Happiness In The Workplace: An Insider’s Perspective

When most of us think of “work” a few words may come to mind: strenuous, fatiguing, stressful. Well, it’s time to change that stereotype and realize that your happiness at work matters! At previous jobs, I would often come home drained, overwhelmed and not able to truly shake off the weight of the workday. I know I’m not alone since nearly half (47% to be exact) of Canadian professionals are unhappy at their current job.¹ To put that into perspective, the Plain Janes and Average Joes spend more than 90,000 hours in their lifetime at work, half of them, unhappy for most of those hours. No matter how good they may be at “leaving their work at work” being unhappy in the workplace really affects their personal life.

Too often, before switching careers, I would find myself feeling defeated by my job. Now, I couldn’t help but wonder, what creates a happy workplace? And, how do companies attract and retain happy employees?

Let’s start at the top, literally. Having a happy leader makes a big difference! Their happiness is pretty much out of your control, but since you’re going to be spending a lot of time with this person, why settle? I’ve worked for gloomy bosses before and no matter how hard I worked and how much effort I put in there wasn’t ever any appreciation or acknowledgment, only a self-defeating spiral. Working for someone who is enthusiastic about their profession, encouraging and just overall pleasant really changes the vibe at work, they keep standards high and their positive attitude trickles down to you. A happy boss makes a happy team!

Happiness in the workplace is essential for our overall well being and having the proper resources available to us contributes to our personal prosperity. Successful businesses recognize that hanging onto high-quality employees is imperative for the good of the company. But, high-quality employees deserve high-quality benefits. We’re progressive with our HR policies at Metrics, offering our team compensation packages in the top 10% of BC CPA firms. With flexible work arrangements; including the freedom to work from home or abroad, a generous vacation reimbursement; so you can take that trip you’ve always wanted to, unlimited paid time off; so you can find the proper work-life balance and an extensive health care package. Taking care of your team and their mental health should be a no brainer and it’s a great way to retain happy, motivated employees.

Many things contribute to happiness in the workplace but in the end, of course, most of it depends on you. Once you realize that work doesn’t have to suck, whether it’s changing your perspective or finding a career that fits into your goals, you might stop dreading the daily grind and start enjoying it. You might find that the dark cloud following you around evaporates and blue skies take its place. Most importantly, you might find it affecting your personal life in a positive way. It’s never too late to do what’s best for you, try something new, or change your life in a beneficial way. Life is too short to spend 90,000 hours stressed out and unhappy.

¹according to a survey by recruitment firm Hays Canada. www.benefitscanada.com