KISS culture: the importance of positive morale

What is the key to positive morale in the workplace? How do we drive productivity? These are questions often asked by CEOs, eager to drive business. The answer can be simple: research has shown that we work better when we’re happy – in fact, economists carried out a number of studies and found that happiness made people around 12 per cent more productive. So, brightening your employees’ days could be the best approach to achieving business success.

However, it’s not always that straightforward. There are many day-to-day struggles that can hinder happiness at work such as work-life balance, or family problems – inevitably making it difficult for businesses to keep their employees happy. Unfortunately, these aren’t necessarily problems that businesses can help with. But clearly, satisfaction in the workplace matters because 51 per cent of workers are thinking about leaving their current job. This cannot go ignored.

As far as first jobs go, I’m lucky to be a part of an agency where the atmosphere is upbeat and there is always plenty of laughing and joking. At KISS, team morale is a priority. Alongside casual banter, KISS is always looking at new ways to unite the team and spread the fun. That’s what makes the culture here so special – and after all, happy employees will lead to happy clients.

Last winter, the KISS Account Executives made it their mission to buy as many Innocent Smoothies as they could – not just to give to charity – but so that everyone in our office could arrive to find a miniature knitted hat sitting on top of their computer screens. It sounds simple, but it gave everyone something fun to look forward to each morning!

Here are a few things we do at KISS to keep that all important ‘happy vibe’:

1. Whenever we get the chance we all participate in an office game. This month it’s a sweepstake for the 2018 World Cup (obviously) – a game that gets the whole office involved, raises enthusiasm and excitement, not to mention encouraging a bit of healthy competition.

2. Every month, over a pretty tasty working lunch, one member of the team leads an Inspiration Session to tell everyone about a hobby or something they find interesting. People often don’t have time to leave their desks at lunch, so it is good to get everyone socialising and getting to know each other on a more personal level, while sharing some inspiring stories.

3. We’re big fans of TED Talks, so we have regular lunchtime sessions where we get to choose our favourites and share them with the team. They’re incredibly inspirational and always effect great debate – and again, they’re always a great way for different people within the agency to come together over lunch for a social gathering.

4. Every quarter we have an all-staff meeting, followed by a celebration. The day will entail a presentation on the company and an update on all ongoing projects, followed by a great night out giving everyone the chance to mingle and relax. And it always results in some great stories the morning after.

5. Employees have regular catch-up meetings with their line managers to discuss any issues they may have at work. This time is a chance for employees to raise any concerns, receive positive feedback on projects that are going well and anything else they've done that has impressed their manager. It’s such a simple way to ensure your employees feel connected and appreciated by their senior management team.

6. On a more serious note, KISS allows its employees to choose their own professional paths. If there is a project you would like to work on, or something more specific you would like to improve on, KISS will make a conscious effort to help you develop in that area.

These may all seem like small things, but I think it’s what makes the KISS culture so different – and from what I’ve seen it certainly makes for a happy workforce! If you don’t believe me check out the photo of us at a superb away from the office event in Brighton, celebrating our 10th anniversary.

KISS is always looking to expand its team. If you are interested in applying or having a chat then take a look here.