Yesterday, we learned that unhappiness is a powerful catalyst for change.
According to researchers, here are two of the top five factors that contribute to happiness at work:
Contribution. This is the meaningful work an agent does to benefit themselves and others in close proximity (both clients and teammates).
An agent who is contributing will have clear goals and will be making positive progress towards accomplishing them.
They want to talk about issues that might prevent them from meeting their objectives and feel heard when they do so.
Resilience. This is the short-term motivation an agent feels when overcoming obstacles.
To be resilient, an agent needs encouragement to keep going even when things get tough.
Companies with a sense of purpose and supportive resources create an expectation of high-performance.
How do you apply this research?
During interviews or other retention conversations, ask questions that poke at these potential vulnerabilities.
What type of meaningful contributions are you making with your/our team?
Do you feel you’re being adequately rewarded for your contribution to your/our company?
When things get difficult, how do you maintain a sense of focus and motivation towards your tasks?
What resources does your broker/we provide to help you overcome obstacles?
Do you have professional peers who are spurring you on to higher performance?
These are powerful questions because they will have a higher chance of uncovering the unhappiness a person may be experiencing.
And that’s the first step to making the grass look greener at your company.
