A smile a day helps you work, rest and stay...

- 86% of employees believe their performance is linked to their mood

- A third of employees are not happy at work; setting realistic and challenging goals are key to their hearts

- Pearn Kandola offer managers pointers to increase positive emotions
at work

Omens for the UK economy are not good - a new survey
has found a direct link between workplace performance and employeesí mood. Almost a third (32%) of UK employees questioned in a survey by leading business psychologists Pearn Kandola are not happy at work; and worryingly for managers, most employees (86%) see a direct link between their performance and their mood. The survey has also highlighted that the behaviour of managers is key to employeesí emotional state. 29% of those surveyed believed that their manager showed insufficient interest in them and 42% complained that they did not receive enough recognition from their manager.

The survey has shown that by establishing a happy workplace managers can bring substantial bottom-line benefits to an organisation. Prof. Binna Kandola says: The survey has shown that one in three workers
are likely to be underperforming because they are unhappy in the workplace. Productivity is clearly linked to employee emotions.

The survey shows that employees are keen to take on challenges and achieve results, and managers need to play a key role to ensure that this is possible. The top five things that make people happy at work are: achieving results, good colleagues, receiving praise, undertaking
challenging work and making progress. On the other hand mangers need to look closely at the top five things that make people unhappy: high workloads, poorly performing colleagues, poor leadership, failure to achieve results and office politics.

Prof. Binna Kandola says: I still hear senior business leaders commenting that they donít pay their employees to enjoy themselves. This attitude is extremely short sighted; happy employees are able to think more creatively, be more flexible and absorb more information. The business benefits associated with a íhappyí workforce are higher customer loyalty, higher profitability, higher productivity and lower rates of turnover.

Prof. Binna Kandola recommends that managers follow 10 pointers to increase positive emotions at work

1.Get some self-awareness
Managers need to recognise the impact their behaviour has on others. A positive change in your behaviour will lead to positive change in others.

2.Be supportive
Provide support, feedback and encouragement to your staff. The impact you have on how people feel at work is greater than you probably think.

3.Take control
Poorly performing staff have a negative impact on their colleaguesís emotions. If poor performance is tolerated people may start to think íwhy should I work any harder?í

4.Consider well-being
Conduct a staff well-being audit and find out exactly how people are feeling.

5.Protect against írust-outí or íburn-outí
Make sure any goals you set staff are achievable; if a task is unachievable it can lead to stress and burnout, if it is too easy it can lead to complacency ie.rust out.

6.Empower your staff
Reduce bureaucracy! Enable people to take greater control over their work.

7.Weigh up workloads
Consider the workload of your staff and provide them with extra support if they need it.

8.Manage conflicts
Arguments, gossip and rumours can create a toxic atmosphere in an office. Make sure that personal problems between staff are addressed as soon as they become public knowledge.

9.Take an interest
Take time to find out your colleaguesí likes and dislikes. Although it is unlikely that you will be able to eliminate so called íhatedí tasks, staff will appreciate your efforts to address the situation if possible.

10.Value diversity
Ensure you encourage an inclusive culture in which people from diverse backgrounds feel valued and can thrive.