Don’t settle for a laissez-faire approach to feeling ho-hum at work.
Being happier at work may seem more idyllic than realistic. Happiness is more than an emotion. It’s a state of mindfulness that can take you to the next level and is tied to results.
Who wouldn’t want to have faster career advancement? Increased creativity and effective problem solving? More productivity and innovation? All those can be traced to your happiness.
If getting there seems impossible (not everyone naturally walks on the sunny side of the street), we’ve got a roadmap that is straightforward, but not necessarily easy. PERK up, let’s start.
Purpose, Engagement, Resilience, and Kindness or PERK.
Purpose: When you make valuable contributions that you find personally meaningful, you find purpose. Try to connect what you do at work to your values. If you struggle to find meaning, get some support. That could include behavioral health counseling and coaching, meditation and mindfulness apps, social media support groups, mental health podcasts, or access to the EAP. View GEA’s mental health resources. Â
Engagement: There are three main ways to increase engagement at work. First, have some playfulness, creativity, and levity. The bond between coworkers can help cope with change, experience moments of levity, and allow us to practice grace with one another as we work through change. One of the best ways at GEA to get socially connected is through Affinity Networks. Second, request ownership over your day-to-day schedule, tasks, and professional development, and build in opportunities to learn and grow. Finally, shift away from the typical hyper busy, multitasking, always-available, device-notification-laden, meeting-clogged schedule.
Resilience: Resilience doesn’t mean trying to prevent difficulties, stifle stress, or avoid confrontation; it means being able to manage challenges at work with authenticity and grace. One way to have resilience is to be mindful. Mindfulness can be retraining yourself to not self-criticize or blame others. Another way to bolster resilience at work is to be authentic—that is, bring your whole and best self to work. Being true to ourselves at work ends the stress of pretending to feel emotions you don’t feel.
Another way to build emotional resilience is through physical resilience. When we’re physically stronger and healthier, our bodies have the stamina to withstand the stresses of change. One-on-one or group health coaching, nutrition counseling, condition management programs, or even group fitness classes can improve your overall health and increase your ability to absorb constant change.
Nutrition Counseling: CareATC
Group Fitness Classes: The Y @ Work
Kindness: Studies show that people are happier at work when they tap into their own kindness. Treat others with dignity and respect, extend empathy and compassion, practice gratitude, and constructively manage conflicts.
There are tools to help you gauge how happy you are today. Try taking the Happiness at Work quiz, and using some of GEA’s wellbeing tools and resources for six weeks. Then come back and take the quiz again. You may be happily surprised.
Sources:
- https://www.webmdhealthservices.com/blog/building-well-being-resilience-within-your-team/?utm_campaign=blog&utm_source=blog_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=v1_email_cta_button&mkt_tok=NTAzLUJNSS01MDgAAAGC6sMNIoUMb0cyh0f7RsIa6FGMia7RU5j6uvHk5qbuMubXnIaE7jdaJtXQV4AvPPwNrvqQgiBkmJuYVaqGad569f9u7bNic_fonjAg8EFk1j_Hdg
- https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_four_keys_to_happiness_at_work –