We feel quite happy at work. Especially if the colleagues are nice, the work pressure is not too high and the manager is not too controlling either. But it is also normal at work to not feel so good about yourself. These companies do everything they can to prevent this.
Despite the corona crisis, we still give our happiness at work a more than sufficient: a 7.2. This is apparent from research by MonitorGroep, Happy Working Academy and Happy Office, in which 1500 Dutch people took part.
This figure has remained about the same for years. Maartje Wolff of Happy Office has already indicated that this stability shows that we are able to withstand a crisis. “The research shows that circumstances only contribute a small part to our happiness. The crisis did have an effect for a while, but we will eventually bounce back to our old level.”
Together and alone
The pandemic did make us think about happiness at work, says Wolff. People now know better what makes them happy or not, such as a good working atmosphere. Or a nice collaboration between colleagues. ,,For real happiness at work, a good connection with yourself and with others is the most important,” says Diana Vink of Logimpro.
Vink is an interim manager of Logistics and an expert in the field of happiness at work: ,,When I followed a training course to become a happiness expert at work a few years ago, many people thought it was vague. Like I’m all day happy the peppi went walking around. That’s not the idea behind happiness at all. Sometimes adversity is just part of it, but that shouldn’t take the upper hand.”
BIG
About four years ago, Tempo-Team also switched completely to happiness at work. ,,Working pleasure is central to everything we do”, says Paul den Uijl, operational director of Tempo-Team. To achieve this, they use the BIG theory, which stands for balance, content and growth. Balance is the balance between working from home and sitting at the office. ,, At home you can concentrate better and at the office you can look for the connection. If the balance is right, this also has a positive influence on the balance between work and private life,” says Den Uijl. “People experience less stress.”
Business success depends on how good the employees are and how good they feel
In addition, employees want to experience substantive satisfaction. “Many people like a challenging job, where they can put their knowledge to good use. For example, we have experienced that employees experience more job satisfaction if they are involved in a project right from the start. Then they feel taken seriously and they don’t have to carry out the plans alone.”
Finally, there is growth. “In addition to making employees happier when faced with a substantive challenge, they also want to grow. And develop further. People often experience more job satisfaction when they have something to work towards”, explains Den Uijl. All these factors together ensures that there is more happiness at work. And according to Den Uijl, this is not only good for the employee, but also for the company. “Business success depends on how good the employees are and how good they feel about themselves.”
Happiness in your own hands
But how do you achieve happiness at work? You yourself are the most important factor in this, says Vink. “You should never put your happiness in someone else’s hands.” She states that if you do not experience happiness at work, it is often best to change that yourself. ,,And you shouldn’t be surprised if something else made you happy last year. Your experience of happiness at work can differ from year to year. And also by stage of life. Sometimes the job itself is the most important thing for your happiness, sometimes it’s your children or studying next to your job makes you really happy.”
The employer also influences the employee’s happiness at work. In the survey by MonitorGroep, Happy Working Academy and Happy Office, the respondents identified their supervisor as the third cause of low happiness at work. ,,As a manager, you don’t have to tighten the thumbscrews or let everything take its course. This behavior affects the team, so he or she has to set a good example for happiness at work,” says Vink.
You shouldn’t be surprised if something else made you happy last year. Your experience of happiness at work can differ per year
Fuck up Friday
They do this at Tempo-Team by paying extra attention to compliments. ,,We quickly fall into the mass compliment, such as ‘We are doing well. I am proud of you’.”, says Den Uijl. ,,We have to focus much more on the personal approach. So sit down with the employee and give him a sincere compliment.”
And it is also important to celebrate the successes and mistakes together. “For example, I want to organize another Fuck-up Friday,” says Vink with a smile in her voice. “Then you can just tell us once a month what went wrong. Without being judged for it. We are so afraid of making mistakes, while we learn a lot from them. We rarely make the same mistake again, and when it goes well we are a little happier.”
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