Corporate E-Learning

It might sound a little strange to say that we should be happy at work. After all, it’s called work! But we spend more time at our jobs than we do engaged in almost any other activity. If we’re unhappy at work, we’re likely to feel the effects in other areas of our lives, too. Finding ways to be happy at work not only brings you greater productivity and greater job satisfaction, but will help you achieve greater overall mental, emotional, and physical health.

Most of us spend more time at work than we do engaged in any other activity other than sleeping. If we consider how much of our lives we spend in our workplace, it quickly becomes clear that spending this time unhappy, unfulfilled, and just counting the days until the weekend is a waste of time and energy. Finding ways to be happier at work can not only lead to better mental health, but can improve your productivity and overall work performance. One key way to cultivate more happiness at work is to plan for it! Develop habits that get your workday off to the right start, and you’ll see greater happiness throughout the day and week.

Taking a few minutes to plan your day can help alleviate stress and promote happiness at work. You don’t have to plan every minute, but having a sense of what needs to be done, what expectations need to be met, and what time and resources you’ll need throughout the day can make your workday run much more smoothly.

Even if we work well independently, it is important to take time to relate to others in the workplace. Building work relationships helps us feel less isolated and creates a support network. Relationships also help us feel part of a team or workplace community, which can promote happiness. When we have strong relationships with our coworkers, we may even look forward to going to work! Instead of being a place where we are disconnected, work can become another place where we connect with others.

No matter what steps we take towards happiness, if our workspace is uninspiring or depressing, it can bring us down. There are many simple steps you can take to create a workspace that promotes happiness. While you must keep in mind your workplace’s rules about workspaces, as well as take into account any colleagues with whom you share space, you can personalize your space and make it part of your happiness plan.

It’s hard to feel happy at work when we focus on the negative. Making the small shift to accentuating the positive can go a long way toward greater happiness at work. Finding ways to focus on the positive aspects of your life, your job, and your workplace, even when negative things happen, can foster your workplace happiness. Positive thinking is in many ways a choice – when we choose to see the positive rather than the negative, it attracts positive experiences to us.

How many of your benefits do you use? Many of us have benefits through our workplace that we don’t even know about. Taking full advantage of these benefits can help you be happier, healthier, and more productive. We are often reluctant to use our benefits, but it is important to remember that these are earned. Your employer or workplace provides benefits because they can help keep employees happy, healthy, and loyal to the organization. Learn about your benefits and use them to help promote your workplace happiness.

It sounds simple, but one of the best ways to take control of your happiness at work is to take control of your career happiness. Seek out opportunities to improve your performance, take on new responsibilities, or otherwise engage in work that is rewarding and fulfilling. Investing time and energy into your career growth and development can result in greater workplace happiness because you feel like you are growing or working towards goals and aspirations.

A lack of boundaries can be a major contributor to unhappiness in the workplace. When we do not set boundaries, we may find that our time is not our own, our plan for our day gets derailed, or we spend too much time dealing with other people’s problems. We may also take on too much, which can lead to resentments and conflicts. Learning to set good boundaries around your work and your time is a key skill to fostering happiness in the workplace. Strong boundaries can also help alleviate conflicts and other problems which can undermine everyone’s happiness!

Positivity is a like a muscle – you have to use it and build it. One way to help foster happiness at work is to practice positivity. There will be days this is easier than others! But with continuous practice you will find yourself in a positive mindset more often than not. When we practice positivity, people respond to us positively – it creates a feedback loop. Taking the time to learn some basic skills for practicing positivity is a worthwhile investment in your own happiness.

Ultimately, the most important thing we can do to promote happiness at work is to choose to be happy! We will all face difficult days and situations, but we choose how we react to them. We can choose to be miserable or choose to be happy. By practicing positivity and otherwise choosing happiness, we go a long way toward fostering happiness and contentment in our work lives – and our whole lives.

Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to being happy at work is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!