Happiness at Work

I am currently reflecting on my four year anniversary at work which has just passed and looking at happiness at work.

I have always been a career girl and have had a number of roles over the years in retail, politics, fundraising and marketing across corporate organisations, charities and education organisations both locally, nationally and internationally.

I am a full believer that your brand on the outside is only as strong as your brand on the inside. If you are happy in your work, then that is reflected in your brand outside and to your customers.

I am a full believer that if you are not happy you have two options: change your mindset or change jobs.

I am lucky to now be at a stage and place where I enjoy my job and can honestly say that it is one of the best jobs I have ever had. Not only is the job rewarding - I love being in education and supporting students to achieve and be the best they can be - but it is also a varied role and for me, having no two days the same is important.

Furthermore, I love dealing with people and interacting with people which is what I do on a daily basis whether with staff or students/customers.

What makes this role even better for me is the supportive nature of the organisation. You can only be happy when your employer is supportive, caring and flexible and I have truly landed on my feet.

People need to feel valued in their role. For some that's money or being paid a salary equal to the others in the same sphere or being paid fairly, for others it's benefits or a strong culture and caring organisation. I saw a quote on Linked In the other day that said:

'A salary increase makes you happy once a year. A healthy workplace keeps you happy throughout the year.'

I firmly believe this to be true. A positive and caring culture is crucial to happiness all year round. Now I am not saying that you are going to be happy 365 days a year; there are bound to be times when colleagues get you down, workload is full on and you feel tired of work. This should be minimal, but a good work culture full of support, care and a focus on wellbeing will help. A supportive boss and team are fundamental to this so recruitment of the right people is key and if you are a leader - that's on you. If you cannot find the right person, don't settle, reach out again until you do get the right person. That short term pain of covering a role is worth it in the long run.

You need a team to fall back on for support and a boss to be able to be honest with who listens and supports also. You need a culture of care and wellbeing as well as kindness. Alongside this is a culture of growth mindset, innovation and growth of the organisation. Strong performance is crucial to the latter and everyone has a part to play in this development of the organisation for long term sustainability. Goals and targets need to be hit too.

Consider this in the workplace to ensure success: be kind to people, be supportive and encouraging to everyone. Acknowledge people and smile. Be the culture you want at work. Be human and harmless. Give a celebrity experience (both to your colleagues and customers) - none of this costs anything and you don't have to pay to learn it. You either do it or not. This will help you develop happiness at work, develop at work and you will be part of the development of the organisation.

Crucially, being trusted to get on with your work is a huge part of a great culture and to deliver. However trust does not happen over night. You have to earn that over time by being consistent, working hard and showing positive outcomes; in fact having good power skills is crucial here, especially being reliable. I firmly believe, do a good job, have a great work ethic and the trust will come - you don't need to plaster it over every social media platform. Your organisation and people will know the job is being done well without this self-promotion.

Finally, enjoy what you do. You have to do it for a significant part of your life. Bring passion to your job, be positive and proactive, and finally be professional. The 4 P's will give you the happiness you need and deserve at work.... and you will find it - like me - if you haven't already.