Welcome back! If you read our blog last month, How to be Happy at Work: Part 1, you may recall out of approximately 180 million employees surveyed worldwide, 87% of them are unhappy at work. We are working on making you a part of the other 13%. Here are some things I know for certain:
We are given a day. It is a gift, which I know most of us forget sometimes. But we are given a day—and it is up to us what we make of it.
We are lucky to have jobs. When putting in perspective how many people are under or unemployed, we are incredibly lucky to still have ours jobs.
We are in charge. We are in charge of our happiness throughout our day and how we let our daily circumstances impact our outlook.
I also know that choosing to be happy isn’t always easy, so here are 5 more tips for you! Use them to improve your happiness at work.
Give Yourself a Break. Sure it’s super easy to stay glued to your work until absolutely everything is complete, but it’s also dangerous. Take a breather. In between tasks, get up and walk around. If you take my advice in #5 from last month (hydrate), you’ll eventually need to hit the restroom. Take that time to stretch your legs and mingle. Studies show that taking breaks will make you more creative, competent, and cheerful. By not taking breaks you’ll find it harder to get along well with others, you won’t take criticism well, and you’ll find yourself with a higher level of stress. Use your PTO. Don’t be that person who never ever takes a day off. Some people think overworking themselves portrays them as a super human, fact is, a good recharge will make you more super than most humans.
Just Say No to Multitasking. Multitasking wastes more time than it saves. It isn’t effective, and it decreases concentration and creativity. One task at a time, y’all.
Accept People for Who They Are. You can’t change people. Before you let someone’s personalities or actions get the best of you—take a step back. Count to 10 before responding. Breathe. Maintain a professional attitude in all circumstances. Don’t let anyone walk all over you, but don’t be rude. Just be courageous and kind. I repeat—be courageous and kind.
Reflect and Reward. Take some time at the end of each day to reflect on your work. Find something positive about your day to recall. Reward yourself for a fruitful day. Prime yourself to be happy. Research has showed that doctors who prepared themselves with happiness were able to reach a diagnosis twice as fast as their colleagues. Interesting isn’t it? Happiness for the win!
Change. Brace yourselves, people. This is the most difficult of all of the advice I have for you. If you are unhappy with your situation—change it. If you cannot change your situation—change your perspective on the situation. If you are not willing to change you cannot complain.
Happiness is an inside job.. It’s a choice you have to make every day. Choose it. Really what’s the worst that will happen? You’ll miss being unhappy? That’s highly unlikely. Choose joy, spread it around the office. Be the change. Wouldn’t you much rather be a part of the 13% of people who are happy at work? Remember folks, attitude is everything.
If you are looking to change your situation, please visit our careers page to find rewarding careers at a company that values each employee’s skills and abilities.
