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7 Secrets to Employee Happiness For a company to be successful, employees need to want to push the needle forward. Here is how to ensure they are satisfied with their job.

By Stefanie Daneau Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

David Marcu | StockSnap.io

What do you get when you combine an entrepreneurial leadership style, a company vision that focuses on passion and positivity with a self-motivated group of employees that collaborate creatively? Success.

But this combination isn't always easy. While, you as the captain, can control your behavior and actions, how your employees engage with the company is a different story.

To ensure they are putting 110 percent into their job, here are seven secrets to maintain a fun, casual office environment that is aimed at keeping employees happy and builds team success.

Related: 10 Simple Secrets You Need to Know to Increase Employee Engagement

1. Passion

Passion is the core for any productive office. Ask any successful company leader and the first thing you will hear about is passion for what they do. It's passion that drives them every day.

So as a company, passion is important because it preserves excitement from one project to the next. Passion is a huge part in what makes an employee excited about the work they are doing and should be instilled in everyone -- from the leadership team, all the way down to each employee.

2. Positivity

To really get the benefits of a happy staff, companies should keep things positive and fun at work. Not everyone is going to be happy every day, but have you heard that old saying, "fake it till you make it?" Well, this applies to a positive attitude too. Once you and your employees get in the habit of making each day positive, you'll start to notice how little things no longer drag the whole team down and the spirit of the team is elevated.

3. Feedback

Offer employees praise on a regular basis when things are done correctly. When they aren't, offer constructive criticism in a positive way. Letting your employees know what they've done right (or wrong) helps them gain confidence in what they are doing. Confidence equals happy employees, happy employees equals higher productivity.

4. Perks

Small perks go a long way in keeping things fun and morale high. Try surprising your team by bringing in breakfast one morning, take your employees to an unscheduled lunch or create a flexible schedule option to allow half the team leave an hour early on a Friday afternoon.

Related: 4 Tips to Create a Productive and Healthy Culture

5. Collaboration

Create an office space that is conducive to meetings and creativity. Allow several collaboration spaces with whiteboards, tables and chairs, so it's easy for people to work together. Different seating arrangements can be setup for different types of meetings to take place.

For instance, walls with whiteboards for creative brainstorming and drawing, table with chairs for reviewing documents or a comfortable seating lounge can be used for more conversation and networking to take place. By offering a collaborative environment, you ensure employees keep working as a team.

6. Sense of ownership

Put someone in charge of each project and have him or her designate the project tasks throughout the team. Each new project can be assigned a different team leader, so that everyone has the opportunity to be in the driver's seat. The purpose of designating leadership is to create a stronger sense of team by blurring the lines of boss and employee.

7. Goals

Companies with clearly defined goals allow each employee to connect what they do to the objectives of the company, giving them a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Having a clear direction and understanding of what needs to be accomplished by each employee and collaboratively as a team, sets employees up for success.

When each employee is happy to come to work each day, they take pride in the work they are doing, the company they represent and the team around them, and therefore, are inspired to put their best foot forward.

Related: 5 Standout Ways to Transform Underperformers Into Superb Employees

Stefanie Daneau

Co-Founder of Pepper Gang

Stefanie Daneau is the co-founder of Pepper Gang, a recognized digital-marketing firm with a simple vision to maximize client growth by navigating the complex consumer decision cycle in today's hyper-connected world. 

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