“Life-fulfilling work is never about the money -- when you feel true passion for something, you instinctively find ways to nurture it.” Eileen Fisher
Today is a bank holiday but I choose to work. I went to the nearby coffee store on the way to the office to get my usual morning coffee and water but since it is a bank holiday it was closed. So I ended up going to a restaurant around the corner to get a cup of coffee. There I had a short discussion with the waiter about the fact that most people in Europe take too many vacation days. He replied that obviously we either love what we are doing and/or we are going to make enough money to be happy not to take a day off. His words which made me think were that most people do not like what they do for a living.
Indeed many people in the workforce are not content with their jobs and often with their pay. Most of us need to work. However, it seems that on a global scale many are not happy with the way they make a living.
According to an article by forbes.com, “unhappy employees outnumber happy ones by two to one worldwide.”(1) The article quotes survey results by Gallup of 25 million respondents based in 189 countries. The website Investors in People claims that 60 per cent of UK workers are not happy. (2) Obviously, unhappy employees are a global issue especially during times of financial hardships. What is the solution?
Based on an unscientific web research Fast Company has published the most straightforward description on what is it that happy workers do right. (3) According to the article in Fast Company happy employees stay away from negative people, try to help others as much as possible, have goals and are working on their personal development. In addition, happy workers are described as grateful and with sense of humor.
Therefore, the best we can do is to do the best that we can depending on our individual situation. I do believe that we need to spend a few minutes each morning to read through some inspirational stories of people we consider successful. Working on a plan of action that will allow us to get where we would like to be is definitely necessary. As usual, this is easier said than done but since most people have to work for a living and therefore spend a significant time of our lives in the work environment it is worth trying.
Sources Used:
(1) http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/10/unhappy-employees-outnumber-happy-ones-by-two-to-one-worldwide/
(2) https://www.investorsinpeople.com/press/60-cent-uk-workers-not-happy-their-jobs
(3) http://www.fastcompany.com/3045979/know-it-all/7-habits-of-people-who-are-happy-at-work
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