The Happiest People at Work Have These 4 Emotional Intelligence Skills. Which Do You have?
What contributes to workplace happiness? The opportunity and capacity to pursue meaning and derive a sense of purpose from your work. Happiness at work includes feelings of engagement, flow and focus. You feel motivated to strive for your personal best. When you’re happy at work, you feel a sense of personal satisfaction and commitment to what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with and why you’re doing it.
There are bottom line benefits to happy workplaces. These range from increased productivity and customer loyalty, to development of a greater number of innovative products, to fewer employee sick days. Happiness positively correlates with individual workplace success, including higher income, favorable evaluations, better team-work and social support from colleagues and supervisors. Happy employees manage through adversity, tolerate stress and remain optimistic.
The domains of happiness include relational, mental and emotional well-being. These domains act as support pillars for workplace diversity, equity and inclusion. Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas, Ph.D., is the science director of the Greater Good Science Center. She defines happiness at work as purpose, engagement, resilience and kindness. Every human being should have the opportunity to strengthen and experience this definition of workplace happiness.
Happiness both contributes to, and is a product of, our overall emotional intelligence. There are four core emotional intelligence skills that raise levels of happiness at work.
1. Self-regard
Happiness is a by-product of believing in yourself and living with freedom to act on your values. High levels of self-regard promote positive feelings, enhance self-respect and build confidence. People with healthy self-regard are secure in their strengths and express humility regarding weaknesses.
Do you feel confident in your ability to achieve your full potential?
Do you acknowledge and accept your weaknesses, while remaining optimistic and secure?
If you could improve one facet of your self-confidence at work - what would it be? Why?
2. Self-actualization
Happiness at work comes from a willingness to learn and grow on a journey aligned with your values. Your openness to pursue meaning and self-improvement leads to satisfying, enjoyable work.
Are there opportunities at work for you to optimize your talents?
Do you find meaning in your work and set challenging goals for yourself?
Do you continually develop your skills, take training and receive coaching?
3. Interpersonal Relationships
The science is clear. The single most important thing you can do to increase happiness at work and live a happy life is form meaningful, satisfying, healthy relationships. Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. Well-developed relationships serve as a buffer from the negative effects of life’s daily demands. If maintained, these relationships enhance and sustain feelings of happiness.
Are there times when you struggle with your work relationships? If so, what causes the struggle and how could you remedy the conflict and miscommunication?
Do you have a mentor? Do you act as a mentor to someone else?
Do you feel as connected as you could be with your team? If not, what steps can you take to improve the relationship?
4. Optimism
When you’re faced with setback and disappointment, your ability to recover and re-claim a happy mindset is contingent on your level of optimism. Happy individuals and teams adopt a positive mindset during adversity. Happy teams recover more quickly than unhappy teams and are more productive during difficult times. Did you know happy development teams write better code, faster? A positive outlook on work and life helps you thrive and take positive action toward goals.
What thoughts help you remain optimistic during difficulty times?
How can you share your optimism to increase motivation and productivity of those you work with?
Are there situations where you feel less optimistic? If so, how can you view these situations as hidden opportunities?
You can raise your level of happiness at work by developing each of these emotional intelligence skills. They’re not based on innate personality traits. They’re areas of personal development you can practice and grow with intention.
I spend all day helping people like you develop their happiness and emotional intelligence. These are my favorite topics! So, if you’d like to have a conversation, ask a question or just learn more, please reach out anytime. I’d be happy to hear from you!
Susan Clarine, The Ei Coach
www.theeicoach.com