The title of this article might seem unrealistic or difficult to digest for some, but the reality is that we can be happy at work. Please focus, I am not saying “just work” but “with work”. If you stay with me for a while, I will explain how.
If you think about it, work is not that bad as the gossip may go around. Often if we have long vacations we yearn to work - to create something and contribute meaningfully.
Being happy at the workplace means desirable outcomes that individuals and organizations could hope for. Research has proven that more healthy people, free of diseases, emotionally well, financially stable, feel challenged by their work, and believe that their work matters have an overall sense of happiness at work.
At a macro level, organizations that provide autonomy, clear tasks, healthcare benefits, and quality work to their employees are preferred more by the job seekers, contradicting the common-sense notion that salary is the only criteria for job selection at both cognitive and behavioral level.
Do's & Dont's which will help you achieve happiness at your workplace
1. Build relationships at the workplace
Do's : develop personal relationships at the workplace just like you would do at home or in your society. This reduces the feeling of loneliness and damps down the mechanical effects of work.
Don’t : you won’t want your manager to know everything about you. Create healthy boundaries and do not cross them.
2. Find meaning in your work.
Do's : if you believe that your work is important and it touches hundreds of lives then you are more satisfied with your work and have good self-esteem. This provides you satisfaction and a purpose to do more.
Don’t : if you believe that work is the only thing that can make you happy, you can become dependent on work and might not find happiness in other areas of life.
3. Build resilience.
Do's : resilience is about accepting setbacks and not lose hope in times of failure. Having a growth mindset and resilient approach can help you shed off the negativity of unsuccessful attempts at the workplace.
Don’t : Not being concerned about your setbacks might make you habitual and accept at a subconscious level that your work doesn’t matter. It can take away your purpose in work.
4. Ad physical and mental hygiene.
Do's : make sure you take healthy nutrition, follow proper sleep habits, regular physical exercises and not heavy work-outs, take vacations regularly and provide enough time to family.
Don’t : In the name of flexibility do not try to shy away from routines and health regimes. It can affect your health, decrease immunity levels and make you feel burned out.
Being happy at work is a choice and your actions can help you make that choice a reality. This, however, is not to deny that sometimes workplace limitations, policies, and management is such that there is always some pertinent stress.
What we would suggest here is to make personal efforts and enjoy as many benefits as you get, push human resources to endorse relevant employee well-being steps, and find professional help for your mental and emotional well-being.
