Happiness at Work: 10 Tips for How to be Happy at Work

“We’re finding it isn’t necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality,” Psychologist Shawn Achor in TED talks. Finding and saving motivation is one way to make yourself feel better in the working environment, but there are other ways to feel better at work. Read more: How to Promote Employee Motivation.

How do you perceive each day, and how do you enjoy the work you do? Do you enjoy the work you do and the results you achieve? Increase happiness at work through the following activities:

Have a friend at work

Friendship at work brings happiness, belonging, satisfaction (50% increase) and a positive work environment. Friends at the workplace provide a support network that is crucial in stressful situations.

According to the Olivet Nazarene University survey, 15% of coworkers are perceived as real friends, and 20% of colleagues are seen as “friends only at work” by their teammates.

Happiness at work and friendship improves overall life satisfaction. Employees having three and more friends at work are 96% more likely to experience higher life satisfaction. But remember, there is no emphasis on quantity. Real supportive and trustworthy relationships give true happiness at work.

Constantly learn and develop 

Skill upgrading increases self-confidence for 21% of learners, productivity for 39% of them, avoids most of the struggles and stress for 47% surveyed, and 21% of learners more likely are happier at work. Nowadays, people have a wide range of options for developing their own knowledge, for example, self-learning courses or workplace-provided training and information. Training leads to professional growth, which most employees want to reach when starting their career in an organization.

The learning process will help employees stay skilled and competitive because skills’ half-life has decreased from 10-15 to 5 years. 

Learning is a great tool to improve your work competence and brings happiness.

Find the meaning of work

Positive emotions are felt more often when you understand why you do the job and how society benefits from your work results.

C. W. Gichure wrote:

 “Man forges a destiny for himself: to be happy in work within a framework of self-realization, or to be a slave of work, seeing it as a perpetual punishment (..).”

People have the chance to choose favorable work and to perceive it as meaningful.

Be grateful you have the job

Even if it isn’t your dream job yet, be grateful you are employed now and gain unique life experience. 

In 2017 employed workers were 0.6 – 1.13 points more satisfied than unemployed people, but in 2020 the difference increased to 5 – 15%.

Gratitude generates happiness.

Prepare before the start of the working day

Go to work happy! Eat well before you go to work to have energy and a positive mood.  Plus, timely getting ready to work helps avoid unnecessary delay and stress. 

Participate in wellbeing and team activities

Recently more organizations offer their employees well-being activities. 9 in 10 companies in the world offer their employees at least one wellness-improving activity. Are you one of these lucky employees? Employers and managers have understood the importance of happy and healthy employees. Take the opportunity to participate in mental health education, sports and team-building activities.

Reward yourself

Evaluate your own invested time and appreciate the results and progress. Research provides evidence that immediate rewards increase intrinsic motivation by strengthening the activity-goal association. And you know best what makes you happy and what you wish for.

Maintain work-life balance

Work-life balance helps to live a life with less stress, live each important life role and increase happiness. 

Activities like time management, work time limit setting, self-care and work enjoying develop work-life balance.

Don’t bring work home. Would it be unfinished work or thoughts? Rest before going back to work. Managing your time off efficiently can also contribute to a better work-life balance. Utilizing annual leave calendar software can automate the tracking of your team’s time off, making it easier to maintain that balance.

Network with others

Create your colleague network at work. It might start with a greeting in the mornings, later discovering common interests, and participating in events.

Networking benefits in belonging feeling, socializing that leads to happiness, and of course, new job seeking. Employees are heard and visible in these inside communities.

The workplace is a suitable place to create or continue your own network. Surveyed employees report they feel a high level of happiness when they spend 7 – 6 hours per day socializing.

Take breaks

Little breaks at work provide renewed energy and motivation, increase mental and physical health.

It’s suggested to take a 5-minute break every hour whenever you work from home or at the workplace. Switch your attention, move physically, grab a healthy snack – there are many ways to rest a little bit at work.

Employed people have various ways how to reach happiness at their work. Happiness at work can be felt through friendship, strengthened knowledge, found the meaning of work and other self affected and chosen actions.

Interesting research data reveal that the pursuit of happiness may differ depending on the society. People in individualistic societies tend to reach happiness by focusing on individual goals, and people in more engaged societies try to achieve happiness in more socially engaged ways.