Happy worker only if happy workplace

According to a psychologist, a positive and happy culture at workplace is important for employee happiness and engagement.

‘Happy employees are better employees – they look out for each other more,’ Dr Timothy Sharp said at Comcare’s national conference in Melbourne.

‘Happy and positive workplaces are less likely to experience frequency and intensity of injuries than those that are not,’ according to Sharp.

Sharp founded the Happy Institute in Sydney 8 years ago where corporate coaching sessions are conducted to encourage employees and managers to collaborate and improve their work environments.

There are no easy answers to find happiness at work, said Sharp, who is a lecturer at RMIT as well as the University of Technology, Sydney.

While happier workers are efficient and more productive, stressful work conditions and stressful workers can create mental health problems for the entire workforce.

Pleasure, relationships, engagement, meaning and achievement all contribute to satisfaction.

Sharp blamed the ‘hedonistic treadmill’ for the deep sense of dissatisfaction so many people experienced.

Putting happiness first ‘creates a sense of energy and inspiration’ and ‘positive emotions lead us to broaden and build our minds’, he said.

An optimistic attitude underscored happiness. Sharp warned self-defeating thought patterns such as over-generalising, black-and-white thinking and catastrophising can lead to depression.

‘We don’t cope well when we experience severe levels of stress,’ he said.

Facing and dealing with ‘cold, hard realities’, being grateful and managing risks laid the foundations for a happy workplace.

Making workplace happy may boost employee happiness and subsequently productivity!