Happiness quotient at yuj

Can money buy happiness?

This is a classic question many of us have been trying to debate over for years. The year 2020, saw us all put our priorities in perspective. All of us have spent a good amount of time introspecting our current state, and where do we want to head in the coming years.

We are living in a changing world. We are working in a new normal now. Our definitions of success are getting reconstructed as we settle ourselves in the new ways of working. At yuj, we have always worked with clients on other continents without even meeting them in person. Having worked so since yuj’s inception, we have developed world-class processes for remote work. And as a result, we did not face much difficulty shifting from hybrid to 100% remote work.

Whether it is the hybrid way or remote work, the common thread is that – Communication is important. It is an equal responsibility of all the players in the ecosystem, be it a design manager or a UX developer. In a physical work environment, it is easier to quickly walk up to someone and discuss a problem in five minutes. As compared to working in a remote environment. In this scenario, you’re not always aware of the other person’s schedule. Though with virtual collaboration tools such as Slack, or WhatsApp, the communication problem has been solved to a certain degree.

The bottom line is –

• Individually all of us should be active in our attempts to connect with one another.

In a time like this, it is crucial to connect with each and every employee and understand their challenges, achievements, etc. In a way, it is essential to maintain the equilibrium or happiness quotient of a company. Now how does one do that? For a deeper understanding of how well our employees are doing individually and in teams, the management team at YUJ constructed a Health Check survey. A company-wide health check survey to get a better understanding of the overall employee morale, satisfaction, and engagement.

The survey was a means to communicate how all our employees’ opinions are important to the organizational development. For each employee, this survey was an excellent opportunity to express their opinions, suggestions and share feedback in the safest way. Here are some of the ways in which the survey inquired about the mental health of YUJ employees.

• Asking employees how they’re doing. Asking for their suggestions on how management can help them on an individual and team level.
• Providing help in matters concerning the employees, be it challenges in managing stress, managing workload, or dealing with productivity challenges.
• Making mental and physical health of employees a priority. By conducting weekly all-hands calls, yoga-meditation sessions, activities for employees to bond with other teams based on their interests, and promoting healthy communication throughout all the levels of the organization.

Keeping these goals in mind, the survey was conducted digitally followed by a session discussing the results with everyone. The results of the survey were used to improve the processes and policies, track, measure, and increase employee engagement. The survey communication staying true to the open culture at YUJ.

The data gathered from the survey was then collected with the intent to extend a hand to people by designing specific interventions. The survey received some interesting, thoughtful, and candid responses! The survey turned up good feedback in terms number of employees feeling connected and aligned with the company’s purpose. The overall sentiment was – happier, as yuj leadership had already taken on a few measures to facilitate a happier, productive environment.

Employees at YUJ have a timely check-in with their managers, senior management, and leadership, there’s constant learning that happens through challenging projects. Through project updates employees present these achievements and learnings to their colleagues, initiating a conversation to improve everyone’s knowledge. Also, frequent employee engagement activities that have leveled up the happiness quotient in the company.

Here are a few glimpses of the results of Health Check 2021. This proved to be a good way of including the employees in contributing towards the organizational changes. The questions revolved around employee wellness, engagement to their overall happiness levels.

About 83.1% feel Happy at YUJ.