“How to be happy?” is one of life’s greatest questions. Taking it a step further is the task of unravelling the science of happiness at work. It’s normal to see work as a means to an end, but there’s evidence to show that happy employees perform better at work. In our last edition of ‘Thrive in 5’, we explored happiness as a concept, and now, we’re eager to figure out how to ensure and measure happiness at work. Ready? Let’s go.

Where are we now?

• Happiness at work can be defined as feeling an overall sense of enjoyment at work; gracefully handling setbacks; connecting amicably with colleagues and knowing that your work matters.

• Workplace happiness is tied to better health and mental well-being, as well as increased productivity and problem solving capabilities.

What can you do?

• Employers often offer perks such as snacks or meals in the office, recreation areas and other benefits to ensure employee happiness at work.

• These are great as motivated employees stick to a company for longer. But employees can also gain a sense of fulfilment and happiness from non-tangible perks such as getting constructive feedback, doing work that is meaningful and having other happy, open-minded colleagues around them.

What’s next?

• Happy employees are generally better liked and command more trust and respect at work.

• Workplaces that have happy employees suffer lower turnover, have lower healthcare costs and also see this reflected in better customer loyalty.

By shifting our thinking about happiness at work, we can make our work lives feel more satisfying - like something that meaningfully contributes to our happiness in life. Happier employees not only do better on all fronts, their wellbeing consistently perks up the bottom line for the organisation as a whole.

1. Still not sure how to define happiness at work? Here’s workplace happiness, demystified.

2. Your guide to reclaiming happiness at work.

3. Need more ways to be happy at work? Here are 40!