New Year Resolution to make your workplace happier
03 Jan 2012 | Action for Happiness
* Break through the gloom and be happier at work in 2012
*
* Evidence shows huge benefits from increasing happiness
at work *
Many people going back to work today will be feeling miserable.
The holidays are over, predictions of more economic turmoil abound,
and many people will be returning to jobs that they don't enjoy at
the best of times.
Today Action for Happiness is proposing a New Year 'resolution'
with a difference. Rather than going back to work feeling fed up,
people are being asked to commit to make their workplace a happier
one in 2012 - and to encourage their employers and colleagues to do
the same.
Evidence shows that happier workplaces bring very significant
benefits, both for the people who work there and, crucially, for
organisations too. Happier people not only have better overall
health; they are also more creative, more productive, better to
work with and more successful in their careers.
The leaders and line managers in an organisation have the
biggest influence on whether or not it's a happy place to work. But
there are lots of simple, day-to-day things that all employees can
do to make a difference.
5 actions for leaders and line managers:
- Trust people - give them freedom within guidelines
- Help people see why what they do matters
- Give regular encouragement, praise and thanks
- Help people find and play to their strengths
- Encourage a healthy balance between work and life
5 general actions for a happier workplace:
- Stop to say hello to colleagues and get to know them
better
- Find ways to make working together more fun and sociable
- Make a habit of noting good things that happen each day
- Change something that's making you or colleagues unhappy
- Go out of your way to support others and help them feel
good
Director of Action for Happiness, Mark Williamson, said: "It's a
sad fact that millions of people in the UK are unhappy at work and
going back in January can be one of the most depressing times of
the year. But our working lives don't have to be miserable; in fact
they can, and should, be happy and fulfilling. We're encouraging
people to take simple actions to create a happier environment at
work and encourage others around them to do the same. The potential
benefits for both people and organisations are huge."
There is extensive evidence showing the benefits of happiness,
both for individuals and for organisations. For example, recent
studies have shown that increases in happiness lead to improvements
in labour productivity and that companies which are rated as "great
places to work" by their employees significantly outperform the
stock market. Happier people have also been found to have better
health and live longer than their less happy peers.
Williamson continued: "Our individual attitudes and actions
really do make a difference. Taking a more positive approach at
work doesn't just increase your own happiness, it affects those you
work with too. And if you're a business leader or line manager then
you have a huge influence over how you make others feel. This isn't
some fluffy nonsense. We know that people work best when they feel
good and that happier organisations outperform their peers."
Did you know?
- A recent survey found over half of UK employees are unhappy at
work. [1]
- There is extensive evidence showing the health benefits of
happiness. The evidence that positive emotions contribute to
better health and longer life is stronger than that linking obesity
to reduced longevity. [2] Happy people are also significantly
less likely to catch the cold virus than their less happy peers.
[3]
- Human happiness has significant causal effects on labour
productivity. In a recent study, one group had an intervention
which increased their happiness levels, while those in a control
group did not. Treated subjects were found to have 12% greater
productivity in a paid task. [4]
- Happier organisations outperform their competitors. A study
looked at the stock market performance of the "100 Best Workplaces"
in the US (based on positive feedback from employees about working
there) over a 12 year period from 1998 to 2010. The Best Workplaces
achieved an average annual return of 10%, outperforming the
benchmark S&P 500 index which returned an average of only 3.8%
over the same period. [5]
- Three important factors for satisfying work are: Mastery (doing
work which is challenging but which you can manage successfully),
Control (having enough discretion in how you do the job) and
Purpose (the feeling that what you do is worthwhile and part of
some wider whole). [6]
- Our happiness influences the people we work with and the people
they know. Research shows that the happiness of a close contact
increases the chance of being happy by 15%. The happiness of a
2nd-degree contact (e.g. friend's friend) increases it by 10% and
the happiness of a 3rd-degree contact (e.g. friend of a friend of a
friend) by 6%. [7]
Founder of Action for Happiness, Lord Richard Layard said: "We
need a concerted effort to create happier workplaces. It's shocking
that over half of people in the UK say they're unhappy at work,
especially considering we spend nearly half our waking hours there.
People can help make this happen by encouraging their employers to
take this seriously and by doing what they can personally to create
a more fulfilling, positive and collaborative working environment.
Let's start 2012 as we mean to go on."
Make your workplace happier
If you'd like to get happiness on the agenda at your place of
work then we could help make this happen. Find out more by reading
about our Happier Workplaces initiative and get
in touch.
---
References
[1] Mercer (2011), "What's Working" survey
[2]
Diener, E., Chan, M.Y., Happy People Live Longer: Subjective
Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity, Applied
Psychology: Health and Wellbeing, 2011
[3] Cohen, S et al, Positive Emotional Style Predicts Resistance to
Illness After Experimental Exposure to Rhinovirus or Influenza,
Psychosomatic Medicine, 2006
Tags:
Do things for others, Connect with people, Look for what's good, At work