There is much thought being given to what makes people happy at work. This is a response to the overwhelming evidence that most employees feel disengaged from their jobs. It’s hard to feel happy if you’re feeling disengaged.
Work can be stressful. As Joseph Campbell put it: “A life draining affair.” The right stress and it helps you grow. Pass the tipping point and that same stress makes you depressed. One of the greatest antidotes to stress is a good laugh. As Abraham Lincoln stated “were it not for my little jokes, I cannot bear the burdens of this office”.
Finding happiness is not rocket science. It begins with personal choices we make. As Abraham Lincoln stated “people about as happy as they choose to be”. Do you make the conscious decision to be happy while you work? Or do you take yourself too seriously and think happiness is somehow unprofessional? We have all seen people do very stressful jobs where they maintained an engaged attitude. Whether they be policeman, fireman, doctors, lawyers or retail clerks. This is also true for owners, leaders, managers, and supervisors too.
Here’s a list of ways to increase your happiness at work:
- Put on a happy face. Start the day off with the attitude it will be a happy engaging and fruitful one. As the saying goes “make your day”. We know what it feels like when an employee enters the workforce in less than a happy mood. That energy is infectious and not in a good way. Conversely, if you come to work with a great attitude it will infect those around you and help make everybody’s day.
- Find what’s motivating about the work you do. No matter what it is. Find the good and it find the meaning in it. At some level all the work we do helps contribute to human well-beingness. Wherein the meaning lies. Understand how your work makes a difference and you too will be motivated by it
- Find the humor in your work. As Andrew Carnegie stated “there is little success where there is little laughter.” Drew Tarvin, who has the website Humor that Works, reminds us when engaging in humor ask: is it the right medium, the right audience, and done with the right purpose? If you can pass that test then humor away!
- Quit complaining. When we run 75 miles an hour we nitpick.. Complain enough and we can become masters of dis-encouragement. In the book Leadership and Self-deception, the authors point out that while our self-talk is we have a good sense of humor and encourage the people around us, our actions are quite the opposite. Ask yourself how many times you have made positive deposits over the last week? How did you show somebody you care?
- Surround yourself with happy people. This begins in the hiring process. Find out what make people happy about the work they do. Think One CEO I met told me he has every job applicant submit a joke with their resume. He said it’s difficult enough reading dozens of resumes and the humor helps. He also says the request gives great insight into applicants. Those who do not submit a joke can’t follow instruction and won’t be hired. Those who tell inappropriate jokes will not be hired. Asking some to submit a joke gives instant insight into their personality
Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com.
