My Thoughts About Happy Team Members and Why It Matters

 

Last week I wrote two posts that asked some questions that have generated enough comments that I thought it was worth expanding the dialog a bit. Do Happy Teams Really Make a Difference and Work-Life Balance and the Millennial Generation. The comments ranged from, "I don't know if it is that important that people are happy at work, but I'm certain that it is critical that people not be unhappy. In other words, the benefits of happiness may be unclear, but the costs of unhappiness are high," to "So, my theory is that 'unhappy' staff are created by management with poor leadership skills, who may (as the previous poster has said) have moved on to other management jobs before the impact of unhappiness is seen through staff turnover."

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I think the evidence is pretty clear that happy people work harder, are more productive and more engaged in what they're doing. I think Linda Mignone summed it up in a recent article published by CNN Money, "People who are happy at work put in far more effort, work longer hours, and are more productive than those who aren't. They remain at their jobs twice as long and they work 25% more time than an unhappy employee works."

I've read a number of studies that suggest the same thing. You might now be asking, "If that's true, why are you bringing this up again?" Which would be a good question. I guess I'm bringing it up because I think this is something important that project leaders should be aware of. And what's more, I think we're in a position to take action and do something that could impact the work our project teams are doing for the good.

Dave Garrett (@DaveG253) said, "In the context of a project however—I have seen situations where the requirements are very specific, there is an end point in sight and an unhappy team could effectively drive toward a well defined near term result. I think a lot of companies treat work as a series of unhappy sprints where some employees are replaced as they burn out. It's not what we want to see happen, but it's often the reality of the situation when we are in sketchy economic times."

This is sad but all too true. There are many companies that are intentionally driving people too hard knowing that jobs are hard to come by—and they know that they can abuse employees because they are just happy to have a job and won't leave. Dave continues, "As the economy picks up however, employees motivation/enthusiasm/happiness will become more important again. All of these things speak to retention which will be much more important in the coming months and years."

This type of management style is not a good long-term solution. In fact, it's not a good solution at all, unless of course your Attila the Hun. Speaking from my own personal experience, there have been times during my career when I have worked for the "Hun." Needless to say, I don't work for him anymore.

Some of the comments that concerned me, and instigated this post, seemed to suggest that there's nothing we can really do about whether or not our team members are happy, it's up to them. I couldn't disagree more. As project leaders we can foster an environment where team members can enjoy their working environment and ultimately be more engaged and more productive. Let me suggest the following as a starting point:

1. Encourage dialog among team members concerning time-lines and deliverables: Team members are more likely to engage if they have some input into the how, what and when of their contribution to projects. Instigate this dialog early in the planning process and you might be surprised at how accurate your project plans can become.
2. Set realistic expectations: Of course there will be times when a hard deadline is staring you in the face and your team may just have to buckle down and get things done, but it that's always the case—somethings wrong. If your project plan always includes a lot of overtime to get things done, it's not a good project plan, period.
3. Recognize extra effort: When putting in extra time or effort becomes expected, rather than recognized, it frustrates team members and does the opposite of motivates. People work hard for a number of reasons, one of which is for the recognition of being a consistent achiever (For many of us who have been in the workplace for a long time, we need to remember how it felt to be a younger member of the team trying to establish a foundation for our future career). A little recognition goes a long way. Don't believe me? Just try it for a week or two and see how far you get with your team.
4. Never forget that work-life balance is important: If I cut out of the office a couple of hours early every day (leaving work un-done), my employer would feel like I was stealing that time from him or her. And he or she would be right. However, what's the difference if an employer expects, nay demands, that a team member regularly work an extra hour or two each day without compensation? Does that equate to the employer "stealing" from them? My wife regularly accuses me of going into the office too early and staying too late, and she may be right. I enjoy what I do and have a large backlog of "stuff" on my plate. However, staying to get something done because I choose to is a lot different than staying because I am forced or expected to. Work-life balance is very important to team members (especially Millennials). If we regularly ignore this, we will see high turnover or worse—team members who stay physically, but aren't really there mentally.

Although I can't do anything to make people who are unhappy happy, I can nurture an environment where people can be happy if they choose to be. I can facilitate an environment where team members will "buy in" and "engage" in the projects I lead—making them more effective and successful. The beauty of this type of leadership style is that it isn't rocket science, nor does it require herculean effort. It's pretty simple.

What do you think? Can you add to this list? Don't the gains associated with a happy workforce merit the little extra effort required on our part to make it happen?