Imagine yourself getting up for work on a cold, Monday morning, and ask yourself, are you happy with what you do? Does your job excite you? Is the fact that you have to pay the bills the only reason why you know you really want to call in sick at the office, but won’t?
Ask any person who’s achieved success in their life, and you’ll find a recurring theme in their statements. They all love what they do. Their passion for their own business and ideas is what has driven them to be more productive than the average Joe. To them, success is about achieving a state of mind where they feel comfortable and happy in their own workspace, rather than achieving financial stability at the cost of their own mental peace.
It’s strange that most organizations — the very organizations that are the engines of development for any country — believe in ideals completely different to these. In this money-driven world, higher management works toward their employees being more “productive” and “goal-oriented”, but very few list “employee happiness” as a target when setting their yearly goals, which is the real roadblock in productivity.
Put simply, unhappy workers will always be less productive than happier ones, regardless of the tools at their disposal. As part of an on-going study on creativity, Professor Teresa Amabile studied 238 professionals, working in 26 project teams in 7 companies in 3 different industries, and found that on any given day, professionals who came into the office in a good mood were markedly more creative. In her own words, she said:
“There seems to be a cognitive process that gets set up when people are feeling good that leads to more flexible, fluent, and original thinking, and there’s actually a carryover, an incubation effect, to the next day.”
It’s also interesting to note, that the unhappiness isn’t just limited to the workplace. We ran a small survey recently, which showed that almost 80% of employees felt that their stress and negativity from work was being carried over to their personal lives, back at home.
The question is what organizations can do to ensure a happier workforce.
Our research points at three interconnected variables that must be achieved in the office, to ensure a more positive atmosphere:
A well defined purpose:
First and foremost, it is imperative that every organization make sure its employees feel that they and their work matter. Even if they deny it, everyone wants to feel appreciated for the work they put in, be it at office or at home. A few kind words from the bosses can go a long way to ensuring a better mindset all around. At Impact, our goal is to ‘build organizations worth working for’.
Direction and contribution as a whole:
Secondly, an organization must ensure that the employees feel like they’re working toward a common goal. A goal that isn’t just about “financial growth” or “increasing sales”. While all of that is vital to looking to the future, growth toward a higher salary will never be enough to ensure a happier workforce.
Once a goal has been established, every contribution toward it must be recognized and appreciated by those in charge.
Positive relationships in the office:
Lastly, perhaps the most important factor in fostering a more positive atmosphere around the workplace is ensuring a high quality of relationships. An employee’s relationship with their manager is of great importance, as it directly affects productivity.
An unhappy relationship in the office is likely to influence all those around it, and must be addressed. Remember, happy people build positive relationships.
To read more on how you, as an individual, can achieve a more positive attitude in your office, check out the work of Srikumar Rao, author of “Happiness at work”.
For more on Impact International’s Happiness Survey, download this short report
Read more about Impact International’s case studies and events related to leadership development, here.
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