The loop of happiness at work
We spend a large portion of our time working. It’s nice if we can also be happy during those working hours. More than a quarter of employees in the Netherlands are fortunate: their organisation pays close attention to employee well-being at work. But how do you start working on well-being at work?
In recent years, the MonitorGroep has conducted extensive research into the core of workplace happiness. Based on this research, Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, and Onno Hamburger’s (Gelukkig Werken Academy) “Happy at Work” pyramid, the model “The 8 of Workplace Happiness” was developed. It is a clear model that provides organisations with practical guidance on how to foster greater workplace happiness within their organisations. The model takes the shape of a lemniscate, symbolizing the infinity of (sustainable) workplace happiness.
Happiness at work isn’t something you create on your own. It arises from an interaction between the organisation, on the one hand, and the employee themselves, on the other. The Loop of Happiness at Work can therefore be divided into two groups: the “I” side and the “we” side. Enjoyment, fulfilment, competence, and autonomy are factors that you, as an employee, can influence yourself. For the other four factors (trust, relatedness, purpose, and appreciation), you are more dependent on the organisation and your colleagues. That is why we call this the “we” side of the model.
While autonomy is something you have some control over, trust is something you have to earn. As an employee, it’s really nice when your manager places that trust in you and doesn’t micromanage everything. In a culture where there’s a lot of trust, work happiness flourishes. But the tricky thing about trust is that it comes on foot and leaves on horseback. When there’s a lack of trust, two factors often come into play: a lack of trust in management or not being able to speak your mind.
People are social creatures, and work is a group process. In general, we enjoy feeling connected to an organisation. That connection is fostered through frequent contact with management and staying informed about developments within the organisation (not just through the intranet). A connection with the people in the organisation is formed when people feel safe to speak their minds and can share personal matters with colleagues or even friends at work.
A recent international study by Gallup on happiness in life revealed that “having meaningful work” is the most important factor for happiness, even more so than family. People are increasingly deriving their sense of identity from the work they do and are becoming more aware of the importance of their work. A sense of purpose, therefore, stems from a fundamental feeling of job satisfaction; the sense that your work is relevant.
Everyone likes to receive compliments, whether they come from a satisfied customer or your manager. We want to hear that our efforts are appreciated. In the Netherlands, we don’t give compliments all that often; only 53% of employees say they hear often enough that they’re doing a good job.
On average, we in the Netherlands rate our work happiness at 7.3. The enjoyment component is the most decisive factor in this rating, which is why fun and happiness are sometimes used interchangeably. Laughter is a good indicator of enjoyment. Employees who laugh more at work are also happier overall. The contetn of the work also contributes to greater enjoyment, along with the work atmosphere and coworkers. That’s why we can summarize it this way: enjoyable work with enjoyable people is a key factor in your work happiness.
Fulfilment is best measured by the energy an employee derives from their work. A lack of fulfilment may, for example, be related to efficiency, so it’s a good idea to explore that further. Fulfilment stems more from the results you achieve in a day. Just one brilliant idea in a day can greatly increase your work happiness!
Personal development, doing what you’re good at, and being able to grow. That’s what competence is about. Career advancement opportunities, or rather, the lack thereof, are the main reason employees leave an organisation. Three aspects are important for growth: training and education opportunities, development opportunities, and career advancement opportunities. The organisation’s culture also plays a significant role here: are we allowed to learn from our mistakes? Or is there a culture of blame?
Autonomy is a basic human need. Can you do your work at your own pace and in your own way? Even as children, we say, “I’ll do it myself.” Autonomy, therefore, is closely linked to work happiness. Autonomy is really about the freedom you’re given and, with it, the feeling that you’re taken seriously; it’s a recognition of your professionalism.
In addition to the eight factors that are important for work happiness, there are also “dishappifiers”: these are factors that do not increase work happiness, but reduce work happiness if they are not properly managed. The organisation of work is an example of this. An efficient organisation does not significantly increase work happiness. An inefficient organisation, however, reduces work happiness. A workload that’s too high is the factor that redcues work happiness the most. A good workload appears to go hand in hand with work happiness, but as soon as it becomes too high and people are negatively affected by it, work happiness drops dramatically.