Do you sometimes find it difficult to maintain a positive attitude in your workplace?
Sure, you’re grateful for the job, the paycheck and the mostly-pleasant coworkers. But sometimes — maybe even more often than you’d like — you just feel kind of lukewarm about the whole thing. And let’s face it, there are some days when doing anything but watching Netflix and eating popcorn seems like a serious inconvenience.
Unless you’re talking about a clearly toxic workplace, many aspects of your on-the-job happiness are in your own hands. (Tweet this thought.) Instead of giving in to a negative attitude by default, read on for a few ways to energize your coworkers (and yourself) and make it just a little bit easier to be happy in your work environment:
1. Be Specific About Gratitude
The first step in helping yourself be more positive is to show appreciation with specific details. How many emails do you end each day with, “Thanks, [Your Name]”? While it’s a perfectly acceptable ending to an email, spending another three seconds on it can give you a huge boost in happiness.
The next time you’re about to end the email with a brisk “Thank you,” try to follow it up with a reason. It can be related to the email, or just to your personal relationship with your coworker. “Thank you for spending so much time on this proposal,” or, “Thank you for such a detailed response,” means a lot more to you and to the recipient. And who knows? That might be the only congratulations or compliment your coworker receives all day!
2. Don’t Just Ask the Obvious Questions
Employees and management alike can make use of this tip, because so many interactions in today’s sometimes-virtual offices are brief and to the point. From a quick check-in about a deadline to an arduous conference call about a new project, it can be all too easy to see coworkers and employees as computer-like answer machines.
Instead of treating people like information databases, make a point to ask a genuine question every once in a while. Showing curiosity about a piece of jewelry or a certain style of tie can spark a conversation that builds camaraderie and shows people how much you care. And in the end, that’s what motivates a team to work harder and better together.
3. Try to Establish Inside Jokes to Build Camaraderie
This one can be more difficult, because it can be hard to get a sense of your coworkers’ or team’s collective sense of humor, but it’s worth it to try. Nothing unites people like a common (humorous) enemy, so keep an eye out for an outside-the-office victim like a funny sign or newspaper typo and share it with coworkers.
Inside jokes create a common (harmless) enemy for a team or group of people. And while the best ones are situational and a little crazy, it’s possible to find a joke outside the office and bring it back for your team to enjoy. At a loss for where to start? Seek out audience-appropriate Onion articles that hit on a relatable workplace situation, or those standby Dilbert comics that are eerily accurate. (Please note: If you’re in HR and you find a particular Dilbert strip hilarious because it has quoted something you said, avoid passing said comic around the office. It’s not funny to us.)
4. Stop and Acknowledge When Something — Anything — Gets Finished
Many corporate jobs encourage speed and forward motion. And while this helps the bottom line, more often than not, it leaves employees feeling caught in an endless cycle of production. That spells burnout.
When your team or a team member finishes a project — from submitting a career-changing report to finally shooting off an important, detailed email — for goodness’ sake, stop and acknowledge that something important was completed. Ideally, this recognition should come from management, but it’s just as energizing and encouraging from fellow employees.
From corporate high-rise to small business home office, it might seem like the way to achieve happiness is to keep barreling through your to do list. But if you want a positive workplace and a joy for what you do while checking off those boxes, you’ve got to make it a priority to stop, reflect and give notice to accomplishments as they sail by.
Do you feel happier already? What helps you stay positive on the job?
Image: Flickr
