Happiness and Work
By David B. Bohl | June 22, 2007 | 2 Responses
The UK’s Chiumento wrote an article, called “2007 Happiness at Work Index,” and it stated that relationships we have at work have a large impact on our overall happiness, and the sense that we are doing something meaningful. Also, those that were unhappy with their career were most likely to say that money would buy happiness. Some of the top factors leading to happiness at work are: friendly colleagues, enjoyable work, good superiors, varied work and a good work/life balance. Some of the top factors making us unhappy at work are: lack of communication from managers, no recognition for a job well done, little personal development and lack of benefits.
According to the 2007 Happiness at Work index published by the Uk’s Chiumento:
“The relationships we have at work have the biggest impact on our happiness, along with a sense that the work we do is interesting or meaningful. In a society where we often do not know our neighbors, and our families frequently live far away, it is not surprising that colleagues play an important role in making work more enjoyable. Only those who are very unhappy at work say that money would lead to happiness.
The traditional measures of career success, such as power and development opportunities appear to be of slightly less importance when work relationships are good. And when work relationships are good and we are happy and motivated, we are more accepting when work does intrude on our personal lives.”
The Top Ten Factors That Make Us Happy At Work
- Friendly, supportive colleagues
- Enjoyable work
- Good boss or manager
- Good work/life balance
- Varied work
- Belief that we’re doing something worthwhile
- Feeling that what we do makes a difference
- Being part of a successful team
- Recognition for our achievements
- Competitive salary
The
Top Ten Factors That Make Us Unhappy At Work
- Lack of communication from the top
- Uncompetitive salary
- No recognition for achievements
- Poor boss
- Little personal development
- Ideas being ignored
- Lack of opportunity for good performance
- Lack of benefits
- Work not enjoyable
- Not feeling that what I do makes a difference
What contributes to, and takes away from, your workplace happiness?
Copyright 2008 David Bohl and SlowDownFast.com. All rights reserved.
About the Author:
Husband, father, friend, Life Coach and Lifestyle Designer David B. Bohl is the creator of Slow Down FAST at www.slowdownfast.com.
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Categories: Work-Life Balance, Corporate Culture, Management Attitudes, Work-Family Balance, Life Balance, Career Changes, Executives, Business Owners/ Self-Employed
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2 Responses to “Happiness and Work”
Comments
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June 22nd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
This post reminds me of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Employee Satisfaction, in which he pointed out that being satisfied and being dissatisfied at work were two separate issues. One is satisfied or not satisfied; also one is dissatisfied or not dissatisfied. Different things contribute to this state (like the list above).
I’ve found this to be useful in my personal life, especially when talking to friends about their boyfriends. It’s not Jimmy or Tommy. It’s Jimmy or not Jimmy, then Tommy or not Tommy (but if you pick them both, you’d better be really good at creative scheduling).
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:18 am
Angie,
Excellent analogy! Thanks for weighing in.
I’ve read Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. He reasons, quite reasonably I believe, that the opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, but rather, no satisfaction. Similarly, the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction.
In my area of professional coaching, experience allows me to go even further with this. Many people live their lives in a quest to find happiness. What is the opposite of happiness? Depression? No happiness? The real answer is often boredom and lack of fulfillment.