Happiness in our work is something we all aspire to. It can have a huge impact on our well being, both in and out of work. However, although the UK office of National Statistics report that in the long term, UK adults’ satisfaction with their work has improved (55.8% in 2016-16 to 59.7% in 2020-21), this still suggests that around 4 in 10 adults in the UK are not satisfied.
Happy employees should be one of a company’s highest priorities. Happier employees are more engaged in the workplace, meaning increased productivity. Even more crucially, a healthy work environment encourages employee friendships, improves employee mental health, and contributes positively to all aspects of personal well being. At Jenx, we are #alwaysupportive and #alwaysethical – one of our core values is to support our colleagues and treat them with dignity, fairness and respect. This means that it is vital to our mission to ensure that everyone is satisfied with their work, and that we look after our employees.
So, how do we make sure more people feel happy at work? At Jenx, we believe this is intrinsically linked to inclusion. Roshida Khanom, a HR specialist at Jenx, gave us her thoughts on why inclusion matters:
“In an inclusive work environment, employees are comfortable sharing their perspectives freely and believe that their colleagues value their contributions. They display less stress and anxiety and are more likely to have a good friend at work and to have a positive work-life balance.”
The ability to “share perspectives freely” is vital in ensuring all employees are treated with respect. Our efforts to make sure we include all Jenx employees and hear everyone’s voice can be broken down into three key components.
Effective Communication
This means that everyone receives communication that works for them. No-one is left out of conversations!
Some forms of communication may be difficult to access. For example, someone who doesn’t regularly use a laptop or phone in their workday may want to receive printed information. Someone who prefers to adjust the size of text to be easier to read may prefer digital communication. There are many reasons that employees may only access certain forms of communication, and to ensure we are maximally inclusive, we aspire to accommodate them all.
To do this, we regularly review how our employees would like to receive information through communication and engagement surveys. This has resulted in the development of our monthly employee newsletter – a direct response to employees’ request to hear from everyone across Jenx.
Diverse Voices
Effective communication naturally results in people feeling empowered to speak up and share their ideas. This isn’t just great for keeping Jenx creative and bursting with innovation, but also means that employees feel naturally happier and more engaged at work.
Our whole company meetings give all employees a chance to meet with each other and hear from our directors and speak up about their ideas. Including a wide range of perspectives across the business was also a priority in recruiting for our Charity and Events Committee. We strongly encouraged applicants from all departments in the business to make an application to apply for a place on the committee; having a diverse range of perspectives on our committee better represents the whole company.
Everyone Involved
Our team on our charity stall!
We make sure that everyone is involved at Jenx. When we work to support our Charity of the Year, CP Teens, we make sure that we run initiatives where all people can help out and have fun. This includes our recent Charity Bake Off, which saw an awesome range of entries! 16 of Jenx and Jiraffe employees also took part in a dragon boat race, as others donated their time and skill to help man a charity stall at the same event. Volunteering together, including everyone, helps build up friendship and a shared sense of purpose between different people at Jenx.
The Jenx mission includes making a positive difference to our communities by being an outstanding employer. This is why we’re proud to demonstrate our efforts for National Inclusion Week and the Week of Happiness at Work!
Want to hear more about inclusion at Jenx? Learn how we ensure there are equal opportunities for all our employees.
