Corresponding with a colleague recently, I mentioned that not only was I familiar with a particular business contact, but that we shared such a pleasant meeting over beignets and coffee in a park in New Orleans last year that the meeting ended, at my request, with a drive through a beautiful cemetery. I wanted to see the famous above-ground tombs of New Orleans.
My colleague didn’t respond after I shared this information.
It seems that many are put off by the idea of mixing business with joyful meetings and experiences. They feel that one is anathema to the other. If a company hires too many people with that attitude, it will find it has a whole organization that doesn’t believe in a joyful approach to business.
The question is how to achieve an organization that brings joy to employees.
Business Meetings in Beautiful Places
I shared my thoughts about the need for joyful meetings and conferences with that same business contact in New Orleans a few years ago. I laughed with him about how there were people who liked having meetings—on purpose—in airport hotels. We both could see the practical advantages of those meeting locations, but we also both realized how miserable it could be to fly several hours, go to a hotel attached to the airport, get back on a plane, and then fly for another several hours home.
It turned out that my business contact and some of his friends had been thinking of the lack of joy in meetings for a long time and were planning to launch a series of conferences that would avoid being “transactional.” There would be serious, business-oriented gatherings and conversations, but those more serious, down-to-business gatherings would be interspersed with fun in nature.
All of this group’s meetings happen in places such as national parks in the Western U.S., and include activities such as hiking, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities.
The Day-to-Day Ingredients of a Joyful Workplace
It’s one thing to bring joy during occasional business meetings. It’s another to have an office that avoids being transactional in the daily work life of employees.
I found a study, “Creating Joy in the Workplace,” published by the European Journal of Radiology in 2021. Authors Rozita Jalilianhasanpour, Shadi Asadollahi, and David M. Yousem share actions organizations can take to make their employees feel a sense of joy in their jobs.
They note the need for employees to be knowledgeable, and committed to, the organization’s mission: “Feeling happy at work requires that the employee is committed to the primary ideals of the institution or corporation. In business, most companies refer to these core principles in terms of Mission, Vision, and Values.”
The authors also point out the impact of physical environment on joyfulness. I have worked in both optimal settings—a beautiful office in a nice area of New York City—and a less-than-beautiful office an hour outside of the city. The esprit de corps an employee feels when they walk into an office they can be proud of can’t be underestimated. I was so proud of that former office that I even took a friend there on the weekend to tour it, proudly pointing out specific features of the space.
In the location outside of the city, the outdoors, beyond the immediate office area, might not be considered safe, so an employee could have the feeling of being imprisoned. Having both a great indoor space and an area for outdoor gatherings can bring a lot of joy, the authors note. “Offering an appealing indoor or outdoor space for people to gather is a vital touchpoint generated by many progressive organizations for bolstering employee relationships, creating joy, and sparking creative interactions,” they write.
Gratitude, Appreciation, and More
A sense of gratitude and appreciation delivered to employees in an ongoing manner also can be helpful, according to the study’s authors. I think again of my colleague who seemed put off by the fun I had at the business meeting in New Orleans. She’s always the first to pounce on errors. She likes hammering people over the head with every mistake they make. And when she makes a mistake herself, she goes overboard apologizing and debasing herself. She’s unable to accept that the other person really doesn’t consider it a big deal and that they’re just happy it was corrected. A joyful workplace anticipates that even the most conscientious and responsible people will make mistakes from time to time and is forgiving and forward-looking.
In addition, the study highlights the importance of “fun” and fair and equitable compensation, along with the value of incorporating “wellness activities” and celebrations.
When you create a workplace that is more than transactional, that is joyful, employees likely will be more productive and give more to your customers. If you want to energize your employees to do more for your customers and your profitability, try bringing joy to them.
Does your organization pride itself on having a joyful workplace? If so, what are some of the things you do to achieve that joyful state in your office(s)?