Running from meeting to meeting and adding more to the to-do list, employee health and well-being has become a popular topic in the workplace. According to a recent study at the University of Warwick, happiness can lead to a 12-percent increase in productivity.

“Companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result,” Professor Andrew J. Oswald of Warwick University said, according to Warwick University’s website. “For Google, it rose by 37-percent.”

Google was ranked by Fortune magazine as “the world’s best place to work” for the eighth time in eleven years and has many appealing amenities. They provide free gourmet food, haircuts, laundry services as well as town halls on important issues and topics and unconscious bias workshops.

Material benefits are great, but being aware of employees’ health and well-being is crucial for success and little tips can have big payouts. Here are some tips to improving your workplace environment.

Increase sunlight exposure

Research has shown that daylight is vital to health and even in the 1980s daylight was seen as a potential factor in the “sick building syndrome.” More recently there has been a link to workers that have less access to daylight through windows are more stressed and have a decrease in performance. This is because employees with more light exposure tend to sleep longer, have better sleep quality, and larger amounts of physical activity. Focusing on increasing indoor lighting, especially amount of natural light, and encouragement of spending more time outdoors, employee performance and quality of life should improve.

Acknowledging accomplishments

Through providing frequent, positive and helpful reviews to employees, they will respond better than to one single infrequent happy event. It creates a sense of routine and something to look forward to. The brain pays really close attention to surprises so when it is surprising and a positive experience, then the surprise holds more meaning.

According to a study about the Scrooge theory,  researchers found that the number of benefits an employee receives was positively related to employment growth.

Experiences are more valued than material goods

People feel that their money is better spent best when purchasing experiences rather than material items, according to research from San Francisco State University. The feeling you get after buying material goods fades quickly versus the experience and the lesson learned will help in many aspects of life versus than just at the time of the experience. Look into cooking classes or a vacation to somewhere you’ve dreamed about. Through doing these and encouraging these, you and your teammates will be happier, wiser and feel more satisfied with their personal life.

One easy way to measure your team satisfaction is through TeamEQ. Through this, you can visually see how your employees are feeling and any areas of improvement. TeamEQ is one investment you will feel good about making and an experience worth sharing.