Five ways to stay happy at work

Happiness at work means good business, Adele Hawkes shares five ways to keep your employees happy for increased productivity 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Work Life

Understanding how to make people happy at work means great things for businesses; there are plenty of statistics that show just how important work happiness is for employers and for employees. 

Research by The Guardian has shown that engaged teams can increase productivity by 20% and reduce staff turnover by a huge 87%. As a result, employees who are happy at work impact the bottom line, generating up to 43% more revenue. Similarly, Forbes reported that employee engagement and wellness can reduce absenteeism by 41%.

Employee happiness should matter to every organisation; here are five ways to make it matter to yours.

Encourage positive emotions

One of the biggest misconceptions about positive psychology is that it focuses so exclusively on the brighter side of life that it ignores the emotional complexity of being human. Recognising that our mental wellbeing is not entirely dependent on eliminating negative emotions is essential – in fact, discomfort, anxiety, fear and the like play a crucial role in our lives by flagging up areas where we feel challenged and signposting what matters to us.

The goal is always about balance, which means not succumbing to our natural negativity bias and acknowledging that positive emotions play an equally important role. Regularly experiencing things like joy, gratitude, hope, inspiration, enthusiasm, pride or fun at work help build psychological reserves that will actually act as a buffer when and if things get tough, helping people to reduce stress, persevere, come up with innovative solutions and cope more effectively.

Boost engagement

Have you ever felt so absorbed in an activity that time seems to disappear? In positive psychology, this is called being in ‘flow’, a state in which people often feel at their most industrious and contented. Unfortunately, without conscious attention, the opportunities for this intense sense of engagement can get swallowed up by the automatic assembly line of life. Perhaps, for example, you started a business because you felt passionately about the service you were able to provide, but most of your day now revolves around admin and chasing new leads. If that’s the case, it’s not surprising that you might start finding motivation hard to come by!

To boost engagement at work, there are three key areas to concentrate on – using your strengths (the things you are naturally good at), managing your emotions (through self and social awareness) and checking that your personal sense of purpose aligns with your employer of choice. This is the way to ensure you feel energetic, enthusiastic and able to optimally perform whatever task you are carrying out.

Build relationships 

Positive relationships play a central role in a happy, functional work environment. Friendship, emotional support and connectedness to others are strongly correlated with positive emotions at work, while solid social ties foster a sense of resilience, belonging and even attachment to the organisation you are working for.

Having a collaborative team brings substantial wellbeing benefits, both subjectively (feeling positively about yourself and your life) and psychologically (looking after your mental health). It means you should never consider a quick coffee and chat with a colleague a waste of time; it can dramatically affect your overall satisfaction at work.

Find meaning

In which ways does your work give you purpose? It could be the opportunity to personally grow and develop, the chance to help others in some way and contribute to a higher purpose, or the opportunity to earn money flexibly, allowing you more time to pursue other passions and hobbies.

Connecting with your ‘why’ adds a real sense of value and commitment to your work that, again, can help build your resilience, overcome challenging situations and keep you driven despite tedious tasks or long hours. In short, it is one of the most empowering things you can do. If you are really struggling to identify why you are doing the work you do, it may well be time to start thinking about a change.

Celebrate accomplishments

Setting goals, and celebrating milestones along the way, are the final component to happiness. Taking steps to reach these goals – big or small – can significantly increase our sense of self-efficacy and motivation to keep achieving, especially when we focus on what we did, rather than what we didn’t do.

Remember, this isn’t about getting caught up in a spiral of intense pressure and perfectionism – when you evaluate your unrealistic goals against other people’s achievements, and find yourself lacking (‘comparison is the thief of joy’, after all) – no, this is about progressing and evolving in ways that are personally meaningful to you, and savouring every step of the journey. 

You’ll also find that reflecting on your accomplishments gives you a good idea of where your strengths lie; this, in turn, this builds the type of solid inner-confidence and self-reliance that is an essential part of your roadmap to happiness, helping you secure that much coveted, long-lasting, personal and professional success.