9 Unique Ways to Be Happy and Fulfilled at Work

According to a recent LinkedIn report, 70 percent of American workers are disengaged at work. This means that they aren’t working to their fullest potential. Even worse, this results in almost half of all hires failing within 18 months.

The good news is that there are proven, effective ways to be happy and fulfilled at work. Happy workers are more productive and energized while being less likely to take sick leave or quit their jobs. Below explains nine unique ways to increase your work satisfaction.

Start the Day Right

The first thing you can do to be happy at work is to start the day right while at home. This means that you need to get to bed on time so you can wake up without being rushed. Take time to eat a nutritious breakfast, read a little or even exercise. Just taking 20 to 30 minutes in the morning to quietly relax will make a world of difference throughout the day at work. Consider listening to music or audiobooks during your commute to keep your mind relaxed and focused.

Stay Organized

Once at work, plan and schedule the day’s tasks instead of just jumping into sifting through hundreds of emails. Being organized will increase your work satisfaction. Many employees naturally feel overwhelmed with competing deadlines, interrupting co-workers, and mountains of paperwork. Create your own system for managing both scheduled tasks and un-scheduled crises. Consider using Outlook Calendar so you can schedule collective tasks with co-workers. If necessary, don’t be afraid to ask for help from others.

Create your own Space

Since you spend eight hours a day at work, consider creating your own individual space. If you have a cubicle or office, decorate and personalize your surroundings. Try to find the right balance between comfort and professionalism. Plants, pictures and sentimental items all create a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere. Be sure to keep your space clean and clutter free.

Professionally Socialize

While work isn’t the time to sit around and socialize, it does provide important networking opportunities. In fact, most jobs provide excellent opportunities to develop meaningful and lifelong relationships with co-workers. Having friends at work will increase your work satisfaction while creating an informal support network. Avoid trying to socialize during peak work time, and instead use downtime to engage with others and develop relationships.

Separate Home and Work

Avoid bringing your personal problems to work and your work problems to home. Being emotionally upset due to a relationship or personal problem is very disruptive and counterproductive. Take care of any non-work issues during lunch or before or after work. Remember that focusing on work without interruptions from home is an excellent way to reduce the stress you are experiencing from your home life. If you are experiencing serious issues, talk to your supervisor so they can help accommodate your needs.

Take your Breaks

Many employees sometimes feel chained to their desks. They often get caught up in urgent matters that consume their time until they realize it’s late afternoon and they haven’t had lunch yet. As a result, they will most likely eat lunch at their desk or drive through a nearby fast food restaurant. Always remember to take your rightful breaks and lunch at the right time. Try to eat lunch outside of your workplace. Stepping away from your desk will allow you to relax, re-focus and re-charge your batteries. Finally, be sure to drink plenty of water and eat healthy snacks.

Interpersonal Bliss

A large amount of work stress comes from interpersonal exchanges with clients, co-workers and management. Understand and accept that you cannot change other people’s attitudes and actions. Instead, focus on being patient, calm and non-confrontational. Many workplace conflicts arise from the inability of multiple parties to logically communicate and compromise. For example, an emotionally written, impolite email from a co-worker might trigger a similar response. Take a few minutes to calm down, discuss the issue with a co-worker and write a professional response.

Goals

Many employees who feel disengaged at work simply show up, perform their required tasks and return home without any feeling of accomplishment. One of the keys to work satisfaction is to continually set and reach goals. This will not only make you more productive, but also display your leadership and organizational skills.

Help Others

Psychology studies consistently show that those who display altruistic behaviors are statistically happier than those who don’t. That is, a great way to increase self-worth and improve relationships is through helping others. For example, you can assist a co-worker out on a difficult project or a client with a frustrating problem. Focusing on helping co-workers is also a great way to expand your skill set and social circle.

To wrap things up, there are proven ways to increase your satisfaction and fulfillment at work. Being happy at work will increase your overall quality, efficiency and enjoyment. The above nine tips are not a solve all, but if put into practice, you will be definitely see improvements in your overall happiness at work!

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