How Company Pride Can Make Your Team Happier at Work

How Company Pride Can Make Your Team Happier at WorkHow Company Pride Can Make Your Team Happier at WorkIf youre a manager, you know only too well that some employees see work as a necessary evil. It pays the bills. And even if they dont hate work per se, given their druthers, theyd much rather stay at home than head to the office.It doesnt have to be that way.In fact, you can play a key role in helping your team feel a lot better about coming to work every day.Why should you care? If team members are completing their projects, what does it matter if theyre counting the hours until quitting time? It matters because theres strong evidencethat employees who are happy with their company and their work make the best employees.What makes employees happyThere are a lot of factors that make employees happy at workThe ability to make decisions on their ownThe opportunity to do creative workA good balance between work and the other aspects of their livesFeeling appreciated for the work they d oHaving a job that relates to their skills and preferencesAll of these glieds are important. But the most critical element of all may be how your employees feel about the company itself. Are they proud of the company? Do they know what principles it stands for? Do they brag to their friends and family about the work the company does?Why pride mattersAccording to recent research by my company, Robert Half, pride in ones organization is the strongest driver of happiness for workers in both the United States and Canada. Pride topped the list for men, women and workers 35 and up. Overall, workers who feel proud of their organizations are three times more likely to be happy at work compared to those who dont.GET OUR WORKPLACE HAPPINESS REPORTHow to build employee prideYou can start instilling pride by reminding workers of why your particular business is a great place to work. What do you stand for?Every company is a bit different. Does yours have a commitment to helping solve a particula r problem or issue? To environmental stewardship? To giving back to the community? Does your firm help improve the lives of your customers in a significant way?Sometimes a company telegraphs its values and priorities through a mission statement thats shared with the public and employees. Nikes mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. (And just so theres no misunderstanding, Nike adds, If you have a body, you are an athlete.) Coke seeks torefresh the world in mind, body and spirit. And Googles is no less than to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful.These feelings and ideals are what you want to instill in your team. And when communicating them, make it personal. Explain to employees that their individual contributions are what sustain and reinforce the companys values.What makes me proud of my companyPerhaps the easiest way to envision what Im talking about it to offer a personal example. I have great pride in my company, Robert Half, and Ill tell you why.As a staffing firm, we assist people in a key area of their lives finding employment. This gives them not only a source of financial security but also dignity. At the same time, we help businesses grow by providing them with the skilled people they need to succeed. Unquestionably, we enjoy thefinancial rewards of our hard work. But no price vierundzwanzig stunden can be attached to the satisfaction we get from knowing our company helps people and organizations in these fundamental ways.We also have a set of LEAD Principles at Robert HalfLeadership by exampleEthics firstAn openness to new ideasDedication to excellenceThey are the values that define our company, and they are integrated into key programs and communication efforts. New employees hear about them from Day One forward. The LEAD Principles are even inscribed on the walls of our corporate headquartersKnowing that my work helps makes a difference in peoples lives and that my c ompany has a set of values each employee adheres to is very gratifying.Robert Half also constantly reminds employees that we work for the best. My company is first in our industry on Fortune magazines list of Most Admired Companies. Weve appeared on the list each year since 1998. Forbes magazine named Robert Half No. 1 on its list of Americas Best Professional Recruiting Firms. We frequently appear on Best distributionspolitik to Work lists. And each time the company receives one of these honors, its celebrated, and employees are told how they helped Robert Half attain these distinctions.Some say pride drives happiness. To me, its aformof happiness in and of itself.Give your team members every opportunity you can to take pride in the organization where they work. Help them become a proud family.Get more tips on how to build employee pride and increase your teams morale by subscribing to the Robert Half blog now