The importance of happiness in the workplace

25/09/2017 Sidrah Ahmad

For Waterlogic employees, coming into the office every morning is a joy. Many of us have found happiness in everyday activities such as the morning stand up sessions, where we share our latest achievements and during catch up calls with colleagues over the Atlantic. We’ve noticed the Waterlogic working culture, which includes motivating and supporting our co-workers has positively influenced the morale and performance of the wider team.

Is a happier individual is the more productive employee?​

Recent research has shown people who are engaged in their work and happy when collaborating with colleagues, not only put more effort into their tasks but work harder and smarter. Despite this, it's alarming to find how many people across the world are still not happy in the workplace. However, in the early months of 2017, Business Insider found Australians are among the happiest employees in the world. This is due to factors such as:

• being treated with fairness and respect
• having pride in their work and organisation
• experiencing a sense of accomplishment

Science provides evidence in the form of neurological links that show the connections between our feelings and thoughts, and how these can impact our day to day actions and exchanges. If someone is gripped by negative emotions, he or she may find it difficult to focus and since our emotions can impair our ability to make sound decisions, this can affect our capacity to think clearly. Anger, stress and frustration are not encouraging emotions. They can fuel unhappiness, which leads to disengagement from the tasks at hand. The Harvard Business Review found those who allow negative emotions to outweigh positive emotions can influence the people around them. With happy employees taking 66% less sick leave as compared to an unhappy employee, it is apparent our emotions have a large part to play in our lives, personal as well as professional.

It is also important to note, if positive emotions are too strong they can also have an effect on us. Studies have demonstrated an excess of happiness can impact people's creativity making them less innovative and more willing to engage in detrimental behaviors.

Emotional intelligence - A lifelong investment

Researchers at Teleos Leadership Institute have interviewed numerous organizations throughout the world and have found clear similarities in how people describe their desires and needs in the workplace. The Teleos study revealed people desire three things:

• To be in working relationships of mutual respect, trust and support that boost your state of mind.
• To be motivated by a sense of purpose, which allows you to recognise that your effort is helping achieve something of importance.
• To know what is likely to happen in the future and how it will impact your life. Research by Richard Boyatzis, shows that people are happier and more engaged when there is a connection between a person's vision and that of the organization for which they work.

Job satisfaction & being happy at work

Job satisfaction and being happiness at work increase morale, enhance opportunities for team work, knowledge sharing and encourage open communication. There is no doubt that workplace environments have a major role to play in determining the level of any employee's happiness. However, it's the responsibility of both the employee and the employer to create workplace happiness. A happy employee has a more optimistic attitude and works better, which creates a positive and productive atmosphere.