Working for happiness

How’s work going today?

Really? Surely that imbecile knew that was your coffee cup! After all how many magenta cups with two handles and a tap-dancing newt on them are there? What? Your boss completely ignored your proposal after all of the work that you put into it, as well! Doesn’t she realise that you gave up attending a weekend quilting convention in Canberra to get it finished?

Ah well, it’s only work isn’t it, it doesn’t matter in the big scheme. Wrong! What happens to you at work does matter and just how much it matters has been highlighted in a new study on how individuals operate in the work place.

There is a lot of interest in this at the moment and not just because corporations are altruistic entities seeking to enhance the quality of the human experience. The evidence is that the way people feel can account for more than a quarter of the difference in performance between employees. Workplace happiness levels are therefore coming under scrutiny because they have a direct and substantial impact on productivity.

Now in new research a firm link has been established between different management styles and employee happiness.

The researchers conducted experiments on more than 1100 workers across a variety of corporations that ranged from small to medium to large. The participants filled in questionnaires asking them about perceptions of their supervisor’s management style as well as how supported they felt by their organisation.

The results showed that the more employees felt their boss supported their autonomy and the more their needs for relatedness were met, the happier they were. Equally, but in the opposite direction, bosses who used threats, were authoritarian, and who seemed unsupportive led to employees having lower levels of general wellbeing.

The researchers concluded that the fulfilment of needs for autonomy and acknowledged competence at work are an essential part of overall happiness. In turn of course, happy workers are better workers. So never forget, you might be “workin’ for the man” but in the end, in any decent and successful business, he’s workin’ for you too.