Building Happiness at Work

A friend of mine used to call it the “hum level.” It’s the palpable feel of energy when you walk into a workplace. If people are talking and laughing and generally engaged with one another, the “hum level” is high. If the place is quiet as a church, nobody’s talking, and everybody has their face buried in whatever task they are doing, the “hum level” is low.

When people are happy at work, they are more productive, they interact with customers more positively, and there is less turnover. So what causes happiness at work? A lot of things. We talked about 12 factors that contribute to job satisfaction last week. But there are a couple of key components.

The first is very simple. Do I like the people I work with, and do they like me? That doesn’t mean that I’m best buddies with everyone in the place. It just means that on a whole, I enjoy being with my co-workers and am comfortable that I fit in. That’s why it’s so critical to hire well. One vocal malcontent can poison the atmosphere for everyone.

The second is my boss . . . not necessarily the CEO, but my direct supervisor. Does he or she take an active interest in me as a person . . . my family, my interests away from work . . . or am I just another head count? Is my supervisor accessible and is he or she committed to helping me be successful in my work?

Not very long ago, happiness in the workplace wasn’t discussed much in American business. After all, we’re not running a playground here, right? We’re here to do a job, and if that makes you unhappy, that’s your problem. But as it turns out, happiness at work isn’t some crazy, pie-in-the-sky notion. If it increases productivity, increases customer satisfaction, and decreases turnover, it’s just good business.

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