A brief guide to a happy workplace
Unfortunately, we can’t always love our job all of the time, sometimes we have bad days, a boring piece of work or even an irritating colleague. But sometimes the problem is more fundamental, we just don’t have a happy workplace. Before making any big decisions about staying or going its important to first understand what it is that you’re lacking as often you change it to make the workplace happier, for you.
Self-determination theory. 📚
It sounds fancy but it really isn’t. It’s a theory created by two psychologists who argue that there are three things that we need to feel fulfilled at work.
- Control
We need to feel a sense of power or influence over things that we care about. This doesn’t mean that we need to be the boss it just means we need to feel responsible, feeling out of control can lead a sense of purposelessness. If you think this applies to you, maybe consider taking on more responsibility at work or trying to take on work that gives you a bit more autonomy.
2. Competence
We need to feel like we have the skills we need to do the job. Feeling out of our depth or under-qualified can ruin our enjoyment of a job and cause stress and anxiety. Feeling pushed and challenged is a good thing, but only when we fundamentally believe we are capable of succeeding. If you think you’re lacking in this area ask yourself what you can do, maybe it going to someone more experienced for help or asking for more training. Or maybe the problem is more with you, beware of imposter syndrome. You can combat this by really getting to know your strengths, and remembering that there is a reason you were hired in the first place.
3. Connection
This means different things to different people, it can be being connected to other people, feeling part of a community or just a sense of being a part of something bigger than ourselves. Figuring out what it means to you is important to understand what will make you happy at work. Finding connection can be especially difficult if you are working from home, as so many of us are at this time. So make sure to find time to connect with your co-workers on a more personal level, relationships are an important part of workplace wellbeing so don’t forget about them.
Finding a balance
We all need these three things but they mean different things to each of us and we need them in different amounts. Have a think about what mix works for you and whether you’re getting this at work. If you’re unhappy at work it is always worth thinking about why you’re unhappy, are you lacking one of these three things. Understanding the reason why you’re unhappy goes a long way to understanding what you can do to change it.
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