The importance of happiness at work
The concept of happiness at work was not there until a few decades ago, and there is a reason for that. In the last few years, we have seen drastic changes in the industrial sector – we now work in positions that did not exist twenty years ago.
Who could have thought of designations like Social Media Manager, SEO Expert, Chief Happiness Officer, Motivational Coach and Speaker, Career Counselor, or Project Coordinator in the 40s and 50s?
With such a wide range of complex tasks that we have to choose from today, it is only essential that we can extract the true happiness from the work we devote ourselves to. Happy employees are compulsory for a growing business.
The iOpener Institute, in one of their studies on organizational success, revealed that employees who feel happy in the workplace are 65% more energetic than employees who don’t. They are two times more productive and are more likely to sustain their jobs over a long period of time.
Workplace Happiness Matters
Being happy is the first step to anything that we want to do successfully. Going to the office, mechanically performing all the duties assigned, and coming home to spend the rest of the day with a drink in hand and the TV in front is an ideal picture of an unhappy life.
A happy worker will reach office on time because he respects his punctuality and will perform all the daily tasks because he enjoys doing it. He will work out of love, not out of compulsion.
1. Happiness multiplies success
Happiness at work can spread like fire. Employees who feel pleasure in doing their work form a great example to others who are less motivated.
For example, when a team leader is happy with his position and work, he can influence his team with more positivity and maintain great functionality in the group. Happiness in the workplace is directly correlational to increased productivity and better group performance at work.
2. Happiness builds positivity
A troubled mind can be the storehouse of negative contemplations. When we work out of compulsion and don’t feel passionate about the contribution we make to the organization’s success, our mind starts wearing.
We become stressed, lose focus, and indulge self-deprecating thoughts like “I have to quit”, “I cannot take it anymore”, “I am not worth it”, etc. On the contrary, a professional who has strong positive feelings about his job will undoubtedly be more enthusiastic and focus on building himself. Rather than focusing on the problems, he would look into ways of solving it.
3. Happiness reduces stress
Annie Mckee, an International Leadership advisor, and writer, in one of her publications in the Harvard Business Review, mentioned that when employees are unhappy, their brain starts to disconnect from the positive emotions, and damages their power of creative thinking and reasoning.
She further said in her article on the link between our thoughts, feelings, and actions. If any of these breaks down, it is sure to hamper the others. If we feel happy in the 8 hours that we spend at work, if somehow we can hit the strings of positivity that will keep us uplifted, it can remarkably improve our responses to stress and redirect our focus to the positive aspects of the work-life.
4. Happiness at work means a healthy life
If we allow the work stress and disappointments to enter into our personal space, there is no way that we can get rid of them.
Successful professionals who can optimize their work are less likely to suffer from hypertension, cardiac arrests, substance abuse, and other stress-related disorders.
When we are happy from inside, we get that power to fight diseases and the will to recover and get back on track.
Remaining physically or mentally sick can bring unprecedented hurdles even at work. We lose the energy to give it our best shot, become less focused on work and more focused on the woes, and consequently, kill our productive soul.
Not just that, happiness at work also makes us less prone to work-related stress and burdens.
5. Happiness at work increases likability
We all like to stay around people who have a positive attitude and look content with themselves. In a happy state of mind, people are more innovative and inspired. They are willing to improve their existing skills and contributes toward creating a fun and creative performance culture at work.
Finding happiness in work helps in building strong interpersonal relationships at work and encourage people to work together for the common welfare of the organization they are serving. It is the backbone for innovation, loyalty, responsibility, and success.
Happy workers can create a pleasant environment at work that is easy for others to cope in, and the more people get into it, the better the team grows.
Dyfed Loesche, an eminent statistical and data journalist, in one of his publications about countries having the best and the worst work-life balance, mentioned that the Netherlands is one of the happiest countries concerning the work-life balance.
His interactive chart (given below) represents the countries that have great work-life balance, starting with the one that has the happiest working population.
This article was originally published on Positive Psychology, written by Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, BA. Find the original blog post here.