One important way to measure the effect of happiness at work is by looking at the time people spend on task – or doing what they’re there to do. Before the recession, people who were really happy at work reported that they spent 78% of their day on task. The rest was taken up by sorting diaries, doing mundane stuff like waiting on calls – the kind of thing that gets in the way of real work. In contrast people who were most unhappy at work said that they spent only 53% of their time on task. That’s a 25% difference between both groups.
Before the recession the unhappiest people at work, who were in effect working only half the week, were intending to quit in the following 6-9 months. So they wouldn’t be around doing not much for very long.
What about now?
The data shows that people who are happiest at work have in fact become slightly more productive. They’re saying that they now spend 80% of their week focused on task.
But the people who are unhappiest at work, whose numbers have swelled considerably, are now only focusing 40% of their time on task. That’s two days a week. So they’re working even less than before.
Here’s the really bad news.
Not only are they working less, they’ve decided that because jobs are so scarce there’s no point looking for one. They’re saying that, on average, they’ll be in their jobs for the next 36 months. In other words, they’re unproductive and not performing well.
The people who are unhappiest at work have decreased by about 25-30% in all these key areas:
- Goal achievement
- Helping colleagues
- Feeling they’re having a positive impact in what they do
- Self-belief
- Confidence
- Resilience
- Motivation
- Engagement
- Pride
- Trust
- Recognition
- Feeling that they are achieving their potential
All of this is having a knock-on effect on project delivery, new ideas, delivery of new products, acceptance of, and adaption to change. The cumulative effect is unsurprising: general happiness with life is being affected too.
Astonishingly, all these areas showed higher numbers regardless of happiness levels while the recession was in full swing. A huge number of people enjoyed the pressure of it all because they learned a lot, were given greater responsibility, stretched themselves and overcame challenges that they didn’t know they could. Let’s remember that being happy at work includes working on some tough stuff because that’s how we learn and grow.
Related Information in Prosperity News
- Happiness Indicators – How Should We Measure Happiness?
- Money May Not Buy Happiness, But It Is Necessary
- Wealth and Happiness: Survey Shows Satisfaction from Saving Money
- How Happy We Are With our Finances Right Now Affected by Whether We Have a Job
- Jobs: Payrolls drop by 125K, jobless rate falls
- The Cost of Being Unemployed – Impact on Finances, Happiness and Relationships
- Jobs: More Employees Leaving Their Employer Now That Economy is Improving
- Happiness: Do the Wealthy Enjoy the Small Things in Life?
