Who needs happiness at the office? After all, it’s just work. We get our dose of happiness from friends and family rather than from colleagues whose sole intent is to get us demoted.
While that might be partly true, when you consider that you spend the bulk of your day at the office, it doesn’t make sense to not make an effort to bring some sunshine to your eight-hour daily grind.
And anyway, given the choice, we would rather be up than down – perking up the office environment means that time goes by quickly and pleasantly, everyone is that little bit more productive, and you don’t feel like one of David Brent’s subordinates.
No workplace should ever feel dreary. With some inspiration, thought and action, you can help the office feel like a room without a roof.
Be nice
That may sound obvious, but it’s not. And neither is it easy. How can you be nice to someone you don’t really like? But do make an effort. Being nice to colleagues means that they will feel obliged to reply with their own dose of niceness. Acting irritable with your colleagues, on the other hand, will only spark a negative response.
Pipe down
True, open plan layouts may contribute to more productivity and collaboration. However, if not designed well or if certain things are not taken into consideration, they can turn out to be a living, very noisy, nightmare.
Loud noise bothers us and chips at our concentration levels – chatty colleagues, loud phone conversations, toast-munching and keyboard clatter all cause disruption. Make sure that your boss invests in design and furniture elements that cut down noise, such as carpeting, lining walls with sound-absorbent material and thick curtains.
Look at me
While privacy at the office is precious, that doesn’t mean hiding behind cubicles with high walls. During the day, give enough smiles to your colleagues as this is one of the best ways to boost satisfaction. Get together with your manager and colleagues to discuss ways about how the workplace can make everyone feel more included, valued and cared for.
Motivation
If you want to feel that you belong, then make sure that you engage with your colleagues. And not just on work matters – there’s no harm in getting a bit personal. So don’t forget birthdays and anniversaries, help organise social activities and offer support when needed. However, don’t cross the line by breathing down everyone’s neck or micromanaging – that tends to lower people’s morale and makes them feel incompetent.
Move it
Sitting down at your desk for eight hours at a stretch will have a negative effect on your mental and physical well-being. Engage in some physical activity every hour, like going outside for a small walk or even getting up to stretch your muscles. This improves overall cardiovascular health and provides a healthy distraction. We’re blessed with plenty of sunshine, so make sure that you get enough of it as it is what the doctor ordered for mood and focus.
There are companies which also offer gym membership to their employees – while this may look like an extra expense, in the long term it keeps employees healthy and reduces sick days.
Art attack
Do you want to spend your day at work staring at a blank wall? Of course not. Get some real art and hang it on your walls – art is a sure-fire way to make you stop and think and to improve everyone’s mood.
And no, art doesn’t mean those posters with motivational sayings that were in fashion back in the 1980s. We mean real art – get artists to hold exhibitions at your office or organise photography contests between all employees and then hang the winning photos.
Personal space
Your desk should be a space that inspires you. Personalise your desk with some accessories that you bought yourself and with some photos of your loved ones. Every once in a while, it’s good to remember that you do have a life outside the office.
Your dark materials
Everyone loves chocolate. It’s a great mood enhancer and, well, it tastes lovely on a cold Monday morning. Encourage a culture where you and your colleagues treat yourselves to some sweet treats. After all, you deserve it. For added sweetness, buy free trade chocolate that is also high in cacoa content.
Organise gripe sessions
Grumbling sessions may sound counterproductive. True, but that’s only if they take up the bulk of your day. Formalise your gripe sessions and make sure that they serve one purpose – to enable employees to express their dissatisfaction.
Structured gripe sessions act as a pressure-release valve. They give employees a channel for legitimate grumbling and will encourage everyone to collaborate in proposing and finding solutions.
Me time
Yes, collaboration, socialising and feeling part of a group is excellent. However, you need your me time. Every now and then, retire to a quiet spot, turn off your mobile, and disconnect from e-mail – disengage.