Diener & Diener Chapter 5: Happiness at Work
Supportive Supervisors
- Approachable - Show interest in employees -Encourage worker development - Know how much freedom to give workers - Praise jobs well done, give periodic feedback - Interested in continuing employee development and eager to provide tools and training - Performance feedback
Clear Requirements and How to Meet Them
- Clear expectations and solid understanding of how and when to meet them promotes happiness - Clear job descriptions, sensible training, easy to understand measures for success -Chance to shine on job
Respect and Status
- Giving employees' respect and status is important; boosts self-esteem - Employee of the month programs increase enthusiasm and happiness - Colleagues appreciating you is important
Good Pay and Fringe Benefits
- Good workplaces pay employees a decent wage (afford room, board, benefits, retirement savings, maternity leave, etc.) - Good pay by itself does not equal career happiness
Happy Workers are Good Workers
- Happy workers earn more money and are more successful - Happy people more likely to be successful and earn more money later in life - Happy people better reviewed by supervisors - Happy people are more creative at work/divergent ideas - Happy people less likely to quit, take sick days - Happy people more likely to show up on time, help colleagues, be productive - Happy people have higher organizational citizenship: tasks engage in that help business and co-workers -Bottom line: Happy workers earn more money for company and themselves!
Best Places to Work
- Jobs with policies to benefit the workers and company - Jobs with mechanisms in place for dealing with internal problems as they arise - Example: Using employee's strengths - Allowing freedom, make workers enthusiastic, harness their power
Jobs with a Variety of Tasks
- Jobs with variety of tasks make happy workers (presentations, meetings, research, etc.) where people are engaged
Job Fit and Challenge
- Most satisfied workers on average: clergy, educators, engineers, painters, office supervisors, psychologists - Least satisfied: waitresses, roofers, cashiers, meat cutters, bartenders - Any type of work can be a calling -Degree to which job challenges you (the right amount) - Challenge optimal: matches skill level well, fall into a state of flow "in the zone" - Flow arises when skills are matched to challenge of activity (fully engaged, lose track of time)
Opportunities for Personal Control
- Workers who do not feel like they have control over jobs suffer more health problems - Makes work feel less routine and job more rewarding; people become more involved
Conclusions Happiness at Work
-Happiness can increase effectiveness on job - Important to find job that is right fit for you, appropriately challenging, suited to your personality, meaningful, interesting to you - Do what you do best on a daily basis, companies that promote happiness, happy supervisor, decent compensation, clear job expectations, status and respect - Positive feelings are related to a variety of desirable outcomes on job, receive more money, more promotions, better ratings, better citizens at work - More sociable,more energy, enthusiasm, work harder and more confidently - Fewer distractions
Work as a Calling Characteristics
-Truly loving work -Believing work stimulates you -Belief that work is meaningful
3 Work Orientations
1. Job Orientation 2. Career Orientation 3. Calling Orientation
Job Crafting
Becoming architect of job, doing additional tasks, help other coworkers, take initiative in tasks in more efficient ways
Career Orientation
Like some aspects of job, may or may not recommend, look forward to vacation time, see work as stepping stone to gaining respect/status/money, motivated by promotions, connections, pay raises, responsibility, etc.
Calling Orientation
Love job, work is important, contribution to world, excited and challenged by daily work, would do even if not paid, passionate, enjoy vacations and returning to work - Anyone can have calling orientation (janitors, CEO's, etc.) - About 1/3 of people have calling orientation - Often more successful and spend more time at work - Also happiest at home!
Job Orientation
View job primarily in terms of tangible benefits (paycheck), don't anticipate tasks they do each day, would not recommend job to friend, look forward to end of shift, see job as way to get money
