5 ways to create happiness at work
5 Ways to Create Happiness at Work
Last month, I had the opportunity to give a talk at Siemens Healthineers' Upscaling Friday online event for agile teams. The topic that I chose was "happiness at work". It may not be a typical agile topic but I believe that it's critical for individuals', teams' and an organisation's success. We spend a lot of time at work - over 1/3 of our lifetime or 90,000+ hours to be precise! It's no surprise that how you spend your time at work has a huge impact on your quality of life. In addition, studies confirm that happy employees are good for a company's bottom line. Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, claims "the single greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy is a happy and engaged workforce". Workplaces that score high on happiness and positivity report 39% more accuracy on tasks, 31% higher productivity and a 37% increase in sales.
So what can we do to get more happiness at work, for ourselves, our teams and our organisation?
Here are 5 of my top "happiness boosters" that I use as a team coach to create more happiness at work.
#1
Aim for purpose and meaning
Purpose is striving for your goals and knowing how to sort of take the right actions to achieve your goals. Meaning is a feeling that your work has an impact. Both are essential for feeling fulfilled at work, according to a recent World Happiness Report. People who are happy at work express greater clarity about the work they are doing, feel more committed to their work and cooperate better in teams. If you'd like to evoke more purpose and meaning at work, Bill Burnett, author of Designing your Life, recommends to first understand how you spend your time in a "Good Time Journal" activity log. For a week, track your activities at work, including your energy and engagement levels. Reflecting on what brings you the highest amount of energy and enjoyment at work leads to greater awareness on which activities give you fulfilment and which activities you should delegate to others or possibly eliminate all together.
#2
Show gratitude
Showing gratitude is a valuable skill for the workplace. First, gratitude is inherently motivating, not only for the person being thanked, but also the person giving thanks. Secondly, gratitude strengthens relationships and our sense of common purpose. And finally, gratitude rewires our brain for positivity - studies suggest that gratitude can help us better cope with stress and setbacks. Given these benefits, it's unfortunate that employees rarely give (or receive) thank you from colleagues or management. However, thanking someone at work can be easily done - for example, I recommend my agile team members to write each other "Kudo cards" and post them on a team gratitude wall.
#3
Be mindful
I’m sure you’ve heard of mindfulness and meditation. It’s probably not a surprise to you that there is increasing evidence that better awareness of ourselves and our surroundings contributes to greater happiness. Our busy schedules and changing work demands mean that we need to pause in order to be better at problem solving. How can we use mindfulness to increase happiness at work? Train your brain to just watch your breath and undo the negative effects of multitasking. Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is a technique used when taking slow, deep breaths. It can heighten performance and concentration while also being a powerful stress reliever. It’s used by everyone from athletes to U.S. Navy SEALs, police officers, and nurses. The next time you're feeling overwhelmed or need to focus better at work, take a two-minute break with box breathing or another breathing awareness exercise.
#4
Socialise
According to Harvard's famous study that tracked more than 700 participants over the course of 75 years, the key to long-term happiness comes down to the quality of relationships. Relatedness is essential for work. We need to connect with others to innovate, to understand and solve problems and to celebrate successes. Sharing a good laugh with team mates at work, connecting over a coffee and playing games fosters this connection. In person is always preferable, however, there are good ways to socialise in virtual teams. Try a round of ice breaker questions, set up a virtual lunch date or even a fun .gif battle competition!
#3
Help someone
Being kind to others comes naturally to us as humans. We have more opportunities at work than we think. Like showing gratitude, doing an act of kindness has similar positive benefits for the recipient, the giver (and even the observer). Acts of kindness can personal (a small gift of appreciation) or anonymous (cleaning up a conference room without being told). Here's a challenge to try out: commit to five "random acts of kindness" in day. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has hundreds of other ideas if you need inspiration.
The five happiness boosters I spoke about may seem so simple to you. Or maybe too far away from our everyday work life with deadlines, deliveries and KPIs. But I see a great potential for us as individuals, teams and organisations to invest in our own happiness at work. When we come to work happier, when our teams are happier, we have an enormous positive impact on the organisation because happiness spreads.
How will you create happiness for yourself, your teams, and organisation? Please share in the original article posted on LinkedIn ▸ I'd love to connect with you!
more team coaching articles …
