In today’s work environment, where we are constantly reminded that simply having a job at all should be cause for gratitude, the concept of workplace happiness has been quietly making a comeback. It is commonly believed that happy workers are better workers, and that a happy work team has tangible effects on an organization’s bottom line. A study from the University of Warwick, UK showed that “happy workers are up to 12% more productive than unhappy professionals.” Shawn Anchor, the author of The Happiness Advantage asserts that happy employees can increase sales by 37% and productivity by as much as 31%. These statistics make having a strategy for developing workplace happiness worthy of serious consideration.
While many executives and managers agree on the importance of workplace happiness, the demands of daily productivity can often leave happiness off the agenda. There are certain things an employer can do to help the team raise its happiness level. One strategy is ensuring that team members have clarity about what creates workplace happiness and how to pursue it. While there are other ways organizations can raise collective happiness, none compares with the individual’s power to take command of his or her own emotional well-being. According to Annie McKee, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, happiness can be found when our work aligns with our values, when we see how work connects us to our future dreams and goals, and when we have positive working relationships. Take her quiz here.
Below are five tips to help you become happier at work. In what may not be a surprising revelation, many of these steps hold true during off-duty hours as well.
Chowdhury, M. R. (January 1, 2020). Happiness at work: 10 tips for how to be happy at work. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://positivepsychology.com/happiness-at-work/
Herrera, T. (April 7, 2019). A deceptively simple way to find more happiness at work. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/smarter-living/how-to-be-happier-at-work.html
McKee, A. (October 13, 2017). Take this quiz to figure out how to be happier at work. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://hbr.org/2017/10/take-this-quiz-to-figure-out-how-to-be-happier-at-work
Leadership Development
Leaders who are resilient are aware that happiness is a state of mind, and a choice that one makes. Strategies that support leaders to be aware of disempowered attitudes and to choose an outward mindset are empowering. Relationships can have an impact on one’s feelings of happiness. Setting healthy boundaries and ensuring that conversations operate with transparency, respect, open-mindedness, and clarity about goals and roles enhance resiliency and well-being.
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