{"id":155322,"date":"2023-03-07T20:30:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T20:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shrm.org\/hr-today\/news\/hr-magazine\/spring-2023\/pages\/is-it-hrs-job-to-ensure-workers-are-happy.aspx"},"modified":"2023-03-07T20:30:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T20:30:28","slug":"is-it-hrs-job-to-ensure-workers-are-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/squarehr.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/07\/is-it-hrs-job-to-ensure-workers-are-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It HR’s Job to Ensure Workers Are Happy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"yes\"
HR is the custodian of the employee experience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bernard
Company culture is an organization\u2019s calling card, and given that employees spend so much time working, organizations are best served by delivering a great culture. <\/div>\n

The ability to do so creates an industry differentiator. When talent is deciding to join or stay at any organization\u2014assuming total compensation is competitive for the role\u2014the individual\u2019s happiness (or anticipated happiness) becomes the deciding factor.<\/p>\n

HR is the steward of the employee experience. It\u2019s responsible for creating an environment in which employees are engaged at work, and engaged employees lead to better business outcomes. We know there is a link between employee engagement and employee happiness. <\/p>\n

As the custodian of the employee experience, the HR function is, at its core, in the business of enabling happiness while measuring and managing employees\u2019 expectations of the overall culture of the organization. <\/p>\n

According to a Pew Research Center study,<\/a> work is one of the primary areas from which people derive meaning\u2014second only to family and children. And when employees find their work meaningful, they experience increased job satisfaction, higher engagement and a stronger sense of organizational loyalty. HR professionals\u2019 role is key here: Because they help reinforce the betterment of the workforce experience, it\u2019s in HR\u2019s best interest to ensure that employers are constantly updating and adapting the experience to optimize for happiness.<\/p>\n

HR teams are in the driver\u2019s seat because they have the deepest understanding of the employee experience and the ability to directly influence that experience by putting the right resources in place. At my company, Gusto, for example, we have an employee assistance program as well as an ombudsperson service through tEQuitable; these resources allow us to offer tools to enhance the employee experience and simultaneously support our employees in their times of need or at any point in their lives. In other words, HR can use these tools to help employees achieve happiness at work.<\/p>\n

When you think about happiness, it really is just another name for engagement. As defined, engagement is the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace (read: happiness at work). <\/p>\n

The people team is the architect of the employee experience, and the better this experience, the more likely employees will achieve happiness, career satisfaction and high levels of productivity. HR monitors the experience via surveys, examines employee net promoter scores, shares engagement data and progress with organizational leadership, offers solutions to improve the experience, and monitors the outcomes quarter by quarter. <\/p>\n

It all starts with the five drivers of engagement: purpose, development, a caring manager, ongoing conversations and a focus on strengths. Each of these drivers is enabled by HR, which plays an outsized role when you think about all the pieces the function touches.<\/p>\n

When talent is recruited, HR kicks off the interview process and signals to candidates what the company\u2019s culture is like. If that person advances in the process and is hired, they\u2019ll go through the onboarding process and new-hire orientation. Later, the employee will share input in engagement surveys, participate in semiannual performance reviews to receive coaching that catapults them to the next level, and enroll in learning and development opportunities so they can grow in capability. They also may leverage internal mobility to find roles they can ascend to or join an employee resource group to find community. <\/p>\n

Each of those milestones is owned or influenced by the HR team. That is the totality of the journey and the experience.<\/p>\n

Bernard C. Coleman III is the chief diversity and engagement officer at Gusto, an HR technology company based in San Francisco.<\/em><\/p>\n


\"no\" <\/p>\n

Workplace happiness is a team effort.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"Katelynn <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

HR can\u2019t do it alone. Business leaders, managers, HR leaders and employees themselves all play a role in workplace happiness. <\/p>\n

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There are many workplace factors that affect employees\u2019 well-being:<\/p>\n