”

They identified two components of thriving – vitality: “the sense of being alive, passionate, and excited,” and learning: “the growth that comes from gaining new knowledge and skills.” They insist those two qualities must work in concert in order to be sustainable.

In summary, the authors point to four relatively simple mechanisms that any organization can put in place to create a happier workforce:

1. Providing decision-making authority: “Empowering them in this way gives them a greater sense of control, more say in how things get done, and more opportunities for learning.”
2. Sharing information: “People can contribute more effectively when they understand how their work fits with the organization’s mission and strategy.”
3. Minimizing incivility: The authors discovered that “half of employees who had experienced uncivil behavior at work intentionally decreased their efforts. More than a third deliberately decreased the quality of their work.”
4. Offering performance feedback: “Feedback creates opportunities for learning and the energy so critical for a culture of thriving.”

What I like most about this article is that it is based on research—more than 1,200 interviews—and it provides concrete steps that are needed to create a workplace of thriving colleagues. It doesn’t simply preach having game rooms, nap time and an espresso machine (not that those aren’t nice to have!), but instead talks about simple changes that are sustainable.

And yet, despite the seeming simplicity of the message, I think it’s safe to assume that most organizations fall short, for one reason or the other, to provide the kind of workplace that creates happiness and vitality. However, as long as managers believe in the value of creating a culture of happiness—both for the well being of their people and its impact on the bottom line—then putting in place the changes mentioned in the article will demonstrate to an organization’s team that it is moving in the right direction. And that alone should start putting smiles on people’s faces.

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