Workplace happiness

We can foster good relationships at home with our family, friends and partners. But what about work?

A 75 year Harvard study has found that there is one thing that surpasses everything else when it comes to being happy: good relationships.

We are social creatures at heart. We crave interaction, engagement, and connection with others. And since we spend so much of our time at work, it makes sense that the better our working relationships are, the happier and more productive we will be. Happy working relationships facilitate a happier working environment, which encourages innovation and creativity and an openness to change.

How to enable happy relationships at work

If you’re keen to take steps to shift your workplace into an environment that facilitates happy relationships, here are some tips to getting things started:

• Respect: Valuing your colleague’s input, ideas and capabilities are integral to a respectful relationship. With that respect in place, you can work collaboratively to find profitable and beneficial outcomes.
• Mindfulness: This means being aware of, and taking responsibility for, your words and actions in the workplace. This can be a tough one and should be a work-in-progress at all times.
• Diversity: An openness to opinions and people different to you enables some of the most creative and innovative outcomes possible.
• Communication: All good relationships rely on open and honest communication. Consider different ways to ensure that communication is strong and streamlined in your team.
• Trust: With trust, you can be honest and open in your thoughts and actions, knowing your team support you.

If you are struggling at work and need support, call one of our MensLine Australia counsellors on 1300 78 99 78 or access free video and online counselling.