Did you know that 52.3% of Americans report being unhappy at work? That’s according to a study done by a non-profit group called the Conference Board that has been surveying employee happiness since 1987. The surveyed employees cited “Interest in work” and the “People at work” as being the two biggest contributors to being happy at work. However, even when people like who they work with, and are interested in what they’re doing, everyone has a stressful week. Here are five little things you can do at the office to pull you and your colleagues through a rough patch.
Start your day off with something that makes you happy
When you know you’re going to have a particularly tough week, forget setting the alarm on your coffee pot. Splurge this week and take yourself out for coffee on the way to work. Science says that if you are going to be slammed and won’t be able to run out and get lunch, don’t brown bag it every day this week. Pick up something for lunch while you’re grabbing your morning coffee. Not a fan of eating out? Try to plan out your lunches on Sunday, and make something that you’re looking forward to eating in the middle of the day. If you eat a turkey sandwich with cheese and chips everyday, make that recipe that you’ve been meaning to try, or take the extra time that week to carve out an hour for a lunch out with a friend. When you know you’re going to be stressed, giving yourself the time you need to stop thinking about everything you have on your plate will pay off.
Say thank you
You might not think that saying thank you to your colleagues, the person in front of you that held the door open when your hands were full, or stopping to appreciate that your son or daughter finally picked up their rainboots from the back door, but gratitude has a habit of being contagious. Study after study show that people who are thankful for what they have in their lives are happier than those who feel like they have to have every need met in order to feel satisfied in their lives. Meaning, people who express gratitude frequently are much more likely to see the “glass half full.” Try saying thank you more often to your colleagues, family members and friends, and see how often you’ll start hearing it from them.
Help a colleague
It might not seem like helping a colleague should make you happier at work, but a UW-Madison study says there’s a connection. Over 10,000 Wisconsin high school graduates were surveyed during their mid thirties. Those that cited helping people as being a big priority in their work reported higher overall life satisfaction when they were surveyed again 30 years later. So taking that extra time to review the summer-end report of your department’s interns, or helping your colleague move to their new desk might not seem super important, but it just might make you happier at work.
Buy a plant
Take a look around your office. Do you see anything green other than that rogue shamrock from the St. Patty’s Day party? It might be time to buy a plant. Did you know that adding a little greenery to your desk could also boost your productivity? A study by Norwegian researchers showed that employees who sat at desks with plants or flowers showed more improvement paying attention to a task than those sitting at empty desks. A simple shift of attention to something resembling nature gives our brains enough of a break to allow a restorative effect. Meaning, a plant has nearly the same kind of effect on our mental state as a short nap. If you don’t think your boss will be on board with cat-napping under your desk, spring for a plant that will survive in a non-tropical desk environment.
Stop eating at your desk
The only way to get to know if you actually like the people you work with is by getting to know them. One easy way to get to know your co-workers is by asking them to go to lunch with you. That could mean a simple walk down to the employee cafeteria, bringing your brown bagged lunch to the employee break room, or actually leaving the office to explore neighborhood eateries. Whatever you do, stop eating at your desk! Science shows that eating at your desk is stressing you out and making you less creative.
Science tells us that adding these five habits to your workplace routine/ environment can make your time at work, the place where you’re spending one third of your life, happier. You don’t have to add each suggestion all at once. Small changes can make a bigger impact than you might think. Science shows us that too. Trying one of these five things next week might just be enough to improve your level of happiness at your workplace.