Happiness at Work... What are we actually talking about?

The literature indicates that people are happy at work when they can achieve results that matter and do so in a pleasant environment with positive working relationships.

That all sounds straightforward. Yet it is not always obvious. It is a shared responsibility between what goes on in the organization and how this is nurtured by management and other colleagues. Organizations have impact by giving room for ownership and development. People should be able to be themselves and to take responsibility in an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. Management has an important responsibility here. But after all YOU will play the most important role yourself. ?Do you enjoy at least 50% of what you are doing, does 30% consists of things that interest you and where you can learn, and is less than 20% considered as more tedious tasks? Then it seems you are doing well to be happy in your job... is there something wrong in this ratio and you don't feel good about it??Then take the helm yourself. You are the CEO of your career. What do you want to do differently in your job, where can you set boundaries or maybe you can look at the situation through a different lens?

Let's return for a moment to what happiness is now.

It is not the same as job satisfaction, nor is it the same as well-being. Job satisfaction is more about basic conditions like working conditions, a job that matches your skills etc. Well-being is about physical and mental health. Of course, both factors have a significant impact on your job happiness.

However, work happiness is more. It is not a project with a beginning and an end. Rather, it is a mindset, a way of life. The difference is often in the small details. Do you also notice when a colleague greets you kindly every morning and holds the door open for you? Does this make you happy too? Or the smell of a nice cup of coffee as you start the working day? Does that also give you such a feeling of happiness? And that's it, it's all about the feeling! ?

What makes the difference?

• I believe every person can play an important role and this from the idea “You get what you give.” or "What goes around, comes around". Be grateful, show it, give compliments, be good for others and the circle you're in will be positive.
• Secondly, encourage a growth mindset. Everyone can grow as a professional, as an individual, no matter how old or how educated you are. It's important that you believe in yourself, that you are not too hard on yourself but also that you step from time to time out of your comfort zone and that you're eager to grasp learning opportunities on your path.
• Regularly reflect on what you have achieved not only over the past few years but also from day to day. These moments of reflection allow you to learn about yourself and put things in order.
• Make sure you are proud even of small achievements and stop striving for perfection. Share your successes with colleagues because they are often the result of teamwork. Give yourself and your colleagues a daily shot of positivism to fuel self-confidence and motivation.
• We live in an age where smartphones are unimaginable. Yet they also cause a form of stress. The feeling of always having to be reachable, the constant triggering of new info ensures this. Therefore, try to deal with screen time consciously. Are you aware of your screen behavior? How much time a day do you spend on it? Have you already taken actions to reduce your screen time such as turning off social media notifications?
• Working from home has become a matter of course. This certainly has advantages in terms of work/life balance. Still, I think that balance is important. Coming to the office regularly to meet your colleagues gives energy and creates a sense of belonging. You can reinforce this by having lunch together, a coffee break together, a walk during a meeting, ... This closeness by physically meeting each other contributes to happiness at work. People are still social creatures.
• Fun is also essential when working on happiness. Register for informal events and enjoy a relaxing moments and informal contacts with your colleagues. It will fuel your happiness at work!

Have a funny day!

Anik Stalmans