Why it Works to be Happy at Work
You spend a lot of your life at work. In fact, you spend over 20% of your week there! So it’s a good idea to enjoy what you do otherwise you’ll be spending a lot of your week being unhappy, and no one wants that right?
Being happy at work actually helps you do your job better and excel in your career; research shows that you will show a 12% increased productivity if you are putting up a positive attitude in the workplace. That may only sound small but in the big scheme of things, that’s a lot of extra work you can get done.
You might also have a few friends at work or have started to get to know your colleagues a lot better recently. That’s a great idea as 57% of people find work more enjoyable if they make friends with their budding colleagues. Even if you speak to them for 5 minutes when getting a glass of water or a mug of coffee, it’ll give you that extra boost of happiness!
Coming in to work with a smile on your face also offers benefits to your boss. Employees that are happy at work take ten less sick days a year than unhappy employees, research shows. That’s a lot of sick days! Another benefit for your company is that people outside of your workplace will look at your brand in a positive way. In the recent Fortune List of “100 best companies to work for” all the companies that were on the list, had an increased stock price from the positive review. If that’s not a good incentive to be happy at work, I don’t know what is!
The easiest way to be motivated and stay happy at work is to have a positive mindset. That may sound easy, but for some people getting up on a Monday is the worst thing in the world. Try starting your day with a healthy breakfast to put you in a good mood and to fuel you for a busy day at work.
You should also allow yourself to relax and unwind more in between the working hours as well as whilst working on demanding projects, if something goes wrong, don’t stress out. Stress never done anyone any good. And it’s not the end of the world! Find a solution to the problem and go from there. Constantly stressing over the small problems that occur on a daily basis will distract you from the main task that you’re working on.
Another way to stay motivated and inspired is to set yourself goals and take regular breaks from your screen and desk. Hitting your own targets will keep you in a great mood as completing your tasks in perfect time is extremely satisfying. You can set yourself regular breaks that coincide with your targets so, every target you hit, you can have a 5-minute break. Having regular breaks is very important as staring at a computer screen for long periods of time can become very tiring and will make you demotivated.
Want to learn more about keeping happy and motivated at work? Check out this great Infographic below by Cezanne HR.
