Happiness At Work
Happiness is a relative term but still so much depends on it, mostly everything to be precise. Then why happiness at work gets so little emphasis? Maybe because the people who think about productivity can’t equate happiness at work with productivity! But it’s being proven again and again by countless studies, research papers and daily experiences that happiness at work has a very crucial role to play in terms of ensuring productivity at work.
But do you know how it works? In this guide, we will reveal how. Yes, it’s not a quick fix and not a model for punching cards and making people happy rather it’s a tool which you can successfully use to build a productive culture. Happy people are always productive people even if there are some exceptions but still majority of organizations in the world agree when they invested in the well-being of their people things improved a lot more. Their profits skyrocketed, their reputation got enhanced, even they were looked by the externals as great places to work for.
Do you think that happiness at work has so much power that it can transmute a long-ranging battle of productivity into a simple resolution?
Yes, it can.
In this article, first, we try to understand why happiness at work has so much power and why this single thing can almost solve all the issues in an organization. Then we will throw light on how you can do the same. In the end, we will do a critical analysis of what happiness at work fails to do. Overall, it’s a comprehensive read on why happiness at work is the prime source of productivity in an organization.
Let’s dive in.
Why is happiness at work the prime source of productivity and profitability in any organization?
Mr. A and Mr. B worked in an organization for several years. Both of them served the company well, earned decent money and did everything they could to make the organization productive and profitable.
Mr. A retired from being a manager of the company and Mr. B served as a President of the company and after retirement, he is still on the board of directors of the company.
Mr. A and Mr. B have almost no difference in education, a way of work and both were hardworking individuals.
Then why so much of difference in results!
Only one thing – happiness at work!
Mr. A wasn’t happy and even if he did everything, he was not feeling satisfied doing it. On the other hand, Mr. B did everything with happiness. And you can see the result right before your eyes.
Happiness at work is the differentiator. When a person is happy, he is always thinking about the possibility and that one thing keeps us going, not only top-level executives but all of us.
When one isn’t happy, s/he can’t concentrate on the things that matter. His/her mind is full of cluttered thoughts, s/he doesn’t use his/her mind well and at the same time s/he doesn’t create any neurons in his/her brain.
Recent research proves that every human creates new neurons every day and this phenomenon is called neurogenesis. When human beings are happy then there is no stress and they can concentrate on learning new things, create new systems, improve their work and move faster, do better and work harder. Even happy people do not deprive themselves of sleep. So every day they create new brain cells when they are happily doing any work.
On the contrary, people who are sad or anxious releases a hormone called cortisol which is toxic for the brain and doesn’t help an individual much. S/he tends to make more mistakes and drops his/her ability to think.
From the countless research and studies, it’s being proven again and again that being happy is the ultimate form of a good life. Thus it can be said easily that happiness at work is the prime source of productivity and profitability.
Here’s how it happens.
Once you make efforts to make your employees realize that happiness at work is of utter importance and take steps to make them happy, then productivity and profitability will be its natural by-product.
But there is a big misconception that happiness at work can be obtained by an effort of the employer. No. Unfortunately, each one is responsible for his/her own happiness. Employers can only pave the path, understand the value of the personal lives of employees and help them be happy. But employees need to take responsibility for their own happiness.
The publisher of Success Magazine, Darren Hardy talks about it so often. If you’re in any collaboration or doing any project together or decide for a life change, you’re 100% responsible for making it happen.
If you read this now, know that bringing happiness at work is your choice. You can enhance your happiness by study, cultivation, and teaching of the principles we are going to learn now and as a result, help yourself and your company to become productive and profitable.
Recently, the ‘happiest man’ on earth was found out and recognized and the neuroscientists are saying that his mind is always very light and thus he is able to let go of most of the thoughts.
When he was asked what his secret of being happy is, he said – Instead of doing something for your own self, think about how you can help others and you will be happy.
The happiest person on earth is a monk but to bring happiness at work you don’t need to become a monk; rather you need to follow certain principles and practice those principles in your daily life.
And whoa! Happiness at work will result in staggering productivity and whopping profits.
How to bring happiness at work
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Improve your relationship
Harvard has been doing research to find out what makes a person happy and they are studying thousands of people from their sophomore years to their late 80s and the study is now 75 years old.
They found then the basic source of having a good life is to be happy. And to be happy each individual needs good relationships they can bank upon.
Having said that, happiness at work is also about having good relationships with managers, peer groups, subordinates and also about feeling a sense of belongingness at work.
The workplace that can provide good relationships and value human bonding more than profits eventually earn more productivity and profits!
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Learning is primary
When people learn they get better. Yes, not only in acquiring knowledge and skills but in creating better brains.
It’s being found by the neuroscientists that when we learn, our brain creates new cells and our hippocampus works far better and thus we tend to become happier, smarter and better beings.
That means when an organization focuses on creating an environment for learning for its employees, the employees become happier and their happiness at work brings in more productivity.
In spite of being invested, on an average, four billion dollars every year worldwide for training and development purposes, still there are few companies which view T&D as costs instead of an accelerator of happiness at work and productivity.
If you want to sustain for a long time, earn great profits, help a lot more people worldwide, then invest in the learning of your employees. More they will learn more happiness at work they will ensure and as a result, all that you want from your business will be achieved.
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Mediation at work
It’s being said that the difference between people who do meditation and who don’t are staggering. Even people who do meditation are happier, smarter and become more intelligent over time.
Many organizations nowadays are realizing the value of meditation and they want to ensure that it brings happiness at work.
At the office and in personal lives, employees always suffer from stress. Meditation can help them become relaxed, get connected with their highest source and as a result bring more happiness at work.
Once they feel happier, they work better, feel relaxed and their product reaches the roof. And at the end of the day, the primary beneficiary is the company who has employed the employees.
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Flexible work hours
If the employees are constantly bombarded with work and pressure, they can’t bring happiness at work. And moreover, productivity is out of the question.
Thus, many companies are bringing flexible work hours for their employees. Companies are allowing moms who have toddlers to take the option of working from home. People who want to work at nights are being given the option to do so.
The freedom of flexibility is bringing great value to the company. People are happier and thus their happiness at work is enhancing productivity and profits.
A giant retail company even allows its employees to come to the office when they absolutely need to. They can do work from anywhere and the only thing that matters is the delivery of results which the employees are happily providing.
Even Infosys started a policy where it’s employees will be given the option to work from home 9 days a month which is staggering in the Indian scenario.
To ensure happiness at work and to increase productivity you need to bring in flexible work hours. Once you do that everything will become gravy.
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Encourage creativity and autonomy
Steve Jobs said that when you hire smart people don’t tell them what to do rather ask them what to do, that’s the reason you hire them.
It’s a smart statement. Many organizations hire people and they are the smartest among many and then the founder members and managers tell them what to do instead of asking them what they think.
But that’s how things work.
To bring in happiness at work, you need to trust people and let them solve the problems instead of you, trying to solve all the problems on your own.
Smart companies hire smartest people and then just present them a problem and let them solve it without much interference. Thus, they can be autonomous at least about the issue and are able to think creatively. When they think creatively and find a solution, they feel happier and they become productive as a result.
Happiness at work is often viewed as obtaining great things, but it’s always simple, sometimes as simple as letting people decide, find a solution by themselves and implement all by themselves. Your role would only be of bringing the problems to them and implementing an instant control mechanism so that if something goes bad, you can take charge.
You hire people to reduce work from your plate and to increase profits. Why don’t you do that then?
Critical Analysis
There are a few exceptions. If you think happiness at work always brings in productivity then you are not considering the following.
- People always don’t get motivated by happiness at work, rather they get motivated by fear. It’s not their fault though. Since the beginning of their life, they are taught that they need outside nudge to get to work. So when you’re putting a system into practice, make sure you cover everyone and their individual motivational factor/s.
- Happiness at work often brings in complacency. Thus there should be a balance. If you are always a benevolent leader and trying to help your people, you may be viewed as a weak leader. Thus, sometimes you need to become autocratic. Situational leadership works best when you are looking for productivity.
- If you ask a human resource professional of a company, s/he would tell you that happiness at work doesn’t always bring productivity. S/he needs to take different measures to ensure disciplines at the workplace and thus most of the time they are seen the worst enemy of employees. But actually, they’re doing their job, not pressurizing employees.
- Happiness at work is not always dependent on the employer. Irrespective of whatever employer does to ensure job satisfaction and happiness at work, some employees don’t want to be happy by choice. They like things to be bad and they get terrific satisfaction by showing their saddened face and they often try to get sympathy from people.
This is a comprehensive guide on why happiness at work is the prime source of productivity. Use one or more tricks and see for yourself what works for you and what doesn’t.
