the science
Our logo might be fluffy, but we're not.
Everything we do here at Cloud 9 to 5 is backed up by research. We've analyzed hundreds of studies, research papers, books and articles to find the most relevant, unbiased and accurate information to make sure that what we teach can lead to tangible improvements for your company.
Study after study shows that happy workers are more innovative, motivated, self-confident, engaged, and loyal to the company. They're also better at solving complex problems, and are in better physical and mental health.
What's more, these positive outcomes are often interconnected and can create a ripple effect across the entire organization. Take innovation for example. Happy people are more innovative. More innovative companies inspire and excite people which - you guessed it - makes them happier. Round and round it goes, with each positive outcome amplifying a company's success.
Creating a happy work culture is also great for a company's bottom line. Consider this: a study looking at stock market returns over a 19-year period found that average annual returns for Fortune's 100 "best companies to work for" were 11.7% while returns for companies not on the list were only 6.7% year over year.
the good news
Good leadership can motivate and energize employees. Among millennials, 69% feel motivated in their jobs when they work for leaders who focus on workplace happiness. This number drops to 43% when leaders don’t focus on creating a happy work culture.
Organizations with the happiest employees:
Within an organization, teams with the most engaged employees:
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are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable
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have 70% fewer safety incidents and 40% fewer product defects
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achieve 20% higher sales
While there is clear evidence showing that creating a happy workplace culture can propel a company towards success, many companies are struggling to harness this potential. Aside from the missed opportunity stemming from happy employees, unhappy work environments can actually have a severe impact on employee physical and mental health.
Increased turnover, absenteeism, presenteeism, lack of motivation and innovation are just some of the hidden costs that can be crippling to a company's success. So just how much does unhappiness cost?
Gallup estimates that unhappy employees cost the US $483 billion to $605 billion each year in lost productivity. For example, replacing someone who quits often costs well over 100% of that employee's annual salary, meaning that unhappy companies are often forced to divert would-be profit into recruitment efforts.
the bad news
Among millennials, 43% envision leaving their jobs within two years and only 28% seek to stay beyond 5 years.
Unhappy workers are 10% less productive and almost twice likely to be actively looking for a new job. It has been estimated that the most unhappy employees cost their organization 34% of their salary due to lost productivity, absenteeism, and so on.
High levels of stress at work can be detrimental for people. According to the World Health Organization, stress at work has been found to increase the risk of heart disease by 23% and in 2015, between 2 and 3.5 million people worldwide actually died from work-related heart disease and stroke.
In Canada, things aren't looking much better. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, 47% of working Canadians consider their work to be the most stressful part of daily life. Coincidentally (or not), that's the same number of working Canadians who say they are not happy in their current role.
On any given week, 500,000 Canadians don't go to work because of a mental health issue such as stress or anxiety.
Worldwide, only 15% of employees are engaged. Yet if we look at the world's best companies to work for, that number skyrockets to 70%, showing that with the right approach, it is possible to transform the workplace into a happy and productive environment.
This untapped potential represents a massive opportunity for those companies that are willing and able to make necessary changes to create a happier workplace. And today's leaders are taking note - in one study, nearly 80% of executives rated employee engagement as important for their companies.
While this is a step in the right direction, only 22% of these same executives thought their company was excellent at building a positive employee experience. Clearly there is still a lot of work to be done, and that's where we come in. Cloud 9 to 5 works with organizations and their leaders to address this disconnect and to help them build a culture of workplace happiness.
the silver lining
Organizations can create happier workplaces regardless of their budget. For example:
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90% of employees most value a verbal thank-you for a job well-done.
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teams that focused on building employee strengths saw sales increase by up to 19% and profits by up to 29%
Among millennials, those working for employers perceived to have a happier workplace culture are much more likely to want to stay at their company long-term (69% vs 27%).
The number one factor in North America that affects someone's happiness at work is their relationship with their direct manager. In fact, about 50% of US adults who leave their jobs do so in order to get away from their manager.
This means that there is huge potential for companies to improve and grow if they are willing to rethink how they manage their employees.
life is short - work somewhere awesome