How To Be Happy At Work

2023 Author: Amber Richards | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 00:24

One of the vivid impressions of my working youth was the free lunches in the Moscow office of the western company where I came as an intern immediately after graduation. Times were lean, not to say hungry, so literally "one-two-three" - with the help of the first, second and dessert - our caring bosses immediately received a double business effect: employee loyalty grew with each calorie absorbed, while there was no need to leave office in search of the then rare street cafes. And this means that the employees spent the saved time at the workplace with the benefit of the business and the company. My friend, with whom we dined together, works there today. He says that the "menu" of corporate bonuses has become much more diverse.

Useful "goodies"

The inspirational idea that work can be viewed as “a social structure that promotes happiness and human development” was publicly expressed by Martin Seligman in 1998 when he assumed the presidency of the American Psychological Association. Positive psychology, the founder of which was this scientist, very quickly gained popularity. It is not that the Old Testament commandment "in the sweat of your brow you will earn your bread" has lost its power. It's just that the position of the Evangelist Luke has become closer to us: "The worker deserves a reward." Moreover, for our labors, we would like to receive remuneration not only in the form of a salary. This is how the technologies “happy business” and “happy management” became fashionable.

While linguists are pondering how best to translate the capacious “happy” - “social and ethical” or simply “ethical” into Russian, employers have grasped the essence without prompting. “For companies, happy people are more valuable employees than discouraged people,” state the researchers of the Russian Monitoring of the Economic Situation and Health of the Population at the Higher School of Economics. The Gallup data is also impressive: a person who is satisfied with life is able to work 31% more productive, he is 9 times more loyal and half as often sick.

More and more Russian companies - especially those that want to win the sympathy of advanced "millennials" - add a few words about nice "buns" to their vacancies. A comfortable office with a free coffee machine and medical insurance - the classic list is not even discussed. HR departments continue to invent new ways to make people happier. For example, a skating rink and a free fitness bar with smoothies are open for everyone at the Mail.ru office. The Superjob.ru resource, where girls mostly work, takes them out for a walk around Paris for three days in March. Employees of YUM! (brands KFC and PizzHut) are gambling their own version of Monopoly. Action advertising agency has equipped the office with a fireplace, cozy hammocks and a swing sofa. For the third summer in a row, the independent laboratory INVITRO has been sending employees on paid two-week road expeditions. These are just some of the fresh cases of companies nominated for the HR Brand Award 2014. "How does the new corporate kitchen bring the company closer to success?" - we asked Microsoft and IKEA, which took, respectively, the first and fifth positions in the "Rating of Russian Employers 2014".

All their

•Make yourself at home. “Along with competitive salaries, our employees value a convenient work schedule,” says Marina Levina, Director of Public Relations, Information Policy and Corporate Responsibility at Microsoft. Thanks to modern technology, employees don't have to spend time in the office. The main thing is the result, and you can achieve it anywhere: in a cafe, at home, on the road, in the office.

“Our company has always lived with the concept of“The biggest small company”- the largest small organization where each team maintains a family atmosphere,” says Anastasia Dobrovolskaya, IKEA Brand Building and Recruitment Manager. Behind this intangible concept for the brand are quite real things: ease of communication, mutual assistance, support - when colleagues care whether you are tired or how you feel.

• Look for like-minded people. IKEA selects employees based on their beliefs, which coincide with the values of the company and therefore unite everyone: "These are people who initially believe in enthusiasm and willpower, a constant desire for renewal and a desire to never stop there."

It is equally important for Microsoft that employees share the company's strategy of "empowering every person and organization on the planet to achieve more."

• Count on “ours”. “Emotional comfort of employees is important for business - it is a guarantee that they will stay in it for a long time,” says Anastasia Dobrovolskaya. - This is how the company gets long-term relationships and, pragmatically speaking, does not spend money on finding and training new personnel. It is invested in a person from the very beginning, and then our formula “You grow - IKEA grows” works. We very rarely open leadership positions in the foreign market - in development we always try to rely on our own employees. And we are glad to see external candidates in positions of the “entrance” level."

• Talk about the future. All Microsoft employees participate in a large anonymous survey once a year. “It is important for us to know how they see their own future within the company,” explains Marina Levina. “Microsoft values the breadth of opinions very much, because the corporation employs thousands of people from different countries of the world, different cultures, religions, attitudes and ages.”

“The department manager, as the head of the family, takes care of psychological comfort,” Anastasia Dobrovolskaya shares her secrets. - We teach them this: managers regularly communicate with employees, informally ask how things are going, drink tea or coffee together. In addition, once every six months we hold a big conversation about development - both personal and in the field of business: this is both feedback and an opportunity to set goals for everyone for the next period."

• Give thanks not only with money. The Microsoft office has recreational areas; in summer, places on the lawn near the office in Krylatskoye are very popular. The company spoils the early risers with free coffee. A healthy lifestyle is also held in high esteem: the Russian office compensates for part of the cost of purchasing subscriptions to fitness clubs, allocates money to corporate football, basketball and volleyball teams. Once a month, the company holds "Days of Health", during which everyone can undergo medical examination free of charge.

IKEA also does not limit gratitude to employees for their contribution only to salaries. The compensation package includes two dozen benefits and privileges that are designed to make a person's life in the company more comfortable. There are rest rooms where you can relax in silence, meditate or do yoga, there are game consoles, a sports corner, just horizontal bars. You can have a full meal at any time of the day, and a three-course meal will cost 50 rubles or even less. There are free English lessons. The program "Tack!" ("Thank you" in Swedish) - these are also bonuses, but they are transferred to the retirement savings account. Employees receive gifts for public holidays and for personal events - weddings and anniversaries.

Changeable balance

Does everything go to the point that we will completely surrender ourselves to our, such comfortable work, and the very concept of work-life balance will simply disappear as unnecessary? Alena Vladimirskaya, the head of the recruiting agency Pruffi, is encouraging: “At different periods of a person's life, this balance is built in completely different ways. For example, for several years after graduation, young people are usually very excited about work. With age, it can become lower, because some other joys of life appear. For workaholics, the priority will always be work, telling them to “go home at 7 pm” is to make them deeply unhappy. And someone initially has different interests - family life, books, exhibitions. In general, the fashion for general workaholism is usually stimulated by the state, when a way out of the crisis is planned, the time of great opportunities comes. Then by all means - propaganda, taxes, etc. - a person is encouraged to earn a lot. The "time for workaholism" comes when you see close results. You don't just work a lot, but you also understand why. Another case is a time when it is very scary to lose a job and people work to the maximum in order to be irreplaceable so that they will not be fired. In Russia, fortunately, we have not yet reached such a fear, but there is no upsurge now - rather, stagnation. So be aware that your personal balance is likely to change more than once.”to be irreplaceable, not to be fired. In Russia, fortunately, we have not yet reached such a fear, but there is no upsurge now - rather, stagnation. So be aware that your personal balance is likely to change more than once.”to be irreplaceable, not to be fired. In Russia, fortunately, we have not yet reached such a fear, but there is no upsurge now - rather, stagnation. So be aware that your personal balance is likely to change more than once.”

Happy together

Whether we have the opportunity to do what we love - sometimes it depends on others. But each of us is able to love more what we are already doing and enjoy work.

Learn and have fun In any job, there are routine moments that only dampen your enthusiasm. “Add an extra personal challenge to this unloved task,” advises coach Paul Deveaux, head of consulting at Orygin Conseil. - For example, if you are bored of sitting in meetings, use a fiery introductory word to awaken the attention of colleagues. Or, writing a regular report, work on the style, surpass yourself in the wording."

Successful writing A job well done can be a source of pleasure. Professor Tal Ben-Shahar of Harvard advises remembering and writing down five good thoughts or experiences that made you happy during the day every night. For example, you distinguished yourself in negotiations, completed a stage of the project … "Such a ritual and self-esteem will increase and make you more friendly in relations with colleagues," the professor promises.

Wait for Me Sometimes internal factors (for example, excessive perfectionism or the fear of not being able to cope with it) prevent you from becoming your favorite work. “Understand your real motives,” advises Paul Deveaux. - For example: “I want to win the respect and recognition of my colleagues” or “it is important for me to prove to myself and others that I am capable of more”. Write these thoughts down, and then imagine how you can implement them differently - not through the work ahead, but somewhere else. This will help reduce internal stress."

I love me Have you just handed over to your boss a report with which you suffered for a long time? Don't forget to reward yourself! Instead of listing to colleagues over a cup of coffee all the difficulties that have fallen to your lot, talk about the positive: you made it on time, you figured out a confusing situation. To restore peace of mind, the ability to be proud of yourself is important.

A pinch of joy A good mood is one of the main secrets of happy people. Use every opportunity to raise it yourself. “One of my clients hung a bell in the office so that anyone who wanted to tell the good news would ring it,” recalls Paul Deveaux. - In another company, every year employees not only decorate the Christmas tree together, but also write a few warm words to each other. They invented it themselves. " A trifle, but nice.

Photo: Getty Images