Boost happiness at work and your employees will have a higher level of life satisfaction. Do this, and your organisations’ profitability and health will also increase. These are the research backed claims from a recent McKnisey Quarterly article by Tera Allas and Bill Schaninger (read it here). The article notes that relationships with management are the top factor in employees’ job satisfaction. However, immediate bosses can also be the most stressful aspect of their jobs. So, in short, the article proposes that good bosses result in good performance.
Allas and Schaninger quote research that ’the “servant leader” mentality and disposition enhances both team performance and satisfaction.” Essentially servant leadership is the manager asking, “how do I make my team members’ lives easier – physically, cognitively and emotionally?”
Within the article are four proven practices bosses can adopt in order to put them into the servant leader mode, which are explained really well in the article, but summarised here:
- Empathy, compassion and vulnerability
- Gratitude
- Positivity
- Awareness and self-care.
In addition to these things the bosses can do, the article also suggests four ways the organisation can support better bosses. Again, the article expands and explains these, which are presented below in point form:
- Understanding and conviction
- Role-modelling
- Skill- and confidence-building
- Formal mechanisms.
When organisational practices and bosses work together as servant leaders, employees work satisfaction increases, and so does profitability and health. Everyone’s a winner!