Happiness in the Workplace

Happiness in the workplace is perhaps a distant concept for half of the people in the workforce. Even for those who love their jobs, the "workplace" can sometimes turn into an environment that causes unhappiness. Recently, the rise of remote and hybrid work models can increase happiness for some people, while for others, they might cause even greater unhappiness.

In this article, I aim to share the information I gathered from my readings on workplace happiness. I recommend taking a look at these studies, which helped me realize many things about myself.

There is a classic calculation: we divide the day into three parts. 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for work, and 8 hours for other activities. A significant portion of our day, and thus our life, is devoted to work-related matters, even when we are not at the workplace. Numerous studies show that happiness at work greatly impacts one's overall happiness, family and social relationships, and health.

What is Happiness?

The concept of "happiness" is an important subject that humans have thought about, written books on, researched, and perhaps even see as the meaning of life. Many sayings have been made about this concept, and many definitions have been provided.

Dalai Lama says that happiness is "The highest form of human health." Albert Schweitzer, on the other hand, expresses his thoughts on happiness by stating, "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, you will be successful." Ludwig van Beethoven provides us with a clue about the source of happiness with his statement, "True happiness comes from thinking about the happiness of others."

Psychology Professor Edward Francis Diener (Ed Diener), known for his studies on happiness and also referred to as "Dr. Happiness," has brought a new definition to the concept of happiness. In his 1984 paper titled "Subjective Well-Being"¹, Diener addresses happiness as "subjective well-being." Subjective well-being relates to an individual's emotional state, general satisfaction, and quality of life. This concept includes elements such as happiness, positive emotions, life satisfaction, fulfillment, self-esteem, meaning, and purpose.

Types of Happiness

When considering the types of happiness, three types emerge²: life satisfaction, frequent positive emotions, and rare negative emotions. Below, I will try to provide some examples of these:

Type	Description
Life Satisfaction	- I love my job - I got into a good school - I'm happy with my home
Frequent Positive Emotions	- I'm happy in my relationship - The time spent with my friends is great - My communication with my surroundings is healthy
Rare Negative Emotions	- I rarely get sick - I'm a calm person - I don't get stressed at work

The Possibility of Happiness

Research on happiness shows that our happiness is not entirely in our hands. Important factors like genetics and the environment play a significant role. These studies can also help us understand many situations in which we feel stuck.

For example, there are common suggestions made to someone who is depressed, such as "go for a walk, exercise, take up a hobby." However, due to their mental state, the person may not be able to do these things even if they wanted to. Similarly, some people undergo a complete mood shift when they go to the beach. Others complain about the sand, the heat, or sunburn. Just as a person's character determines the activities they will enjoy, it also plays a significant role in their overall happiness. I believe everyone has at least one extremely cheerful person and one extremely grumpy person around them.

The factors affecting our happiness can be grouped under three main headings: genetics, the results of our actions, and the events that happen to us.

I hope we agree that there's little we can do about genetics. How much we can influence the events that happen to us varies. The notion of "Geography is destiny," which we perhaps hear frequently these days, might be one of those factors.

However, despite all these, studies show that we can influence our happiness by about 15% - 40% (a significant difference).

Happiness in the Workplace

Now, let's get to the main topic of this article: happiness in the workplace. As mentioned earlier, it's a concept that greatly affects our lives. Is it possible? Of course. Is it easy? We haven't said anything about it being easy.

Let's discuss some concepts that generally affect happiness in the workplace. Of course, there will be gaps in my explanation. However, I hope it will be enough to spark something in your minds.

Job Satisfaction

How fulfilling your job is has a tremendous impact on your happiness at work. Besides enjoying what you do, the outcome must also satisfy you. And when I say outcome, I don't mean the money you earn.

I work as a system administrator in the IT sector. Therefore, I may not always see the "concrete" results of my work. Imagine being in a social setting where people are talking about their jobs. A writer talks about their book. A musician talks about their next concert or album. Someone else has made something with their hands and can show it. Someone is painting a wall, and you can see it. Another person works as a greengrocer, and you go shopping. There's a concrete example on the table, something that can be shown or something that everyone can understand without needing to be demonstrated. Fields like courier services, teaching, driving, and medicine also provide clear results that can be easily shown. I, however, cannot explain my work. Most people can't even visualize it in their minds. If they see or hear about computers, they shy away. Of course, our work has tangible results, and many people's lives are affected simultaneously by it. But it's not always something that can be easily shown or understood. This situation is not exclusive to the IT sector.

Perhaps this is why people say, "Those who don't love this job can't do it."

Throughout my workday, solving problems, brainstorming, helping others, and coming up with alternative solutions make me happy. I'm very satisfied with this. But do we always face such challenges at work?

With the industrial revolution, we shifted to mass production. In industry jargon, we stopped creating "end-to-end" solutions. We no longer take a tree and turn it into a door. We no longer take fabric and turn it into clothing. These tasks have been divided into smaller components. People started doing repetitive tasks on production lines. Everyone became part of a bigger picture in their work life. They were constantly doomed to repetitive tasks. Production quantity and speed increased. Perhaps our desire to be part of something bigger was exploited, and capitalism won. Leaving us with unhappiness.

For some people, experiencing this routine in work life might be enjoyable, but for others, it is the opposite. Research shows that things that become routine no longer make us as happy as they did on the first day.

This is why, for example, we're very happy about marriage in the first three months. Then we calm down. Similarly, for example, after changing jobs, everything goes well for the first six months, and then we start getting bored. While routine can sometimes create a safe space that relaxes us, it can also be one of the main reasons for unhappiness.

Income

Dear friends, if you don't like your job and want to change it, the situation in the country is clear: people who change jobs often get a salary increase. You escape the job you're bored with and go somewhere else, and you're paid more. Isn't that a perfect reason for happiness?

No.

Research, including Ed Diener and Martin Seligman's study "Beyond Money: Toward an Economy of Well-Being"³, shows that money does not bring us lasting happiness. Yes, we are happy for a while. But then, as I mentioned earlier, it normalizes. With the arrival of money, your spending options increase. For example, going on vacation, which once seemed like a dream, is now possible. You go on vacation. You are happy. Then? Then, the routine returns.

Contrary to what is believed, your salary does not make you happy. In fact, the truth is, people who are happy tend to earn more. But there's no evidence that those with more income are happier. People who can maintain a "good state" tend to be more social at work. They are more helpful. As they do these things, their mood improves. Their performance increases. This positive mood creates the mental environment needed for self-improvement. These chain reactions lead to these positive individuals earning more in the end.

Time

If you don't have a serious need for money, the answer to this question is clear: "Would you rather work 12 hours a day for 12 units of salary, or work 8 hours a day for 8 units of salary?"

It's about work-life balance. How much time can you dedicate to yourself, your family, and your loved ones? Your manager or team leader may think it's a skill to work in the middle of the night. They may be sacrificing their own time to catch up with their tasks. While they are doing this, do notifications keep coming to your phone? Are you expected to respond even when you're off work or on leave? Do they say, "Leave home, focus on your work!"? Or, for example, do you have to travel a long distance to get to work or back home?

The purpose of our work is clear: to earn the income that sustains our lives and helps us reach our goals. However, if this crosses boundaries and starts to affect "our life itself," it will undoubtedly lead to significant unhappiness.

Corporate Culture

You are an individual with your own values and beliefs. The work you do should align with these values. If it doesn't, there's a serious cause for unhappiness. For example, if you work in a team that conducts experiments on animals while you are an animal rights advocate, it's not reasonable to expect you to be happy. Most likely, you are doing this job because you have no other choice, which won't bring you happiness either.

Similarly, if the general atmosphere of the company you work for is not suited to you, your happiness at work will be compromised. If you're someone who likes to take initiative and find solutions, being in an environment where you are constantly micromanaged will make you unhappy. If you're under stress but feel even more pressure, you're probably in the wrong place. If you're a social person but you don't get the same in return in your working environment, the result will be negative.

In general, it's unrealistic to expect happiness in environments that don't suit your characteristics or where those characteristics are suppressed. It may sound odd, but when asked about my expectations for the work environment in an interview, I stated that I wouldn't want to be the only one asking, "Shall we have a soup after a late-night shift before heading home?" They appreciated my request, and they mentioned that it would be impossible for me to be alone in that matter within the team.

Development Opportunities

This is closely related to job satisfaction and corporate culture. If you have the goal of advancing yourself, but in your work environment, you frequently hear things like, "That's not our job, let the relevant person handle it," "Let's pass the ball to someone else so it doesn't fall on us," "Forget that for now, come and deal with this," "Top management prioritized this," or "Do research on your own time," it seems unlikely that any development will occur here.

Being Appreciated

You thank the person who helps you, even if it's just their job. However, you are looked down upon or left unanswered. Or when roles are reversed in a similar scenario, they don't thank you.

Your manager, team leader, or whoever you report to is constantly pointing out your mistakes. The things you do right are just part of your job, and you get paid for that. If you're lucky, you might hear a dry "Well done" from them.

I think you understand what I mean. It's not abnormal to expect appreciation and for people to treat you as you treat them. When this expectation is not met, unhappiness knocks on the door.

The Importance of Happiness in the Workplace

Actually, this topic shouldn't be limited to just the work environment. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, work takes up a significant portion of our lives. If we want to be happy, it's just as important to be happy at work, as it is in our personal life.

Many studies show that - you don't even have to look too far, you can observe this in your close circle - people who are unhappy at work reflect that unhappiness throughout their lives. The opposite is true as well.

In fact, an employee's happiness is beneficial for the employer. Happy employees are more productive than unhappy ones.⁴

Happy people at work tend to increase cooperation with their colleagues. They help more. And as they help, they feel even happier. It's like they enter a cycle opposite to depression.

There's not much more to say on this subject, really. These are well-known facts. If your manager says, "This is not a place to make you happy," some things may already be too late to fix.

Tips for Happiness in the Workplace

The research I've done actually aligns with some of the advice that parents have been giving for years. The tips I will list below won't apply to everyone or every environment. However, before you say "What is this, this is nonsense," I suggest you stop and think for a moment, and give these suggestions a chance as much as possible.

Keep a happiness journal: What moments during your workday made you happy? List them. The intensity or content doesn't matter. For example, X friend handed me a biscuit. Or a funny video was shared in the chat channel. It doesn't matter. I'm not suggesting excessive optimism here. What is expected is that you note the things that made you feel good, even if just for a moment. As you do this repeatedly, you will notice that you've started looking for reasons to be happy.
Forget about the chimney cleaning: You get together with your friends, and you start talking about work. You all vent your frustrations and feel relieved. But when the group disperses, you realize you haven't solved any problems and, on top of that, you've learned about new problems you weren't even aware of before. That gathering of people, who got together to complain about the company, manager, or anything else, disperses while exhausting itself. People tend to focus on the negative, the danger, the problem. Conversations like these will narrow your already limited focus on happiness. Of course, you can share your concerns and thoughts with your friends. You can vent to them. But complaining, whining, and venting are different concepts. You should keep this in mind.
Speak up: Express the points that bother you with the appropriate language. Every problem you keep to yourself, every critical conversation you avoid, will come back to you as a heavier burden. Of course, you may have some reservations or fears when making these conversations. The choice is yours. You should choose what's best for your health. But if these concerns are fueled by prejudices, it's time to pause and reflect. If your thoughts are like, "They won't understand, even if I tell them they won't listen, nothing will change, it's always been like this," which often happens, acknowledge that you might not be 100% right. Maybe you're right, in fact, you're probably right, but even for that 1% chance, go and knock on the door.
Think about the alternative: Let's say you left your job and joined a new one. And now, you're unhappy there as well. What will happen? Think about your old job. Think about why you left. Imagine you're still working there. Think about a scenario where you earn less or even have no income at all. Visualize this in your mind. Think about the times when you were unemployed and searching for a job. Recall the excitement you felt when you applied for and/or were accepted to this job. By making comparisons with your different versions - and perhaps even sometimes with your surroundings - you may increase your focus on the sources of happiness.

In addition, there are of course the classic happiness tips. Your job is to earn money. Earn it, and then leave work at work. Don't think about it after working hours. Take up a hobby. Pamper yourself with the money you've earned. Relax, don't stress too much, and many other things are often said on these topics. They all have their merits but also challenges. If you can do it, that's great.

There's a lot more to be said about this topic. Happiness is a complex concept in itself. Sometimes, you can be happy just by seeing someone, sometimes by hearing a piece of music. Sometimes, even if the world is laid out in front of you, it won't be enough (but still, I'd like to try it once, maybe it'll be enough for me).

Perhaps, at the core of everything, as written on the Oracle's wall, "Know thyself" is what truly matters.

References

Subjective Well-Being (Ed Diener, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 95, No. 3, 1984), https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2162125 ↩
Happiness: The Science of Subjective Well-Being (Ed Diener, Noba textbook series: Psychology, https://nobaproject.com/modules/happiness-the-science-of-subjective-well-being) ↩
Beyond Money: Toward an Economy of Well-Being (Ed Diener, Martin Seligman, 2004), https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x ↩
Happy workers are 13% more productive (Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, George Ward, Clement Bellet), https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-10-24-happy-workers-are-13-more-productive ↩