While dropping my kids to school, I noticed that in a rush to be on time for my meeting I didn’t wait for them to even go inside and quickly drove away.
This awareness made me pause and I started noticing all the other parents doing the same, checking emails, answering calls or rushing to work without noticing that the child is still waving bye and giving flying kisses.
Most of our waking time is spent either thinking about or doing some work leading to stress-related ailments. No wonder the hospitals are lined up with patients and work-related stress is at an all-time high. Workplace stress caused by work pressure, lack time, job insecurity, office politics, and several other factors have made headlines in the past.
So here are some key points that can help raise your happiness levels at work and enhance productivity at the same time:
- You matter: Research shows that people fare better when they feel their work matters and they get validation from coworkers and their organization. They are more productive, happier and less likely to change jobs. Since it’s difficult to go around and asking for validation let’s try self-appraisal.
*What are your strengths?
*What are your weaknesses?
*What has been your past achievements?
*What are you most proud of?
*What makes you different from your peers?
2. Support Others: The level of happiness that we derive when we engage ourselves in helping others is immeasurable. One of my clients started helping colleagues from other departments. This gave her a feel-good factor and the networking landed her in getting her dream promotion. Some support to colleagues at times of need and simple acts of kindness can increase connection, enhance wisdom and build better relationships.
75% employees leave jobs as they are unhappy with the boss rather than the job.
3. Communicate: Effective communication is the key to happiness at work. When organizations are able to communicate effectively about the expectations of the employee and when the employees are able to have open discussions and flexibility, there is more than just work satisfaction.
Happy people are 37% more productive and three times more creative than unhappy ones.
4. Good Start: Starting your day on a good note can help enhance your mood and increase your focus. Take a few minutes to laugh, interact, grab a coffee, set your goals and visualize your day. This will set a tone for the rest of the day.
Reaching early and doing stand up time casually communicating with the team can help in diversifying skills and building relationships.
5. Mindfulness: Last but not least. It is a known fact that multitasking wastes a lot more time and can be one of the reasons for unhappiness. So one task at a time helps in bringing the focus to work at hand and reduces the anxiety levels resulting in better performance.
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Create to do list
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Prioritise important tasks
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Take mindfulness breaks (few min of deep breaths)
“The best time to pause is when you don’t have time for it.”
It’s time to acknowledge the fact that the mental well being of employees is much more important than providing a fancy workplace environment.
