Two articles relating to happiness (satisfaction, engagement) at work

Two articles relating to happiness (satisfaction, engagement) at work

Most of us work.

In fact, most of us spend a lot of time at work.

Which is one reason (there are many more) why happiness at work should be taken seriously.

If we’re going to spend so much time doing this one thing, or in this one location, with these people then … why wouldn’t we want to make it as enjoyable as possible?

Further, we know that happy employees are better employees so there are many reasons to take happiness at work seriously and these two articles (both via Inc.com) provide some interesting insights …

First up, by Kelly Main – Forget Unlimited Paid Time Off. This Employee Perk Fuels Far More Happiness

It’s instrumental to employee satisfaction and it hardly costs anything.

I’m one of those lucky ones who get a bunch of start-up-y employee perks. There’s the solid stipend for work equipment (it’s how I got the new Macbook for free), Fridays off once a month, company-paid trips, unlimited paid time off (PTO), yada, yada… You get it. But if you don’t get these things, that doesn’t mean you’re missing out on one of the best employee perks there is.

The list of perks goes on, and as it does, it also gets less exciting. Though, less exciting or enticing doesn’t always mean less impactful on employee happiness and workplace satisfaction–just as Google has found with its counterintuitive trick to increase employee happiness.

Housed deep within the depths of the roster of benefits and employee perks is something that I never thought I would find myself really loving, time after time. It’s something that oddly tugs on the old (and slightly brittle) heartstrings and is something that hardly costs a thing–if anything at all.

Though it’s a far smaller–and far less attractive–perk, I’ve found that it has a far bigger impact on my workplace happiness and general well-being, than my unlimited PTO. And it just might have the same value to your employees.

As great (and absolutely necessary) as time off is, I don’t just want any employer that lets me off the proverbial leash every once in a while. Ultimately, I want an employer who I don’t feel the unnerving need to escape.

The perk that I love more than my unlimited PTO is that my work often provides small signs of appreciation … keep reading the full & original article HERE

Next up, by Jeff Haden – Seth Godin: 4 Things Make Employees Feel Their Job Is the Best Job They’ve Ever Had

Pay and perks? They don’t make the list.

Everyone who leads people wants, even if only deep inside, to be a great boss.

The problem is, what you feel are the qualities of a great boss may be very different from what your employees want, and need.

That’s why Seth Godin, author of the just-released new book The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams, asked 10,000 people in 90 countries to describe the conditions at the best job they ever had.

Here are the top four:

  • I surprised myself with what I could accomplish
  • I could work independently
  • The team built something important
  • People treated me with respect

“Surprised myself with what I could accomplish” and “work independently” were the runaway leaders at 60 and 50 percent of respondents, respectively. Makes sense; we all love to feel good about ourselves, and we all appreciate — even if we work for someone else — feeling a sense of responsibility and authority. (The two often don’t go hand in hand.)

More surprising is the fact “I got paid a lot” was mentioned by fewer than 20 percent of respondents. Clearly money is important, but while higher pay is great, at a baseline level what matters is that we feel fairly compensated for the work we do.

Yet clearly purpose, meaning, and respect matter more.

As Godin writes …

.. keep reading the full & original article HERE