3 Things That Make Us Happy At Work

When business leaders try to figure out how and what will make their employees happy, they often miss the mark because they think that cool office perks such as ping-pong tables and stand-up desks are all that’s needed. While those things do make a fun work environment, they don’t necessarily make employees happier at work.

According to a Gallup report on the American workplace, 51% of employees are not engaged at work while another 16% are “actively disengaged.” Not only are business leaders trying to find the magical elixir of happiness, employees are struggling to find happiness themselves not only at work but at home. On their search, they bump up against questions about what it really means to be happy. Is it more money? Can you feel just OK about your job and still be happy or do you need to be pursuing some higher purpose in your life? If the rest of your life makes you abundantly happy, how important is your work happiness? Will I be happier in a hipper office or would flexibility and work-from-home options make me happy? If only we all had a crystal ball.

Annie McKee, author of How to Be Happy at Work, has found there are three things that are required to be happy at work. Without a crystal ball, they seem like a good place to start. They are:

1.      Find meaning in what we do

2.      Our hope for the future

3.      Relationships we have at work

Let’s take a look at each.

Find meaning in what we do

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” This one question from Steve Jobs to future Apple CEO John Sculley was asked in 1983 and convinced him to leave his job at PepsiCo. The better our jobs are aligned with our core values, the more likely is it that our work becomes more than a job. According to Wharton management professor Adam Grant’s research, this isn’t just true for Mr. Sculley. He found that “employees who know how their work has a meaningful, positive impact on others are not just happier than those who don’t; they are vastly more productive, too.”

Hope for the future

Our happiness is also influenced by how hopeful we feel about the future. If you are doing work that is closely tied to your goals, aspirations and personal vision, you will be happier at work. When your personal and work life goals are in sync, and your life is progressing the way you want it to personally and professionally, it makes us more engaged, inspired and open to learning. This same sentiment is echoed by other experts such as Geoffrey James who suggests that you’re more satisfied if you know that your energy, time and talent are going into helping you achieve your long-term goals. Therefore, think about where you’re headed and what you want in the future. To improve your happiness, make sure that what you’re doing today is helping lead you to the tomorrow you envision.

Relationships we have at work

Your happiness at work is heavily influenced by how positive your relationships are with the leadership, your colleagues and clients. It’s important to have a trusted support network at work just as it is in other areas of your life. The stronger your connection is to those you work with and work for, the more you will want to be generous with your time and talents. Who doesn’t want to spend the bulk of their day with work friends—those people they can have fun with, are inspired by and truly enjoy being with.

If you respect and admire and trust those on your team, you will have better results together. These accomplishments and your success help inspire you to be the best version of yourself. The more successful you are not only helps you be happy, it will result in benefits to your employer and clients. 

Where do you fall on the work happiness meter? You can take this quiz to get an honest assessment. Once you know the true state of your work happiness, you can take action to make sure that your work has meaning for you, that your work currently aligns with your future vision and you can start to strengthen your work relationships.

Thank you for reading my post. Here at LinkedIn and at Forbes I regularly write about management, technology and Big Data. If you would like to read my future posts then simply join my network here or click 'Follow'. Also feel free to connect on Twitter, Facebook or Slideshare. 

Also, you might like to know that my brand new book 'Data Strategy: How to Profit from a World of Big Data, Analytics and the Internet of Things' is out now.

And if you want something to read now, then you could check out my my new and free ebook 'Beyond The Big Data Buzz: How Data Is Disrupting Business In Every Industry In The World'.