Good on you for making a decision! Many people suffer at work but never act on it – they just keep suffering.
But of course, making the choice is not enough, you’ll have to act on it too. How will you start? What can you specifically do, to become happier at work? What strengths and resources do you have that you can apply? Who can you enlist to help you? What can you specifically do and when can you do it?
You don’t have to make your whole happiness strategy now, but it’s a great idea to pick the first 3 things you’re going to do now.
Know what’s wrong – and do something about it
Depending on what is making you unhappy at work, there are many things you can do. According to a study we did, here are the top 5 things that make people unhappy at work – and some tips for what you can do about each of them.
1: A lack of help and support from my boss
A bad relationship with your boss pretty much guarantees that you’ll be unhappy at work. If this is the problem, here are some ideas for addressing it:
2: Negative coworkers
Negative coworkers can really drag down everyone around them. Here are some tips on dealing with them:
- 5 steps to resolve a conflict at work
- Why constant complaining is so toxic at work
- How to handle constant complainers
3: Lack of praise or recognition for the work I do
When we do great work, we should be recognized for it:
- Why a culture of positive feedback is essential – and 5 great ways to do it
- How to praise yourself at work – and how not to
4: Uncertainty about the workplace’s vision and strategy
We need to know here the organization is going, how our work fits into that and why the work we do is important and meaningful. Here are som links on that:
- Never measure people on metrics they don’t control
- Why empty labor makes us miserable
- We need meaningful work
5: Busyness / high work load
When we get really busy at work, we can become stressed and unhappy. Here are some ideas for staying happy even though you’re busy:
- How to stay happy at work – even when you’re very busy
- What do you do when there’s just too much work
General tips
Here are some general tips to become happier at work:
- What REALLY make us happy at work
- Some great questions to ask to become happier in your current job
- Three ways to deal with bad days at work
- The five most important findings from the science of happiness that apply at work
- Sign up here to get a weekly email with a simple happiness tip every Monday for the next 10 weeks
You can also sign up here and get our free email newsletter. It is chock full of tips, links, inspiration and videos that can help you become happier at work:
We applaud your courage and we wish you the best of luck finding more happiness at work.