Fortune.com has nailed down five factors that make people truly happy in
the workplace and none of them are related to wages. (Fortune, September 26,
2015). They began with a collection of research studies.
The first way to
spread happiness is to know that people at work are happiest when they are
engaged in difficult-but-doable tasks. They need challenges, but not
impossibilities.
The second way to
spread workplace happiness is to know that people like a sense of progress, and that they are achieving something worthwhile. A Harvard Business School study
by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer of workplace diaries (nearly 12,000 work
days) found that the most productive days were the happiest.
The third factor is to
instil a ‘no fear’ attitude at work. Research has shown that people become less
engaged and performance decreases when there is a fear factor. Fear affects
trust, teamwork, collaboration, creativity, innovation, and invention. Fear of
too much work, bossy bosses, not completing tasks on time and to standard, and
so on, doesn’t make people try harder – it just makes them miserable.
Autonomy is the fourth
way to spread happiness at work. A study of over 400,000 people in 63 countries
found that a sense of autonomy and control over one’s life, work, and time makes
people happy at work. Flexibility is key, including flexible work hours. People
with flexible work schedules reported greater feelings of wellbeing.
The fifth way to make
people happy at work is to ensure they have a sense of belonging. Research
found that people who have a best friend, pal, or buddy at work are more
engaged and productive. Building friendships at work leads to long-term
happiness knowing that there is a sense of sharing and familiarity.
None of the research
into productivity and ‘great places to work’ found that people wanted more
money to feel happier in the workplace. There are many more factors that can
spread happiness in the workplace.
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