Are you happy at work? It’s amazing how many people aren’t. As an employee it’s become increasingly important in recent years that you feel supported, fulfilled, engaged, motivated, satisfied, rewarded and of course valued.
Big benefits
It’s widely understood that encouraging and fostering a work environment which is happy, inspires employees to take joy in their work and offers other big benefits too. Happy employees are loyal employees, and loyal employees can do amazing things. Essentially a happy workplace should be the norm, not the exception. And it’s not just for a few weeks; it should be something that is achieved and maintained in the long-term.
A happy workplace reduces stress, raises energy levels, boosts productivity, increases creativity, improves wellbeing and boosts the quality of life, including mental health, for employees. This helps hugely with recruitment and retention, two things which many businesses are struggling with at the moment.
Prioritise wellbeing
Over the past few years, we’ve seen many organisations start to prioritise employee wellbeing and ensure the happiness of their workers through:
- Cultural and attitudinal shifts
- Better designed offices and workspaces
- Offering flexible working
- Prioritising work/life balance
- Emphasis on community, team and collaborative working
- More learning, training and development opportunities
- Regular opportunities to be listened to and heard
- Providing support/advice and clear signposting to external organisations that can provide further help
Choice and responsibility
But happiness is a choice and it’s not just up to your employer to do all the hard work. You have a role to play too. So, what can you do to be happy at work? Here are a few ideas to help you in the first instance:
- Select a job/sector that you love or know you will enjoy.
- Make friends/develop good relationships with co-workers and your manager.
- Keep things in perspective, remember it’s a job not the whole of your life.
- Create goals and monitor your progress, remembering to reward yourself along the way.
- Ask for feedback so you know where you stand and can make any necessary improvements.
- Avoid gossip, negativity and conflict – essentially anything that distracts you from your role.
- Participate in wellbeing and team activities, both in and out of work.
- Improve your skills and further your personal development.
- Take regular breaks during the day and make sure you use up your annual leave.
- Visualise the next step in your career and work out how with the help of your manager you can get there.
How can I help?
If you are struggling and want to contact someone who can help, encourage and support you as you aim to achieve better levels of happiness at work, then please contact Debby today by calling 07780 692784 or emailing debby@total-spectrum.com.
