The Importance of Happiness in the Workplace

When you wake up in the morning to get ready for work, do you find that you could actually get up without an alarm, have your cup of coffee and just be fully ready to take on the day? Or… are you finding that you need the jaws of life to pull you out of bed because you are so slow-going to get yourself prepared for the work day?  A lot of how you feel in the morning relies heavily upon your happiness in the workplace. Whether you work for a small mom and pop business down the street, for a Fortune 500 company in a big city—Or you work for yourself, happiness in what you are doing is essential to success. Did you know that if you were to consider yourself “happy” in the workplace, studies have indicated that you six times more energized than someone who is unhappy and nearly twice as productive? In a similar study conducted amongst 180 million individuals, it was found that only 13% of those people considered themselves to be “happy at work.” We have outlined a few helpful tips to help ensure that you are able to flourish in your work environment.

One thing is always certain, you must remember that essentially, you are in charge of your happiness… You control that very aspect of your life! If you are in a position where you would not consider yourself to be happy, you’ve got a couple of choices, one you look for a new career opportunity or two, you make the best of it and try as hard as humanly possible to make it work because that is the only option. Either way, feeling down and unhappy every day will only make it worse. If you are in fact, stuck where you are for a long period of time, understand that it is out of your control, accept it and make the best of it- after all, that is really the only positive thing you can do and most importantly, realizing that some things are out of your control is the next.

A quick-fix would to clean up your workspace… research indicates that those who are surrounded by clutter whether it be at their desk or in general when coming home, are more likely to be stressed out. If you simply clear any clutter or messes you may have surrounding your work area or even your home- it can help immensely with stress.

Lastly, stay away from any negative people whether it is at work or outside of the workplace- these people can affect you much further beyond actually interacting with them. It’s important to surround yourself with the best people, whether that be your team at work or your friends and family… If you find yourself spending time with negative people you will notice that it eventually takes a toll on you as well and has the capability of changing your outlook on things. Remove any toxicity in your life that comes from these individuals, you’ll be happier for doing it! Ok, ok… really the last thing to remember is to laugh at yourself, well, really just laugh in general. It’s important to have a little fun and smile once in a while, if you are having a bad day at work, stop and smile—it’s proven to make you feel better. Whether it’s your favorite comedy, a friend you can count on for a good laugh or joking with your cubicle neighbor, do it! Loosen up and smile… it can’t hurt.

You don’t necessarily have to love what you to in order to be happy, remember that, but you have to take steps in the right direction to achieve happiness. Being happy in the workplace makes for higher productivity and raised energy not only to yourself but your work environment as a whole. If you are not happy, only you can change that. Always remember to surround yourself with positive people inside and outside of work—it’s important to achieving true happiness!