Happiness: Does it belong in a working environment

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - July 24, 2013 - PRLog -- We all want to live happy and fulfilling lives, and want the people we love to be happy too. So, happiness matters to us all.

Happiness is about our life as a whole. It includes the fluctuating feelings we experience on a daily basis and is not linked to one or two very intense moments of elation. Rather, it is tied to a steady, more frequent flow of smaller joys into our lives.

Consequently lasting happiness comes not from a few moments, but many moments.

Happiness is defined as the emotion that arises when we do something that stems from our strengths and virtues. There are different types of happiness:

·      Hedonistic happiness: experiencing pleasure of having comfortable home, sailing on a beautiful lake, dancing or listening to music and others.

·      Ego-related happiness: being successful, having strong self-esteem, desirable status and/or being praised.

·      Need-satisfaction happiness: when a specific need is being met

·      Event-based happiness: witnessing or participating in pleasurable event of marrying, obtaining employment, getting accepted to college, job promotion, etc.

·      Circumstance-changing event happiness: loss of weight, getting a new home or move to more rewarding job.

Whether we realize it or not, happiness is one of the ultimate goals of everything we do: from the job we strive to obtain, from the home we buy, or to the company we stay employed.

Happiness at work

Many of our daily decisions are affected by what we believe will bring us happiness. Giving the importance we place on achieving happiness through our lives, it comes to no surprise that workplace contentment carries an important weight for how we will feel and act.

According to Gallup report 70% of American workers are disengaged from their jobs and company, and consequently are not fulfilling their full professional potential. From this 70% of disengaged workers, 52% are not engaged and are not putting their time with an emotional investment or with a strong effort into their work. The remaining 18% are actively disengaged and they actively work against the interest of their company. Their feeling of dissatisfaction and unhappiness at work makes them disconnected hence driving potential clients away and discouraging other employees from staying engaged.

The outstanding 30% of fully engaged workers felt full connection and sense of commitment to their organization's policies. They felt a sense of belonging, pride and satisfaction for being part of the company. Their contribution to the company’s engagement and success was attributed to experiencing happiness at work.

The difference

The difference between engaged and disengaged workers can amount to hundreds of billions of dollars in gain or loss. Disengaged workers cost the US between $450 billion and $550 billion annually in productivity.

According to The Wall Street Journal happy workers perform substantially better than their unhappy counterparts. They show 36% more motivation and 31% more success in achieving their goals.

Happy workers also contribute significantly to a positive work environment. They help their coworkers 33% more often, and discuss factors affecting performance 46% more, indicating their desire to invest in their company’s success.

Sustaining happiness

People perform better when they are happy. In fact, if we are happier on a given day we will not only come up with some new idea or solve a complex problem the same day, but we will also do so the following day.

The key to sustaining happiness is to:

·      Review our values

·      Invest in our relationships

·      Assess whether we are lonely

·      The role work plays on our identity

·      How well we cope with adversity, and

·      Staying actively engaged in life.

As long as we experience our labor to be meaningful, progress and joy, excitement about the work will follow.

Happy people function better because they:

·      Work better with others (colleagues, managers, clients)

·      Are more creative

·      Fix problems rather than complain

·      Have more energy

·      Are more optimistic

·      Are more motivated

·      Learn faster, and

·      Are better decision makers.

Happy people dare to dare since happiness is not having what they want; it is rather wanting what they have.

About Dr. Ivan Kos:

Dr. Ivan Kos is a leading business consultant and member of the American fellow of the American Psychological Association and a member of the International Association of Applied Psychology, among others, and lives in New York City.  Originator of the Fear Stage Theory (FST), he is also the author of "To Dare: It is Easier to Succeed than To Fail" which offers an antidote that empowers people with the ability to learn from fear, overcome negativity, and transform lives.

Want daily tips on strengthening your life and work place? Follow Dr. Ivan Kos on Twitter!  http://twitter.com/drivankos