Chatting to colleagues and clients recently I discovered that despite economic pressures - and the ever present threats to health and safety; it would still appear that a lot of us are feeling rather upbeat. Bearing in mind that most of us are battling with all the daily rigors of work, family, et all - it set me wondering why this should be.
On the back of this I did a little research and found that, according to the pundits, British office workers are happier now than at anytime since the recession started - even to the extent that a staggering 78% of female workers report high levels of happiness; higher than in the previous year. These figures originate from ‘The Happiness at Work Index’, prepared by Badenoch & Clark, based upon a quarterly review of 1000 workers. The figures reveal that women say they are happier than men; women between the ages of 35-44 years appear to be more happy than most - but top of the league are women who work flexible hours.
Neil Wilson, managing director at Badenoch & Clark, has this to say: "The Happiness at Work Index is an important barometer of the mood of the nation. We spend most of our waking life at work and so happiness and morale levels in the office give an important insight into the general outlook of the population.”
This reminds me of a conversation I had years ago with a much put upon friend - who was so adept at juggling she could have been in the circus. She told me that she often felt like ‘the family barometer’, in that if she was content, so was the family - and visa versa.
The point being that if we are happy - and it would appear that we are relatively content - the family is happy. To expand this theory would suggest that the happiness of the nation depends heavily upon the female contingent feeling a certain level of well being.
Well, if that’s the case, there is even more argument for keeping us happy at work; given the fact that study after study has shown that a happy employee is also a productive employee; thereby suggesting that any positive measures employers take to ensure happiness amongst their female employees will not only increase productivity, but may well have a much desired increase in contentment all round.
Any employer worth their salt should take stock of their female staff and consider ways in which they can work to improve participatory working practices; such as flexible working; thereby acknowledging the real need for a balanced working life. Research demonstrates that work satisfaction directly correlates with overall life satisfaction.
Equally, now is the time to decide what you need to improve your own working life - and plan how you are going to get it. I would not suggest that this is easy - the current climate of economic uncertainty challenges us all emotionally and financially, but you can buffer the effect by building upon what you have.
This is definitely a good time to look to your strengths and encourage others to do so too. It is generally assumed that high achievers set themselves higher goals whilst low achievers set themselves lower goals, or don’t bother. However, research indicates that top achievers know their capabilities and set goals slightly above their current level of performance - we’ve all heard of ‘moving the goal posts’ - well that’s what high achievers do; when they reach their goal, they move the marker slightly out of reach and strive again. Furthermore they learn to recognise their talents, develop them further and find the occupations that suit them best. I would suggest that this is the way forward.
If one of your roles is that of familial matriarch, in whatever sense it may manifest, I encourage you to recognise the importance of your efforts.
In the immortal words of Lord Kitchener, “Your Country Needs You’!
