Any smart employer knows that a happy employee is a long-term employee, and probably a good one too. However, did you know that research backs this up? That’s right, #science.

 

The University of Oxford found that happy employees were more productive in the same amount of hours as their less happy counterparts. Researchers followed call center workers for six months and tracked their sales, attendance, and customer satisfaction ratings. Participants self-reported their level of happiness each week. Employees who reported they were happy worked faster, closed more sales per hours worked, and were better able to adhere to their work schedule.

So can employers help their employees become happier, or is it out of their control?

 

While some things linked with happiness (personal relationships, for example) may be out of an employer’s control, research also links physical health with happiness. So it stands to reason that creating a wellness program for your team could very well help with their happiness, and in turn mean more productivity for your business, and possibly more time off for them! (Unsurprisingly, more free time is also linked to happiness.)

 

In conclusion, having happy employees means a happy bottom line. In case you’re looking for other ideas, here are some things happy people have in common.