Recent reports 1 show that the unhappiness that many Australians feel at work is becoming a real problem for the organizations they work in.
People who are unhappy at work are less productive2, take more sick days3 and are more likely to leave the organisation4. By contrast, good moods lead people to come to work, to do good work while they are there and to keep coming back to work for you in the future.
“How people feel about a company can account for up to 20–30% of business performance.”
—Daniel Goleman, in the article “Primal Leadership” in the Harvard Business School Press (p. 22)
While this may make intuitive sense, it is easy to dismiss an unhappy staff as someone else’s responsibility to fix. However, the key driver of your staff’s moods at work is you, their direct boss.
So, what makes people happy? Philosophers and everyday people alike have pondered this question for thousands of years, but hard-nosed research on the topic has been scant. Fortunately, the recent emergence of positive psychology and advances in neuroscience have shed some light on the subject. Here are five evidence-based ways you can help your staff be happier at work:
- Radiate positive emotions such as excitement, optimism and joy in your own outlook at work. Emotions are contagious, and the emotional outlook of the leader is more contagious than most.
- Actively nurture social connections among staff. People with rich social lives are markedly happier. And, as our lives become more hectic, workplaces are becoming the prime source of new friendships.
- Ensure that people feel valued. Give them meaningful work that fulfills their desire to make a real difference. Then, take the time to show that you care for them as people and that you appreciate the work they do.
- Reframe people’s unhelpful, negative perceptions about the workplace and life in general. Encourage people to regularly recognise and acknowledge things for which they are grateful. Of course, bad things happen, too. Don’t pretend they don’t, but ask people questions such as, “How can you put this experience to good use?”. Finally, try using words to ramp up positive emotion and tone down the negative. Angry can be rephrased as a bit annoyed, while good can be rephrased as fabulous.
- Be fair and transparent in your decisions. We all have a deep desire to protect our rights and those of people we care about. By making decisions in a fair and transparent manner, you acknowledge and pay respect to your staff’s inherent sense of justice while nurturing a feeling of security and contentment.
Further Reading
Barsade, S. G., Ward, A. J., Turner, J. D., & Sonnenfeld, J. A. (2000). To Your Heart’s Content: The Influence of Affective Diversity On Top Management Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly , 45, 802-836
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions In Positive Psychology. American Psychologist, 56, 218-226.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2004). Primal Leadership. Harvard Business School Press.
Hom, W., & Griffeth, R. W. (1995). Employee Turnover. Southwestern.
Jordan, P. J., Ashkanasy, N. M., Hartel, C. E., & Hooper, G. S. (2002). Work Group Emotional Intelligence. Human Resource Management Review , 12, 195-212.
Ostroff, C. (1992). The Relationship Between Satisfaction, Attitudes & Performance: An Organizational Level Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology , 963-974.
Ryan, A., Schmit, M., & Johnson, R. (1996). Attitudes & Effectiveness: Examining Relationships at the Organization Level. Personnel Psychology , 853-882.
Scott, K, & Taylor, G. (1985). An Examination of Conflicting Findings On The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction & Absenteeism: A Meta-Analysis, Academy of Management Journal, 28, 599-612.
Notes
- See, for example, Fran Metcalf’s article in the Courier Mail, Most Australians Are Not Happy In Their Jobs, and Sara Rich’s article in the Australian, Mass Exodus of Unhappy Staff ↩
- At the personal level, positive moods have been found to enhance creative problem-solving and decision-making (see Frederickson, 2001, and Estrada, 1994, in the reading list above); at the group level, research has linked positive emotional outlooks to increased efficiency (see Jordan, 2002, in the reading list above) and even to higher share returns (see Barsade, 2000, in the reading list above); at the organisational level, higher levels of satisfaction have been linked to higher levels of productivity (see Ostroff, 1992, and Ryan, 1996, in the reading list above) ↩
- See Scott & Taylor above ↩
- See Hom and Griffeth above ↩
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