What is happiness at work?

Hands up, who considers where they work a happy place to be? Ok, we know that is a pretty open question with answers that are not-so-simple, but it is an important one for business owners and employers to ask since, for a lot of us, our jobs are where we spend the majority of our time.

From first thing in the morning, we start the working day with a quick catch up with colleagues or in team meetings, ready to tackle that all important to-do list, spending the next seven, eight, maybe even nine or more hours ‘hustling’, whether it’s on site, at desks, or out and about in the field or on the road.

During that time, we are consumed by our work – when the motivation and productivity is there – while navigating professional relationships, ever-changing dynamics, and office politics. It is no wonder that our careers have a profound impact on our mental health.

International week of happiness at work

Just recently, business owners and senior leadership teams around the world were being encouraged to look at their own environments and consider, is this a happy place to work? Through a manifesto, the founders of the International Week of Happiness at Work initiative, called for employers to ask themselves, what can we do to help our employees feel happier?

Of course, happiness means a lot of different things to each and every person – particularly in today’s modern, blended workforces where people are employed until they are much older, where they work flexibly, have various priorities, and strive towards achieving a work-life balance.

Workplaces can cultivate happiness

To cultivate happiness in the workplace, whatever that may look like to each individual organisation, we need to improve workplace culture – the conditions, the relationships, the processes, and values. A true shift in culture, moving forward to an environment that embeds wellbeing into the core, takes time. It’s a thorough process, but when you start to notice the outcomes - the reduced absenteeism, disciplinaries, and grievances, and the improved productivity, engagement, and recognition - you realise the profound impact that positive, inclusive working conditions can have. Not just at our jobs, but at home, in your employees’ lives outside of work too.

Embedding wellbeing into workplaces to drive cultural transformation is something we are incredibly proud to be achieving with clients in all kinds of environments, from offices and factories to emergency service HQs. And one of the most important aspects of each organisational change, we believe, is being able, open, and willing to learn.

The act of learning itself is integral to wellbeing and improving happiness. It’s something we, as humans, are programmed to do. Having new experiences, facing new perspectives, and mastering new skills, helps us to feel competent and capable. Even when we make mistakes in the learning process, it’s frustrating, but overcoming obstacles is incredibly rewarding. Even something as simple as reading a new fact, knowing you can share and relay that information, can feel good.

Collaboration is key at work

Implementing organisational change is a collaborative process. It is something we, the business and Fortis, work on together, with teams of all levels so that we can all learn from each other. This way, each team member feels as though they are contributing to something worthy, and that they actively want to be a part of positive change for the benefit of the whole company, the place and the people they dedicate so much of their time and effort to.