The Key To Happiness At Work That Has Nothing To Do With Your Actual Job
As we spend more time at the office, we search even harder for better ways to achieve the mythical "work-life balance". From taking lunchtime walks to adjusting frustrating commutes to trading old jobs for ones we actually like, we make changes (both big and small) for the sake of our workplace happiness. But what many of us might not realize is that the biggest mood booster could be sitting in the desk chair right next to us.
According to Virgin Pulse's new Labor of Love Report, which explores what
employees love most about their jobs, one of the most important factors in
enjoying a 9-to-5 gig is the company we keep as we do so. Nearly 40 percent of
survey respondents named their co-workers as the top reason they love working
for their company, with 66 percent saying those positive relationships increased
their productivity and 55 percent saying they helped mitigate their on-the-job
stress levels. And considering the average American worker spends 47.5 hours in the office each week, some employees may spend more time
with their co-workers than with family members or friends outside of the
office.
"The centrality of social connections to
our health and well-being cannot be
overstressed," according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, the author of The How of Happiness: A New
Approach to Getting the Life You Want. Employers are beginning to
recognize the importance of these connections in the office and are taking
steps to reinvent the workplace to help nurture the positive aspects of
employees' work experiences, reducing burnout and turnover in the process.
Camaraderie at work -- or even just the opportunity for it -- has been found to not just make for
a happy employee but a more effective business as a whole. Whether coworkers
use their time to air grievances about their bosses, chat about weekend plans
or head out to happy hour together, close bonds help dissolve dissatisfaction they may feel otherwise, making them more
likely to work productively and remain in their current position for
longer.
We may log more hours at our desks than we do at home, and leave unused
vacation days floating on the calendar, but at least we have our best work
buddies who help us do well at our jobs and smile about it simultaneously.
The Huffington Post | By Alena
Hall
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