Are You Unhappy at Work? Why?

Photo courtesy of Connor Limbocker on Unsplash

1). What makes people unhappy at your workplace?

Send me an email, or let me know the factors which go into discontent at work. (I’ll keep your answer confidential.)

Why am I asking? I’m writing a book on how to lead happy, high-performance teams. But to talk about “happiness” at work, it helps to understand what people define as “unhappiness”, as well. I’ve got lots of ideas, but I’d like to learn from your perspective. Thanks!

2). Combatting information overload at work
I’m happier when I feel productive. But unfortunately the trend in recent years has been to create open work spaces, which kill worker productivity. Read how “58% of high-performance employees say they need more quiet work spaces.”

3). Why are you planning that vacation?
Do vacations make you happier? When? And for how long? Read about this surprising research in “How Vacations Affect Your Happiness.”

4). Happiness might be different from what you think
Here is an outstanding article on some of the main drivers of happiness, by UC Berkeley’s Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas, Ph.D.

5). Excitement in recent workshops
Last week I led a workshop for the leadership team of tech startup in San Francisco, entitled “How to Lead High-Performance Teams.” We went over employee motivation, empowerment, and skills, with a focus on time management, goal-setting, and communication best practices. In the feedback form, I asked “What emotions did you feel in the workshop?” Here are the replies:
· Happiness, pride, excitement
· Excitement – new things to try that really seem impactful
· Empowered and excited to make changes
· Relevant, excited, motivated, encouraged
· Rejuvenated energy to be a good leader
· Motivated, in good humor, interested

Let me know if you think this sort of workshop could help your company, too.

6). Inspiration from a fellow Omahan
“If you’re the luckiest 1% of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99%.”
Warren Buffett

Have a wonderful month!

Jim

[ I sent this post as my regular email newsletter on July 20, 2017.]