Did you know that on an average, a person spends close to 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime?

Well, that’s a lot of your life spent at work! And if you are spending so much time at the workplace, you ought to be happy.

In a competitive world like ours, companies expect their workforce to be productive and efficient, often aiding it with different perks and good salaries. Quite contrary to conventional beliefs, productivity is also an output of happy employees. The happier they are, the more productive their work.

Happy companies are known to be more successful on various metrics. While providing free perks, food and great pay are relatively easy, research shows that these are not the things that make people happy in the workplace. Economists at the University of Warwick, in a recent study found that happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive. “We find that human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity. Positive emotions appear to invigorate human beings.”

If you are looking to get more done at work, all the experts in productivity will tell you that you ought to have the right system. Organize yourself better, prioritize tasks, maintain logs, to-do lists, and more. Much, much more!

But is that where you should really start? Probably not.

Liking what you do is the first step. Being happy at work is the single most effective way to be super productive. No organizer, app, or technique in the world can beat the boost your productivity gets when you really enjoy your work.

Don’t throw your organizers and calendars out the window now. They’re not bad. But if you’re not happy about your job, and you try all the 10-things-to-enhance-your-productivity: you are trying to solve the problem at the surface, when it is deeply rooted elsewhere.

Why happiness at work really matters?

Here are some of the most important reasons why happiness at work really matters.

Good vibes only!

Research suggests that optimists are far more productive and successful. People who are happy tend to have a more positive outlook towards everything. Increased optimism results in fresher ideas, out of the box thinking, further leading to improved results. Plus, good vibes and happy thoughts are contagious. They make for a great work environment!

Improved team work

You’ve probably noticed this in your friends circle. The most fun-to-be-around person is generally happy. When you are happy, you will find yourself become more approachable and are able to work better with your colleagues, therefore achieving greater goals for yourself & the team both.

Get your creative energy going

When you are in a good mood, you are able to think clearly. You are energized to take on new tasks. When you are happy, you are fluent, more flexible and original in your ideas. Better ideas mean better opportunities to succeed.

More problem-solving, less complaining

When you don’t like what you do at your job, it becomes challenging to fix any problem without stressing over it or complaining about it first. When you’re happy, you are better motivated to simply fix it. High motivation means greater, sustainable productivity.

Enhanced decision making

Unhappiness results in employees working in crisis mode forever. The lose sight of the core objective and focus more on short term goals, with a very here-and-now attitude. Happy people are able to prioritize their work better and make more informed decisions for the greater good of the business.

Quick learners, fewer mistakes

Happiness gives you an open mind, helps you relax. When you’re happy, you are open to learning newer things at work to help increase your productivity. The open-minded nature helps you get over the occasional mistake you make quicker. You shake it off, learn from it and move on. When you accept your mistake, take responsibility and fix it, you start learning faster and make fewer mistakes.

If these reasons haven’t got you believing the importance of happiness at work, then think about this: the last time you achieved the best of your potential, when your output was among the highest ever, what was it because of? We’re willing to bet that you were working at something that made you happy. Something you loved doing.

The link between happiness at work & productivity could not be clearer. Perks like game rooms, free food, gym facilities etc. might have you thinking that your workforce is happy. But you have to dig deeper. You may attract people to work with your firm, but if you don’t focus on keeping them happy, you are probably hindering the company performance.

More Information:

Executive Program In Business Management from IIM LUCKNOW

Leadership And Management In New Age Business from WHARTON/UPGRAD

Professional Certificate Program In General Management from IIM KOZHIKODE

Global Master Certificate In Business Analytics from MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY/UPGRAD