Is happiness all that is to focus on at work?

A growing interest and popularity about happiness at work have marked recent years, together with the rise of Chief Happiness Officers (CHO) and the implicit certification that can be completed online (e.g., Happiest Places to Work). Some of the requirements of the CHO role are that the person is a trained human resource professional (recommended) and received complimentary certified training. In fact, the area of intervention of a CHO is very similar to that of an HR professional but with a clear focus on promoting and managing workers’ happiness.

We, as human beings spend most of our time working and, therefore, it is consensual that work has a strong impact on our quality of life. Likewise, there is a social consensus that human beings aspire to be happy and that organizations desire to foster their workers’ perception of happiness in order for them to be more productive, creative, and engaged.

When addressing happiness at work there are some important aspects to take into account. Firstly, happiness is, in its essence, a transitory state. More concretely, it is intense and volatile, so just measuring whether the worker is happy is not enough as an indicator of productivity or engagement, it is necessary to understand the antecedents of happiness.

On the other hand, happiness at work has appeared in literature, mainly as a philosophical construct but also as a dimension that encompasses other important dimensions in the world of work. However, the definition of this new dimension is still not consensual, so it is important to define the dimension when it is used. For example, some authors argue that happiness is related to subjective well-being, absence of concerns, and short-term results or experiences, but others consider that happiness comes from meaning, a sense of purpose, and a clear focus on long-term results (Ribeiro & Silva, 2018). However, regardless of the existing definitions, there are aspects that we already know from research to be essential to increase workers’ happiness and well-being at work and these should be the focus of the organizations’ interventions, whether lead by a CHO or not.

To start, workers should be observed as integrating members of a system, in which all interactions and experiences will have an impact on each individual well-being.

Autonomy, relationships, and competence are the basic needs of the individual and are also clear predictors of worker’s motivation, which will lead to greater happiness (Deci & Ryan, 2010). Although these three core needs can be considered as the basis, there are other key factors to enhance employee happiness and motivation, such as the characteristics of the job itself. In this sense, aspects such as the variety of skills used to do the job, the identity and meaning assigned to the tasks, and the support and feedback given by managers are equally important (Hackman & Oldham, 1976).

In addition to these factors, there are resources at the organizational level that are equally important and go much further than offering happy moments and experiences at work, such as a fair and well-designed reward and recognition system; career development opportunities, and job security. Other resources to consider are at the level of interpersonal relationships such as team climate and the quality of existing relationships with management and colleagues.

It seems that giving workers a voice, supporting their development, encouraging teamwork, and valuing their actions also strongly contribute to happiness at work perceptions (Clapon, 2016). According to the demands and resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), these resources have a dual function: to promote the well-being and motivation of workers and to diminish the perception of stress, i.e. increasing workers’ happiness and resulting in an increase in productivity.

Thus, it is fundamental to understand these system processes and carry out actions that promote the well-being and motivation of workers, however basic working conditions and critical organizational resources have to be a priority for top management.

Although the most playful actions, events, and initiatives are important, if the organization is not addressing the stronger predictors there will be no significant and sustainable impact of happiness at work programs or events, particularly now in the post-covid19 era.

References

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of managerial psychology, 22(3), 309-328.

Clapon, P. (2016). What does a Chief Happiness Officer actually do? Hppy. Disponível em: https://gethppy.com/hrtrends/what-does-a-chief-happiness-officer-actually-do

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Intrinsic motivation. The corsini encyclopedia of psychology, 1-2.

Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational behavior and human performance, 16(2), 250-279.

Happiest Places to Work. Disponível em: https://happiest-places-to-work.thinkific.com/courses/chief-happiness-officer-online-certification

Ribeiro, A. D. S., & Silva, N. (2018). Significados de Felicidade orientados pela Psicologia Positiva em Organizações e no Trabalho. Psicología desde el Caribe, 35(1), 60-80.