Excuse to play Pharrell Williams at work

How happy are you or your staff? Do we spend enough time trying to make the work place a happy place? Maybe we should think about this a little more. Research from the University of Warwick suggests that happiness makes people more productive at work. The researchers carried out a number of experiments to test the idea that happy employees work harder. In the laboratory, they found the happy workers to be around 12% more productive.

The research provides causal evidence using randomized trials and piece-rate working. The study, published in the Journal of Labour Economics, involved four different experiments with more than 700 participants. It was much more than a touchy feely questionnaire.

Some participants got a better deal than others. The lucky ones were either shown a comedy movie clip or treated to free chocolate, drinks and fruit. Others, less fortunate, were questioned about recent family tragedies, such as bereavements. This allowed the researchers to assess whether lower levels of happiness were later associated with lower levels of productivity.

One of the authors, Professor Oswald commented that: "Companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result. For Google, it rose by 37%, they know what they are talking about. Under scientifically controlled conditions, making workers happier really pays off."

His co-author, Dr Sgroi added: "The driving force seems to be that happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality."

This has implications for how we structure the working day and how we organise the work place. A few treats and decent conditions can bring a little happiness and help people work better, as well have a more pleasant time. Conversely creating conditions where workers are reminded of negative events or poor outcomes can kill the buzz and productivity.

It may also be worth thinking about how you promote managers. Look for people who can make people happy, can recognise discontent in employees and are approachable. These managers will have a happier team and prove more productive. Even if the research does not quite stack up and you don’t get the 12% bounce in productivity, everyone will enjoy work a bit more. No harm in that.