Being happy at work isn’t a given. For too many people, getting up and facing the workday comes with a lot of anxiety and trepidation, and a feeling of just wanting to crawl back into bed.
There are almost infinite reasons for that, though some of the common ones include being unhappy with the day-to-day responsibilities of the job, feeling like your best skills are going to waste, not being challenged by the job, working for a company whose mission you don’t support, or not feeling appreciated for the work you do.
Whatever the situation, it’s important to spend time thinking about how to improve your happiness at work. After all, with the average person spending 34.5 hours a week at work, life is too short to be unhappy.
Here are some tips on how to improve your happiness at work.
1. Reflect first, then explore your options.
What’s making you unhappy? Is it the amount of hours you’re working? The actual duties of the job? Monitor how you spend your day, and the points at which you feel least happy. Spend some time identifying what’s weighing on you, and then take it a step further — what can I do to change it? Many of us will put up an instant wall, saying nothing can be done, but often that’s not true. Can you make a change to your daily routine that will help? Can you get your manager involved to help you work out a better situation? Don’t be resigned to thinking you’ll always be unhappy; explore your options.
2. Consider your relationship with your colleagues.
Because we spend so much time at work, the relationship we have with our bosses and colleagues matters more than we realize. Do you like your coworkers, or just tolerate them? Do you find yourself inspired by them, or drained? Do you have a close friend at work? Do you make time to get to know the people around you, or have you closed yourself off? It may be worth spending some extra time building up those relationships and seeing if things improve. Ask people to lunch; get to know people from other departments by setting up one-on-one meetings; whatever you do, be as proactive and positive as you can. The results may surprise you.
3. Look for something new.
The very act of looking for a new job may help you figure out what’s going on at your current job that you’re not happy with. Spend some time looking around for not only what you’re “qualified” for, but for what actually piques your interest: you may find that you’re unhappy because you want to be doing something entirely different, or at the very least, spend more of your time in a hobby that speaks more to your passion.
4. Schedule enjoyable out-of-work activities.
For people who spend far too many hours at work, hobbies and dinners with friends tend to fall to the wayside. Re-prioritize. Make promises to yourself about how much time you’re spending at work — often, you have more control than you realize. Pepper your schedule with things that make you happy, even if that’s an early-morning gym session. Sometimes these small improvements in your out-of-work life can vastly improve the way you see your time at work.
5. Look at your compensation.
One of the reasons people leave jobs is because they don’t feel they’re being appreciated or valued enough. Sometimes, getting a raise can help. Evaluate what it is about your job that directly impacts the company’s bottom line. Use sites like Comparably to figure out how much people like you are earning, then use that data along with thoughtful notes to have a chat with your manager.
