Trying to make your employees happier? Lots of companies are. After all, happy employees means less involuntary turnover and a lower overall employee turnover. Not to mention that happy employees are also productive employees, and productive employees increase revenue. 

But the difficulty lies in how to do it. We know that if your average number of employees is dropping, you want a fast solution. However, you need to identify your problem first.  

You might be quick to incorrectly assume that naturally grumpy people are just seeking job offers from your company. Or you could try to blame your retention problems on one negative employee. However, the problem is more likely in your workplace culture.

Employees Struggle with the Daily Grind

A Korn Ferry poll of nearly 5,000 professionals discovered that the top reason people look for a new job is boredom. If your employees are bored with their work, the work culture, or the benefits you provide, they will seek employment elsewhere.  

The causes of boredom are varied, but they typically all relate to the type of work or the work environment. For example, boredom can be caused by repetitive tasks and a lack of interest in those tasks, according to Dr. Shahram Heshmat, a professor at the University of Illinois in Springfield. Basically, after getting up at the same time, going to the same building, and doing the same tasks day in and day out, employees can grow bored with their job and lack motivation to continue working.

Boredom may also be caused by a lack of autonomy. Employees who don’t feel like they have enough flexibility or choice in their work environment will become bored much quicker than employees who have control over their work. So, if you tell your employees exactly what to do each day they come to work, you probably have bored employees.

Boredom comes with some negative consequences for your employees and you. Studies show that bored people are less able to make judgments, plan to achieve goals, assess risks, focus, and control emotions. Their work performance greatly suffers. 

Not only do employees’ work abilities suffer, but boredom at work can decrease their mental health, cause stress, and produce burnout. Additionally, bored people are more likely to succumb to drug addiction, alcoholism, and compulsive gambling. If your employees are suffering from boredom, their entire life quality will suffer. No wonder bored employees are likely to quit and search for another job.  

Flexibility Offers Better Work/Life Quality

However, there is a solution. You can change the bleak picture that boredom paints for your employees and your company by providing some flexibility and choice. 

In a Harvard Business Review study, 96% of U.S. professionals say they need employer offered flexibility. This closely matches a LinkedIn poll we conducted where 99% of respondents stated a flexible work schedule was important, and 92% of those indicating it as very important. Flexibility is a basic human desire because people want to work and run their daily routines in ways that best accommodate their needs. 

A traditional work schedule with strict limitations doesn’t allow people the freedom to make decisions that are best for them. So, they feel stuck in their routine and grow bored with their work and even their life. But when employees have the flexibility to make some of their own choices, they can choose the lifestyle and work routine that makes them happiest.  

Specifically, with flexible working, employees can break up the monotony of repetitive tasks and beat boredom. They can incorporate some novelty and excitement into their schedule—in just the right amount—whenever they need to beat boredom. 

Giving your employees more choices also allows your employees the autonomy they need. As a lack of autonomy can cause boredom, the simple presence of freedom and autonomy will reduce your employee’s boredom. They will feel more in control, more productive, and less stressed.  

How to Incorporate Flexibility for Your Employees 

So, by adding flexibility and choice to your work environment, you can make your employees happier and decrease your annual turnover rate at the same time. But how do you provide your employees with the flexibility they need? 

Your employee benefits package is a great place to start. Though, you’ll need to take your benefits package beyond life insurance, vacation days, and other paid time off. You need to create a benefits package that removes employee boredom and enables employees to make choices during their day-to-day life.  

What better way to do this than by offering benefits like exercise programs? Exercise has many health benefits, but it can also break up the monotony of your employees’ work days. When employees have access to exercise classes or gym memberships, they can exercise after a long work day to refresh their minds. Or you could allow exercise breaks during the work day, so your employees can change up their boring schedules and be reinvigorated to finish the work day strong. 

Peerfit offers a variety of fitness options that can improve your employee experience and bring fitness benefits. Our program provides ultimate flexibility as your employees can choose from in-person fitness experiences or a slew of digital classes, which allow them to choose to interact with others or not. Also, you as an employer can choose to customize the wellness benefits from Peerfit to your employee’s individual needs, whether your workforce is primarily older adults, younger generations, or a mix of all ages. 

To increase your employee’s choices, Peerfit has partnered with FitOn Health. Your employees can now access conditional-specific wellness courses. Some of the offerings include type 2 diabetes management, musculoskeletal & pain management, hypertension management, weight loss for heart health, and beating burnout. These offerings are ever expanding though, so your employees don’t get bored with their fitness class choices.

If your employees frequently complain of boredom, an exercise program like Peerfit could be just the trick to provide the flexibility and choices that your employees need. Why not try out Peerfit and see how your employees can experience more flexibility, exercise regularly, and become happier in their workplace.