4 Reasons Happy Employees Are Better

Who is the ideal employee? If you talk to some managers, it would be an individual who has a healthy fear of their boss and will do everything asked of them without question. Basically, organizations would like to have automatons as workers.

While these are the kind of employees that are desired, there are very real benefits to be gained from having happy workers rather than grouchy robots.

Erin Teter, a senior human resource business partner for Sage North America, explained that research into workplace contentment shows that happy employees are much more productive than unhappy ones. Teter cited the following examples to support this idea:

• Studies show that happy people are more productive, take fewer sick days and get along with others better.
• Happy employees are better equipped to handle workplace relationships, stress and change.
• Happy employees will stay with you. Rather than looking for a new job, they will be looking to grow with the organization to which they already belong. The cost of hiring and training new employees can vary from 25 percent to 200 percent of annual compensation.
• In the nonprofit sector, happy employees lead to donor loyalty. They treat donors and clients well because they are engaged in the organization and want to see it succeed.