As the economy begins to recover, slowly, but surely hiring rates are picking-up, and companies are beginning to develop new tactics to attract potential employees.

Many companies have taken a cue from modern and colorful workplaces, such as Google and Pixar, in order to utilize the work space itself as recruiter. While few companies have the resources to match the Googleplex, which houses giant rubber balls to bounce on, a life size dinosaur skeleton, beach volleyball courts, swimming pools, free laundry facilities and eighteen cafeterias, many are adopting facilities which promote exercise in the workplace, natural sunlight, and an overall boost in creative thought.

Work-Life balance is better achieved when you find ways to enjoy your working hours as opposed to trying to solely achieve happiness in the hours you aren’t working. Work doesn’t have to stand in opposition to health and happiness, it should instead contribute to a positive lifestyle. Anna Tim's ‘10 Steps to Happiness,’ helps readers to achieve this seemingly elusive balance within the workday. According to Tim, it is important that individuals create professional goals in life. Goals are a good way of measuring one’s successes and aide in helping individuals to make rewarding life-style choices. Other tips include the simple acts of building boundaries, which can prove especially difficult in the age of smart phones, developing hobbies and maintaining a social life. In addition to these tips for employees, there are also tactics employers can take to make the work week more enjoyable and fruitful.

Employers are now utilizing their facilities to help recruit and maintain employees. According to Joanne Deyo, vice president of facilities for Regeneron Biopharmacueticals, when approaching the task of redesign, Regeneron wanted to create a space which could serve as "a tool for recruiting and retaining employees." She wanted to create a space which people would be "very happy" to work in. To do so, the company made sure to create a social and colorful atmosphere. Such working conditions appeal to recent college graduates who want to work in an atmosphere in which they feel comfortable. Because highly technically skilled individuals are in high demand, the process of recruiting them can be very much a competitive one, and the benefit of a fun and friendly office space can weigh heavily in a potential employee’s decision.

Another way a company can increase the happiness of it’s employees is to establish a company gym. According to Sue Shellenbarger of the Wall Street Journal, exercising together can help to "polish office relationships." While boundaries are important in such an environment, it is still a good way to build connections with your fellow employees and managers. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, "about one in five employers provides an on-site fitness center." This helps companies to foster friendly employee relations and to help promote the importance of physical fitness. Both of these characteristics are likely to make for happier and healthier employees. A company gym is also a highly desirable commodity in the eyes of a potential employee. But, you may ask, what can a relatively small company with limiting funding do in order to improve employee happiness?

Many companies report monthly office lunch excursions, birthday celebrations, or day trips help them to improve employee happiness. It is important that companies find a way to break up the work day in order to allow employees to develop relationships and think creatively. Here at Reaction Search International, company lunch trips are common, breakfast is provided on Friday mornings, music selected by the staff is a standard, and birthdays are always celebrated with cake. Our recruiters find that the work place environment plays a key role in an individuals decision to leave their current job and accept another offer. Whether it be the flashy offerings of a big corporation such as Google, or the friendly gesture of a company lunch, the happiness of your employees throughout the work day matters, especially for recruiting purposes.