Recently I emailed a dozen friends and asked them three questions about how happy they were at work. The results were very revealing. The people who responded work in all sectors, government, private sector and self-employed. Here are the results of my unscientific poll on work and happiness:
My first question was, “Are you happy at work?”
More than half were not happy at work. Some said they were ashamed to admit it, because “they have a pretty good gig”; one person said they weren’t happy but planned to slog it out until retirement. A quarter of respondents said they were happy, and one person said at different times in their career they’ve been happy, and unhappy at other times.
When I asked what was the cause of their happiness or unhappiness at work,
On the plus side, the common themes were working with great people, loving what they do, and the variety of work. One person said they work in a low-stress environment and have an eight-minute commute, so they can come home for lunch every day if they want.
For those unhappy at work, here were some of the reasons they cited for their unhappiness:
- Lack of involvement and inclusion and team camaraderie.
- Being tired of dealing with some teams who don’t appreciate the work they do.
- The inactivity associated with being on a computer eight hours a day.
- One person said working within an environment where there are too many people in authority who “literally don’t have a clue what they are doing” and a “poisonous” atmosphere as a result of so many people being off on leave, creating more work for those left behind who are still working diligently.
- One person who is self-employed said, “I’m bored, but I like the flexibility of what I do, so I stay at it. Also, the administration associated with being self-employed is a tough slog. I’m always behind on that, so that creates guilt that I’m not keeping on top of things.”
My final question was “What would make you happy or happier at work?”
- Being valued and respected and having their work acknowledged was a common theme, along with being able to do more of what they love to do and having challenging projects.
- Better work-life balance, and being compensated fairly and seeing more transparency in salary grids were cited as other key factors.
- One person said they’d like to have a friend at work and work with a diverse team.
- The one person who was unhappy at work in the “poisonous” environment said they cope by focusing on their family, volunteering and sports and outdoor activities to remind themselves of what’s important in life.
- On a lighter note, one person wanted a Keurig machine, a fitness room with a treadmill or exercise bike and another an office cat (for me, it would be a dog!)
So what does this tell us and what can we do to be happier at work? Scientific studies show having at least one good friend at work is a key contributor to happiness. Making sure we choose a positive environment where we work with good people and where our work is respected is critical.
As we emerge from this pandemic, we have a unique opportunity to redefine our relationship with work. At the core of the discussion should be these three questions.
Special thanks to the people who participated in my unscientific poll.
More reading on work and happiness
Happy Act 