This is a guest post from Drew Tarvin

When I first started in the corporate world, I didn’t realize how little my fellow employees laughed.  It wasn’t until I started doing corporate stand-up gigs that I noticed the distinct lack of chuckles, giggles, and guffaws in the workplace.  The question is, why is laughter missing?

Stand-Up or Sit Down

After my very first corporate stand-up show, I thought I did terrible.  No one had laughed as much as they did in the comedy clubs, and it didn’t seem like my jokes resonated with the audience.  But after the show, the other comedian I performed with (a veteran on the corporate circuit) congratulated me, saying he was impressed with how well I did.  I chalked it up to him trying to spare my feelings.

But then a number of audience members came up to me after the show, thanking me for performing and even quoting their favorite lines.  I still wouldn’t have believed I had done a good job, but a few months later the same group booked me to do another show–the ultimate sign that they were satisfied with the show (or were sado-masichists).

Over time, I realized it wasn’t just in that show that people weren’t laughing.  I started wondering where all the laughter was in the office.  We spend upwards of 40% of our waking hours at work, shouldn’t it be a little fun?  But that’s not the culture at many places, and as a result, people don’t laugh.  Why?

1) They Think It’s Inappropriate

The biggest reason why most people don’t laugh at work is that for some reason they think it’s inappropriate.  Even if something genuinely funny happens, they are in the “corporate-mode” where everything is “business, business, business” and they refuse to laugh.

The reality is that there are only a few situations where laughter is inappropriate–during the process of layoffs, in the middle of an important company announcement, or after your boss’ rival says a joke.  But during a regular meeting or while reading our email, these are times where we should feel free to laugh if we desire or are inspired to do so.

2) They Fear What Others Think

I thought that people obsessing over what others thought of them would end in High School, but it is ever-present in the corporate world.  And while it is important to consider your image and reputation, many people get caught up in what their peers, managers, and direct reports think of them.

To laugh at something is a revelation of our personality.  It tells others what we think is funny, and that scares people.  If you are in a meeting with your manager and someone makes a joke, the tendency is to check in with your manager to see if she thinks it’s funny–if she laughs, surely it’s OK for you to laugh.  The problem is that your manager is doing the same thing.  She is either checking in with other people in the room, or even back with you–after all, managers are (semi) normal people too, and they have the same insecurities as the rest of us.

3) They Don’t Have Much to Laugh At

The sad reality is that for many employees, they just don’t have much to laugh at during work.  Their training sessions are filled with boring diagrams, monotonous speakers, and they experience death by PowerPoint.  All of their emails are strictly related to work, written as concisely as possible but still filled with useless and definitely unfunny jargon.

Too few of us work to incorporate humor into the workplace.  Perhaps it’s a “chicken and the egg” problem–why would people attempt humor when no one at work will laugh?  But as a result, we hide our true personalities and we soon become an office of boring robots.

4) They Aren’t Used to It

Even when someone tries to attempt humor, there isn’t always a laughter response.  That’s because people aren’t used to it–they aren’t used to having humor at work, or laughing during the hours of 9-5.

Culture plays a large role.  The companies or departments that do have fun and are constantly laughing, actively work to use humor on a consistent basis and people get used to the idea that they can have fun at work.  The oft-cited company Southwest Airlines has made it part of their mission statement to have fun, and from top to bottom employees get used to laughing.

How to Get People to Laugh at Work

An interesting thing happened during the second show I did with the above mentioned group–the laughter was louder and more frequent.  Maybe my material was stronger the second time, or my performance was better.  Or maybe the group was ready to laugh:

1. They knew it wasn’t inappropriate because it was a stand-up show.
2. They weren’t afraid because they had already laughed a little bit last time and other people had talked about enjoying the show.
3. They had something to laugh at (either my material or my failed attempts at humor).
4. They were used to it from the last show, and the fact that they were having a second one suggested that it was certainly encouraged.

And that’s what it takes to break the stigma against laughing and increase laughter in the workplace.  Creating a culture where people know it’s OK to laugh (and encouraged); throwing unnecessary caution into the wind and laughing at what’s funny; giving co-workers something to laugh at; and doing it consistently.

Drew Tarvin is a stand-up, improv, and sketch humorist and the author of Humor That Works.  You can subscribe to his newsletter or follow him on Twitter @HumorThatWorks.

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In my research on humor in the workplace, I found another blog that gives some great information on how important it is to laugh at work. Michael Kerr of Humour at Work.

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If you are looking to bring some more laughter and smiles into your workplace, then check out the Happy at Work Project and start building your work happiness today.

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If you liked this article then check out:

• 55 Tips to Make Work More Fun
• 5 Fun and Easy Tips to Let the “Real You” Shine Through at Work, Southwest Airlines Style
• Why Your Company Should Budget for a Fun Work Environment

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

(Can’t see the video? Then click here and try watching it at Work Happy Now)

Too many of us get caught up in what our co-workers think of us, instead of letting loose and being a little weird. Zappos has ten values in place, one of which is “Create fun and be a little weird.” Otherwise you’ll be a tight, stressed out co-worker who has trouble having fun at work.

And if we try too hard to fit in, all we are doing is making ourselves feel like the black sheep of the group. You need to let the real you out.

That means expressing your true nature. Because once you can be the real you around everyone at work, the rest is easy.

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Web warriors like us need articles that are geared toward making us happier and more productive. I go to Web Worker Daily to stay updated on all the latest happenings.

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If you liked this video then peruse these:

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Almost every CEO I worked for always talked about the importance of their people, but their actions did not coincide with their words. They were always more worried about the bottom line.

I know how important it is to make money, but if the employees are happy then believe me, the money will come. That is if you have a good product/service.

It’s why Southwest airlines is the only consistent money generator in the USA airline industry. They believe in creating a culture that encourages happiness.

As a leader of people you need to encourage happiness in every facet of your business. I’ve created 10 techniques that will help your company be happy and successful.

1. Be happy yourself.
2. Know your people.
3. Make time for your people.
4. Show people the autonomy that they already have.
5. Help them find meaning in their work.
6. Listen and respond to their emotions, not their problems.
7. Stop letting assholes dictate the company culture.
8. Encourage friendships.
9. Recognize hard work.
10. Find out why people leave.

These are concepts that are easy to understand, but may be hard to apply to your company’s culture. I’ll break them down so you can use them in your company.

1. Be Happy Yourself

Being happy yourself can sometimes be more difficult than making someone else happy. If you don’t know how to make yourself happy, it will be very difficult to help the people you manage to be happier.

You have to find what makes you happy at work and try to do more of it. If you are a manager and miss a certain aspect of your old job (i.e. more customer interaction), then try to do more of the customer interaction projects and give a part of your job that you dislike to an employee who enjoys the type of work that you don’t.

I struggled with my own work happiness because I didn’t take responsibility for my own emotions. I would let my emotions run rampant, causing me much more pain than I needed to endure. Read my What Do I Do If I’m Unhappy at Work? to get a better idea of how to be happier at your job.

2. Know Your People

You must know your employees’ strengths and weaknesses. If you keep giving PR work to an employee who hates it, they won’t be sticking around very long.

When you assign work to an employee who enjoys the task, they respect and appreciate you. The happier you make them, the higher quality their output will be. It’s a simple concept, but one many managers ignore.

You must spend time with your employees in order to understand them. Do you know what they do in their spare time? What type of food do they like?

The more you know about the people you manage, the easier it will be to lead them.

3. Make Time for Your People

Are you taking the time to listen to their problems and helping them come up with solutions? I know most of my superiors never did this for me.

At most of my jobs, I felt like I was on the outside looking in. I know a lot of people feel this way. They feel like they are the last to know what is going on with in a company.

Every leader needs to make time for his or her people.

You can do this by:

• Talking to employees about decisions.
• Asking them about their own issues.
• Hanging out with them outside of work.
• Asking them for their opinions.
• Chatting with them about their personal lives.

Making time for your people might sometimes feel like a time suck, but it’s worth your effort. They will show more loyalty and become more engaged. Zappos, the employee happiness juggernauts, encourage their managers to spend roughly 15% of their day with their staff. They know that it works.

4. Show People the Autonomy That They Already Have

Many employees don’t like working within a certain organization because of the lack of freedom. They feel chained to their cubicle.

What many employees don’t realize is that they do have autonomy.

You need to let your employees know about the perks that they might not be using. Make them aware of the breaks that they can take because it will help them reduce stress and increase productivity. Inform them about anything the company provides that could make them happier.

If the company is too strict then make some changes. We live in a different world compared to just ten years ago. If you want to retain great employees, then you should consider allowing them more freedom and flexibility as long as they get results.

5. Help Them Find Meaning in Their Work

People need to believe that the work they do is worth doing. Otherwise they see no point in putting in extra effort.

A great way to help your employees find meaning is to tell stories that they can connect with. A good story can show a perspective that the employee hadn’t yet seen.

My father is an electrician and has owned Staib Electrical for 40 years. I worked with him through high school and college. I was always baffled by his need to form the wires so perfectly. My dad made sure his electrical panels were like little pieces of engineering art work. One day, after he fixed my work (again), I asked him why it was so important to him to make the wires look perfect.

He explained how he recently received two phone calls from potential clients. They had both heard from a previous customer about the great work he did. He asked them who referred him, and they both named a neighbor of theirs, Mr. Hanken. My father told me about Mr. Hanken’s delighted expression when he showed him his work. Mr. Hanken then bragged to his neighbors, and they too wanted an electrician that cared as much as my father does.

I understood why my dad’s presentation was so important. If he didn’t apply a bit of art to his craft, everyone would think he was just like every other electrician. It separated him from the crowd and as a result people talked him up to people they knew. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

From that point on, I applied a little art to every wire I formed.

6. Listen and Respond to Their Emotions, Not Their Problems

People often complain just so they will be heard. They don’t necessarily want solutions; they want empathy.

The next time an employee comes to talk to you about another employee, give them what they need emotionally. Let them know that it can be tough work with (fill in difficult coworker here). Allow them to vent.

If they ask for a solution then you can try to find one together, but most of the time they just need an emotional boost, rather than a fix to their problem.

7. Stop Letting Assholes Dictate the Company Culture

One asshole can wreak havoc on a whole department or organization. They are miserable and they want everyone else to be miserable too.

The job of any leader is to stop these people from bringing everyone else down. That may mean helping this person recognize their issues and figuring out a way to become happy. If that doesn’t work, you may need to let them go.

The only way the company culture will support great work is if everyone treats each other with respect.

8. Encourage Friendships

People need to have friends at work. If they don’t, they are much less likely to stay at a job, feel happy, and be creative.

“Among the 3 in 10 workers who strongly agree that they have a best friend at work, 56% are engaged, 33% are not engaged and 11% are actively disengaged to the point of poisoning the atmosphere with their negativity. Those who don’t have a best friend have slim 1-in-12 odds of being among the engaged. Worse, the best-friendless stand a one in three chance of being actively disengaged. That means they may threaten sabotage or otherwise become a serious drag on the company’s success.” - Del Jones of USA Today Best friends good for business

A manager should encourage his or her staff to hang out with each other. The more people hang out with each other, the more likely they are to find ways to like each other.

It’s helpful if you create opportunities for people to gather outside of work so they can bond. If you are their superior then they may not be able to relax when you’re there, so gather them and take off. Yes, they may complain about you after you leave, but it’s important that they find common ground, even if it’s making jokes at your expense.

Believe me, they will be more supportive, happier and a stronger team as a result.

9. Recognize Hard Work

A boss who appreciates hard work, not just the end result is a better boss. The psychology behind it is simple. If you show people that you are grateful when they work hard they are more likely to enjoy the process.

Many bosses only appreciate the end result. If the end result is bad, then the employee confidence and morale takes a hit.

Show people that you care about their effort, not just the results, and you’ll see an improvement in productivity.

10. Find Out Why People Leave

People usually leave a company because they aren’t happy. Try to find out why they are leaving and what you can do to solve the issue.

I’ve never had an exit interview, but I had a friend who did. They kept asking the question “why” until they got to the heart of the problem. They didn’t want some patsy answer that wouldn’t help them.

Most employees will just want to get out of there, but if you take the time to listen, you may be able to figure out a solution that will help future employees. You may have lost this employee, but you can improve other employees’ happiness so they stick around and do great work.

Wrap-Up

The environment at work doesn’t need to be boring or strict. In fact, Southwest, Google, and Zappos are proof that happy employees improve the bottom line.

Bosses, managers, or supervisors have so many tools at their disposal. The research in Inc. Magazine, Alex’s blog The Chief Happiness Officer, Psychology Today, and WorldBlu (to list just a few) proves that people who are happy at work are more productive and engaged.

Start by implementing these concepts, but don’t stop there. There are many ways to encourage happiness. Just remember that every organization and group of people are different. Sometimes it takes a few tries to see some progress.

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* Target Turned Tigress had this to add in the comment section. I wanted to paste it here, so it’s not missed.

I’d add one caveat to item #6 and three more items to make it a “baker’s dozen”–lucky 13.  Under item number 6, I’d add the caveat that while it’s fine to offer some empathy when employees come and complain about each other (either out of a genuine concern or from pettiness/petulance/some other bizarre personal grudge), the head of a department also needs to make it really clear that person A needs to talk to person B directly.  Encouraging a practice of triangulating (going through a third person instead of communicating directly)is really dysfunctional and ultimately creates an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion. A really good manager might help person A to clearly articulate the  issue and come up with a script to problem solve the issue with Person B in a friendly, collegial manner, and then check back in with person A to see how things went.  I’m sure there are any number of managers out there who might roll their eyes and exclaim in exasperation that they were not hired to do counselling, but setting a good example around healthy communication and empowering one’s supervisees to strengthen their interpersonal skills will go a long way toward eliminating unresolved conflicts, toxic workplaces and the stress related illnesses that arise out of them.

The three additional practices by managers that would greatly contribute to happiness, harmony and productivity in their departments:

11. Good Managers are Aware of their Limitations as Well as Strengths.

If they know they don’t handle conflict well and lean toward avoidance, then hopefully they have the integrity and courage to recognize their limitations and make dealing with their stuff a priority by learning conflict resolution and healthy communications skills as part of their professional development. Better yet, they might organize a department wide workshop on positive/assertive communications skills (preferably non-violent communications)so everyone can be empowered by learning those skills. Workshops on understanding how different personality/temperament types function at work would also be great ways of increasing understanding and reducing  frustrations.

12. Follow Through Promptly on Policy Issues

(especially factors that affect working conditions–nothing kills a department morale faster than neglecting to attend to comfort factors like temperature control, air quality, ergonomics or anything else that might lead to health problems that could have been avoided), promotion and performance considerations right away.

Procrastinating on getting back to employees about possible promotions, pay raises or performance evaluations in a timely manner does not do much for the respect or trust factor. Good managers, don’t cop out with the “I’ve been too busy with other stuff”, nor do they dump the responsibility for being “proactive” about the issue back onto the employee: they recognize it is THEIR responsibility as the person with the power to hire, fire or promote their people–not the employees’–to have the professionalism and courtesy to respond in a timely manner, whether it’s good news or bad news or otherwise.

13. Set the Example and the Tone

Managers who are really interested in fostering and maintaining an environment that is happy, productive and where employees conduct themselves professionally do this by setting the example and the tone–especially in how they handle stress and frustrations.

Managers who consistently back bite other employees in the company, express frustration at others using violent imagery* or other inappropriate language/stress management techniques create a really toxic environment in one of two ways. First, by modeling such behavior, managers are indicating that they approve of such behavior, and many of their employees will adopt the same attitudes to “fit in” or earn brownie points with the boss. (It’s really scary to see this in action!) Second, such behavior does absolutely nothing to earn the loyalty or respect of one’s employees (except maybe to their face) and everything to create an atmosphere of distrust and fear.

*While “imaginary” violence may not actually physically harm a person, the malice/intent to harm is still there even though the action hasn’t actually occurred. It’s both a little scary and traumatizing for employees to be subjected to these kinds of behaviors on a regular basis. Recent social psychology research has shown that blowing off steam this way actually leads to more anger and a tendency to depersonalize/dehumanize the object of one’s imaginary violence.

Enjoyed this article? You will probably like:

• What Do I Do If I’m Unhappy at Work?

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

(Can’t see the video? Then click here and try watching it at Work Happy Now)

There is so much more to a project than just the results. If you play a game to win then you are setting yourself up for emotional pain. If you play to enjoy the game and you win in the process then you are creating emotional freedom.

Don’t depend on the results for your happiness. Enjoy the buildup, process, and the result and you will walk home a happy person.

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When I need a fresh perspective on social media and how to engage my audience I visit Karen’s blog Words for Hire.

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Need help feeling happy at work? Then try reading my free report The Happy at Work Project. If you like it then email me at karl (AT) workhappynow (DOT) com and I’ll send you my weekly planner and resolutions ideas.

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If  you liked this video post then try these out:

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Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

I used to be really happy at work and looked forward to going into my office every day.  Most of the projects I worked on were challenging-in a good way-and engaged my interest and curiosity, I had a great bunch of colleagues, and we were even able to laugh when Murphy’s Law would strike with a vengeance!  Things started to change about six years ago when  a new director was parachuted into the position, despite the fact that it was supposed to have been posted as an open competition:  Therein marked the beginning of the end of the positive, upbeat morale and warm atmosphere that characterized our department.

It became pretty clear, fairly quickly, that this boss’s management style and interpersonal skills were going to be a challenge for all of us at times.  Specifically, we started seeing some “interesting” approaches to anger/stress/frustration management and increasing tendencies to back-bite others in the organization, as well as a reluctance to deal with an occupational health issue on more than one occasion, and periodic bullying of various staff members by our boss. (For the record, I encouraged these individuals to document and report their experiences but they were reluctant to do so, for whatever reasons.)

The Tipping Point

I have a pretty good sense of the tipping point that triggered the Kafka-esque nightmare that has unfolded over the last year, but I may never know for absolute certain (and frankly don’t really care at this point) what twisted perceptions and logic prompted my boss to perceive me as a threat and decide to make me the Target (1) of bullying.  Yes, I did say “perceived as a threat.” I know pop culture and the mush media of sitcoms and most movies poke fun at Targets of bullying by portraying them as nerdy losers, but the reality is quite different in the work place.  The Targets of bullies are usually greatly esteemed by their colleagues (or were before the bully thoroughly poisoned the well), highly skilled,competent, successful, courteous, considerate and pleasant people.  A good site to learn more about this issue is http://www.bullybusters.org.

Over the last year I have experienced various kinds of exclusionary behaviors (being kept out of important information loops, ignored, socially isolated) from my colleagues and my boss, and endured numerous instances of verbal abuse (there are a whole range of actions that go beyond merely yelling, insulting and swearing), crazy making behaviors, unfair practices and a lack of clarity in communications from my boss.  (I counted 24 separate incidents in an eight month period.)

Mistakes

I was fortunate in that I recognized the bullying behaviors for what they were, so I didn’t waste a lot of energy wondering what I’d done “wrong” or blaming myself for what was going on, but I wish I’d started researching more about workplace bullying and, more importantly, how to bully-proof myself MUCH earlier in the process.  Not having those strategies cost me dearly in some ways because, among other things, I made some classic mistakes in how I was responding to the bully.

The second mistake I made was to take my concerns to someone in our H.R. department.  I soon found out, as was later confirmed for me in Gary and Ruth Namie’s book The The Bully at Work that HR people are actually not a resource when it comes to bullied employees; they are there for the employers.

The third mistake that I made, because I was trying to be reasonable and look for a win-win solution, was to agree to a mediated discussion instead of going straight to making a formal complaint and directing it to the president of the organization.  (I’m keeping that option as a backup in case the mediation doesn’t work.)

Finding Help

I’m happy to say that I had also managed to intuitively do a lot of things correctly in this whole process.  As indicated, I recognized the situation for what it was (bullying) so I was able to depersonalize the experience a bit-and meticulously document the incidents, with dates and approximate times.  I had a fabulous support network of loved ones, family and friends who stood by me unequivocally and provided tea, sympathy and hugs as requested.  I also found myself a really good counsellor who uses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for reducing the trauma of the experience, as well as a counsellor who specializes in helping Targets to bullyproof themselves and teaching them some effective bullybusting strategies.  The rest of the healing involved taking good care of myself, spending more time meditating and planning how to move on and set up my own small business and being grateful for all that is good in my life.

I would say that in the case of workplace bullying, the sooner one recognizes what is going on in the workplace, and calls it for what it is, the sooner one can accept that about the only way to heal and regain the ability to be happy at work is to get out of the place as soon as is feasible-and in the meantime bullyproof yourself and ruthlessly bullybust as and when required.  I know our western culture is big on promoting the ideals of “toughing it out” and “not giving up”, etc, but those cultural commands will kill your soul–assuming the stress doesn’t literally kill you or make you very ill–if you stay too long in a toxic or abusive workplace.  No job is worth your health and happiness.

Note from Karl: Bullying in the work place is a very serious issue; I went through it. I love how this reader never took the situation personally and was proactive in seeking help. If you are being bullied at your job, please find help.

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

(Can’t see the video? Then click here and try watching it at Work Happy Now)

Fast food is a energy killer.  I feel grumpy and lethargic after I eat fast food. The salt, grease, and preservatives can bring even the strongest person down.

Your ability to enjoy your job has a lot to do with what you put in your body. If you want to increase your happiness at work, take notice of what you eat and how it makes you feel.

Try replacing a fast food lunch with something healthier; you will improve your happiness at work.

How does fast food make you feel?

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When I’m in the need for a few ideas to improve my blog, I visit Darren Rowse’s Problogger. There is always a piece of advice that helps me take my blog to the next level.

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If you are new here try signing up for my my email updates. It’s totally spam free and gives you great advice for your Happy at Work Project.

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If you liked this video then check these out:

• Stressed Out and Loving It
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Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

You probably have certain expectations that can’t be met. These expectations must be emotionally bridged or you will constantly be grasping for unattainable happiness.

This article is not about settling for a crappy job. That’s the furthest thing from my mind. I believe we need to optimize our present happiness while planning our most rewarding future.

First you must allow yourself to feel and understand your present situation. A good scream or a good cry can cleanse the mind. It all depends on the person. When you allow yourself to feel the emotion that is blocking you from moving on, then you can accept your current situation.

After accepting this emotion, you have limitless ability to learn from this process.

The only way to understand what type of work will bring you the most happiness in the future is to understand your present self. That means dealing with your emotions and building internal tools.

Learn to watch your emotions when they occur, then create a plan that will help you explore and encourage personal growth. Some of this may be painful, but believe me it’s a good pain. It’s this pain that will help make you smarter and emotionally stronger. I don’t mean stronger as in more stoic. I define emotional strength as the ability to process emotions and bring the mind back into balance.

After studying videos, articles, myself, and my co-workers, I’ve put together a list of 8 tasks that will help you work happier.

1. Find meaning.
2. Become more aware of self-talk.
3. Don’t take interactions personally.
4. Help someone else become happy.
5. Remember 3 good things.
6. Utilize Smart Breaks.
7. Speak up and take Action.
8. Use More of Your Strengths.

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These are concepts that are easy to understand, but may be hard to implement. You’ll need to practice these to make sure they become a part of you. I’ll break them down so you can apply them to your working life.

1. Find Meaning

If you believe in the work you do, it will be easier to connect to each task.

It’s a simple equation.

Blood + Sweat + Tears = Passion

People who are passionate about their work will do almost anything to make sure the job is done well.

The problem many of us have is that we can’t connect with the work we are presently doing.

Maybe you don’t believe in the service or product.

I met a BMW salesman on a bus ride back from New York City who took a pay cut to sell Honda cars. He didn’t believe that BMW’s value was worth the extra expense. He did believe in Honda’s value to price ratio. So instead of selling a car he didn’t believe in, he switched jobs to have an easier time connecting with his product. The best part is that within six months he was making more money because his customers sent their friends and family members to him. He received twice as many word of mouth sales. This happened because he believed in his product.

You need to find a way to connect with your job. I would suggest that you start by listing all of the aspects of your products and services that deliver value. A few of these items should ping your heart.

If you can’t find value in anything you are doing, then you probably need to find a new job.

If a few of these items from your list tug at your emotions, then expand on them. How can you consistently keep these feelings at the forefront of your brain as you work?

You should keep these emotional stimulators in a place where you can see them. If you are feeling down and your energy is broken, then read over these stimulators and try to put yourself in the shoes of someone who needs your product or service.

If you find that these emotional stimulators aren’t doing the trick, then you need to become more aware of the internal story that prevents you from connecting to your work.

2. Become more aware of self-talk

You have continual dialog going on inside your head. The dialog can be positive, negative, or neutral.

It’s what you do with this dialog that will determine your perspective.

You’ve probably seen a co-worker who can take almost any situation in stride. They seem to have a magical ability to roll with their problems. This talent is largely due to the way that they communicate with themselves.

I worked along side a friend who could find the joy in every situation. I was amazed by her ability. During my time with her, I was at a point in my career where I was so pessimistic that I couldn’t see even a sliver of joy in the work that I did.

I studied her, watching her ability to enjoy even the most stressful situation.

The most important reason for her emotional success was her ability to talk herself through a problem. There were times when I could hear her whispering encouraging thoughts or jokes to make herself giggle.

She took her inner dialog to a new level. Instead of allowing her “self-talk” to beat herself up she used it to find a constructive point of view. She built upon each thought, allowing her thoughts to take her to an internal place that brought her joy.

You have this ability too. When you are in a stressful situation, watch your thoughts and see how they add or subtract to your happiness. If you are having thoughts that subtract from your joy, then try to offset this with fresh angles that help you see the positive. I usually try to think of things for which I am grateful. This helps me stay balanced.

By noticing what you are grateful for, you’ll expand your choices. The more positive choices you have the more likely you will feel happy.

3. Don’t Take Interactions Personally

I went to a therapist when I was in my mid twenties. I needed help. I was constantly frustrated by work, relationships and life in general.

My biggest struggle was relationships. I was afraid to joke around with new friends for fear of hurting someone else’s feelings. I was also afraid of what people thought of me. There were times when I decided to stay home instead of putting myself at risk of being judged by others.

Yep, I was a mess.

I thought that if I isolated myself from the pain that I would be happier. This only made me even more unhappy.

We all know that we shouldn’t take other people’s comments personally because they are just dealing with their own problems. I look at how angry and sad many people are. They never feel that they are treated fairly at work, in traffic or at home.

Most of the time these people are signaling others to treat them unfairly. It goes back to creating positive inner dialog. Instead of letting other people’s negative comments bring us down, we need to see every interaction as an opportunity for growth.

I’ve learned that people who speak negatively about other people really see this trait in themselves. They only see life from their perspective. They haven’t been able to expand beyond their own issues.

The way you can adjust your perspective on other people’s comments is to empathize with them. You can allow them to say what is on their mind, without taking it personally. You will be taking the first step toward mastering your own emotions.

Whenever someone makes an upsetting comment about you, it helps to ask yourself, “Why do they feel this way about themselves?” You’ll eventually stop putting the blame on yourself.

When you stop taking everything personally you can find ways to bring joy to your relationships without fear of what someone might say about you.

4. Help Someone Else Become Happy

Your happiness can expand if you help someone else become happy at work. I can cite about a dozen articles about the psychology of this process, but most of them a pretty dry and boring.

It’s better to demonstrate by using an example that I know you’ve all experienced.

Laughter. Yes, the endorphin releasing experience that we all love so much.

When you make someone laugh, how does it make you feel? It makes you feel good. It’s a basic part of being human.

Making someone else laugh is the same as helping someone at work: when you do it, you increase your own happiness. You stop worrying about yourself and focus on making someone else happy. The best part is that you improve your own happiness at the same time.

I finally found one quote that resonated with me:

“When I’m feeling a bit down and I stop myself and say, ‘Let’s forget about me for a moment and do something nice for others,’ the negative feelings subside, and a sense of bliss flows in to replace them. It’s quite simple in practice. The challenge is remembering to do it.”
- Steve Pavlina’s article Afternoon of Life

This trait is the basis of all good friendships.

5. Remember 3 Good Things

When you take the time to remember 3 good things, you are training yourself to see the positive in each day. A friend of mine, Alex Krujelf the Chief Happiness Officer, gave me this tip.

Many of us actually do the opposite: we look at all the upsetting things that happened in our day, thinking that if we look over our mistakes we can avoid repeating them. This causes us to focus on the negative and beat ourselves up.

When I first started practicing the “3 Good Things” habit, I noticed a difference right away. Despite the fact, that my job at the time, was dragging me down. I found any tiny bit of joy that was in my day and added it to my list. By the time I was done listing three things, my mood had always picked up and I found myself looking for the positives in other things.

You can apply this habit at the end of your work day too. This is a perfect activity for your commute home. If you work from home, then remove yourself from your home office and take five minutes to remember three good things that happened to you that day.

6. Utilize Smart Breaks

Smart breaks replenish the mind and body. Without a good break between tasks, you won’t be able to stay productive. You know how inefficient your brain becomes when you work too hard, whether you are studying or working on a project for hours at a time. You get cranky and start to cut corners.

The difference between a smart break and a regular leisure break is the focus. Anyone can take a break, but most breaks don’t really help you release your stress and prepare you to go back to work. A smart break is an optimized break that allows you to rejuvenate yourself.

I’ve been guilty of not taking smart breaks. I would waste my “break time” either stressing out about the task I was working on or worrying about something else in my life. I had trouble relaxing my mind in order to replenish my creativity.

I needed to learn to relax in the moment and not let any thoughts distract me from my purpose.  When I returned to work on my project and I could still feel my mind going to mush, I figured out that the best thing for me to do was just to get up and start walking somewhere, anywhere. My favorite place is outside. Nature is a great source of calm and replenishes my energy. I’ve found that a walk outside allows me to go back to work with a fresh angle on the problem.

The best part about taking smart breaks is that the more a person utilizes this stress reducer, the more it helps. It also takes less time with practice. You will eventually learn to recognize when you need a break and know exactly how to reenergize yourself back to feeling good. A few years ago I needed 15 - 20 minutes to replenish my energy. Now I can usually recharge in 5 - 10 minutes.

Once you find out what works best for you, just keep tweaking it until it becomes a habit that you look forward to. Once smart breaks become a part of your routine, you’ll find that you are more motivated and productive.

7. Speak Up and Take Action

You may be the most peaceful person in the world and perhaps this makes you happy, but when you aren’t being treated fairly you have to speak up. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

Bullying at work has become an epidemic that needs to be addresses by every organization.

“From the data obtained, the researchers tell SINC that 14% of the respondents have confirmed having suffered situations of psychological abuse over the past six months, with 5.8% suffering frequently and the rest, 8.2%, occasionally.”
- escience news from the article Bullies have harassed 14 percent of workers over past 6 months

This research was done in Spain, but bullies are in every organization.

I had a boss who loved to bully me. He would verbally abuse me. He once told me that he could have a monkey do a better job than me. There were days when I would go home and cry. I felt lost and out of options.

I hope that you never experience this situation, and if you do then please create a plan to change it and take quick action.

That may mean talking to the person who is bulling you or finding a better situation. You have options and people do want to help, but only you can take control of your happiness.

8. Use More of Your Strengths

As I age, I learn more about what I’m good at and what type of projects energize me. I love the thrill of discovery and teaching. That’s why I love Work Happy Now. I’m constantly discovering what makes me and my readers happy at work, then finding the best angle to teach others how to discover their own work happiness.

It wasn’t until a few years ago, after studying hours of career speakers on YouTube, Ted, and dozens of other sites, that I realized the importance of working with my strengths. I realized that my strength was in writing to discover.

I never thought of discovery as a strength, but it certainly is. I just thought it was just something I did. Once I understood what excited me, I tried to do more of the type of work that fit with my strengths.

You can also find a way to use your own strengths at your job so you can leverage more happiness. That may mean volunteering for work that you enjoy doing even if you have a full plate. Hopefully your manager and co-workers will notice and try to give you more work of this kind.

Bear in mind that this will take patience. It takes time to retrain people on what type of work to give you.

You Can be Happy at Work

Now is the time to feel happy at work. You can’t live for retirement. That’s no way to survive.

You should never settle for average. You have a ton of creativity and energy within you; all you need to do is find the right fit. It just takes a plan and some action to make it happen.

If you need a little more help… I’ve put together a Happy at Work Project to help you discover your own work happiness. The Happy at Work Project PDF (it’s free!) is a document that will help you diagnose your issues. If you like it, you can email me at karl (AT) workhappynow (DOT) com and I’ll send you the Work Happy Now Weekly Planner and Resolution Ideas. They will help you build upon your foundation.

Whether you need a little tweak at your current job or a complete overhaul, don’t put it off any longer.

You have an opportunity to do great work that makes you feel happy and excited. Don’t let this moment slip away. It may seem like a difficult task, but I promise if you build slowly, you will find yourself in the career of your dreams in no time.

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Sometimes we just need to slow down and simplify our lives. That’s why I visit Zen Habits. It always gives me a new persective on every day issues.

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Sometimes you don’t have time to read a whole blog post, so check me out on Twitter (@workhappynow) and get your Happy at Work fix there.

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If you enjoyed this article I think you’ll like these too:

• My Work Happiness Manifesto
• Stressed Out and Loving It
• The Necessity of Giving Gratitude at Work

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Images courtesy of Teriyaki Matz’ and Éole

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

(Can’t see the video? Then click here and try watching it at Work Happy Now)

Depression costs billions of dollars in lost revenue each year. We need to get at the root of why people are depressed and figure out how we can help them become happier at work. It’s why I created the Happy at Work Project (It’s a free PDF). I used to be depressed at work and I found help. If you aren’t happy at work then you need to make a plan and find a way to make it a reality.

It comes down to knowing yourself. Once you understand what you need, you can make the career shift that will allow happiness to happen naturally.

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I will be on the Ittybiz’s program SpeakEasy this Wednesday. I will be sharing techniques that will help you and your customers become so damn happy that they’ll refuse to buy from anyone else (almost anyone else :)). These concepts are growing and I’m happy to share them with as many people as possible.

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If you enjoyed this video then check these out:

• Daily Body Scan
• Work Worth Doing
• The “Yes, And” Technique

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

While my work happiness journey will never end, I understand this and I’m ok with it. I realize that I’m just beginning to have fun with work, networking, and everything that goes along with a career. I began my journey over 12 years ago, but I won’t bore you with all that detail. I’ll take you straight to the important stuff.

I wanted to discover the best techniques to bring me consistent happiness. I started off writing about personal development because I felt a void in my life, but as time trudged on I began to narrow my focus to a particular issue that I struggled with and I knew millions of other people struggle with: the ability to enjoy work. I discovered that throughout my life, working for a company felt “forced,” and it had become increasingly difficult for me to do something that felt forced.

I had always put in long hours to help a company build its market share and income and all I was getting in return was a paycheck. Pretty depressing view.

For many years, every company seemed like a dead end. During high school and college there were the random jobs (K-mart, media buying, telemarketing, etc.). I landed my first full-time corporate job and then I went into teaching, thinking that I could do something that would make me feel good instead of working just making money for “the man.”

Arrrgh! Problem

I got caught in the forced labor again. My freedom felt even more restricted, because I was making less money and the work was still a chore.

My needs weren’t being fulfilled. I responded by reading countless self-help, business, motivational, spiritual, and religious books to help me with depression and general discontent. I also received professional therapy (I had great insuarance). I wrote over 5,000 poems (literally they are in my closet at home. Some of them are quite weird.). Poetry was one of the few only things that brought me joy.

Poetry never felt like work. The words just flowed out, but I knew it was work for other people. They would rather stab themselves with a graphite pencil than write a poem. This began my journey of discovering what made me happy and how I could make money from it.

I wrote a children’s book called “I Wish Flowers Were as Big as Trees.” As many of you know I can’t compete in this flooded market. Even Madonna is writing kids’ books, “c’mon!”

I then tried writing my first novel, which might be a great movie, but not a great book - “Lori Loves to Torture Me.”

After that, I wrote a picture book called “92 Things to do Besides Suicide.” That was a FUN project. I tried selling it on my blog, but it was a little too far ahead of its time. That’s my reason for failure and I’m sticking to it. I sold a couple of copies – to my mother and an old friend. I need more fans like them.

I moved to Austin

I moved to Austin to find myself. It was here that I started blogging. I began the process of figuring out what I would love to do with my life. I looked for ways to align my skills with this passion and get it out to the world.

It was a turbulent time for my career. I arrived in Austin with no job lined up, just a bunch of prayers every single night. My dream was to become a writer – a poet to be specific. But as any smart business man will tell you, go where the money will be. I still write poetry, but it’s just a hobby. All for me.

While trying to find myself I wrote a second novel, “Inside.” A story about a young man struggling to find his true happiness. Hmm, does that sound like anyone you know? Most of us have been there. Ha! Most of us are still there.

And as many of you know or can probably guess, it’s still unpublished. I sent out like 50 query letters to agents and never heard one response back. I researched self publishing. I needed an audience, so that’s why I started my first personal development blog. However, I lacked a clear focus with this first effort, so I really struggled to find an audience.

Blogging

My first blog was MindBodyBlog.com – but I just couldn’t find an audience who could appreciate my wonderful randomness. The problem was my lack of focus. My ADD was manageable when writing a novel because I had to stay on track without straying from the storyline. Writing a personal development blog, however, was very messy. I was all over the map. I noticed that I kept coming back to a main theme – work, career, and personal development. I just wasn’t able to put it all together until later.

My second blog was TheStressCorner.com – the concept was too definitive so I ran out of fun concepts to write about.

My third blog was PostCardAdvice.com (spin off from postsecret.com) – Fun, but didn’t give enough value to my readers.

My fourth blog was KarlStaib.com (still running, but on hiatus as I build Work Happy Now) – I went back to personal development, but I was still too random to build a readership.

My fifth blog was GetHappyNow.org – I felt lost in the sea of happiness blogs.

My sixth blog – Work Happy Now – Success!

The Reason I Started Work Happy Now

I met with Stephen Shapiro who contacted me through my GetHappyNow.org (no longer live) and said he would be in Austin and wanted to meet. Stephen is a brilliant man on the concepts of innovation. He told me that if I were to focus on helping businesses succeed I could really have a good product.

He triggered the entrepreneurial part of my soul and I launched Work Happy Now. The writing and ideas started flowing. I have enough extra posts right now to fill up a whole year. Most of them need editing, but you get my point. The work happiness concept struck a chord with my soul.

* Side note: You’ll notice that ping to your soul too, if you keep on trying new paths.

Experimenting

As many of you know I’ve been experimenting with my words, audio, and video while trying to find the right fit for you and me. Curiosity is a huge part of working happy. That means trying new things, measuring the results, tweaking your approach just a little bit and then trying something that’s just a little bit different.

Present Day

I’m so far from perfect that there are days when I wonder how much I can help you, but then I realize that I’m the best person for the job. Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle. Stress and my expectations can bum me out, but my happiness levels are so much more consistent since I started this blog. It has forced me to find ways to be happy, even when I’m struggling at work.

This blog encouraged me to focus my efforts on my happiness and it worked. Work Happy Now has become my “Happy at Work” Project. It made me realize that I should encourage all of you to make a “Happy at Work” Project. The only way you are going to improve your work happiness is by trying new things and tweaking them until your happiness begins to blossom.

I have to give Gretchen Rubin of “The Happiness Project” credit for inspiring this concept. Check out Gretchen’s blog and see her take on her happiness project.

What this Means for Work Happy Now Readers

I believe so strongly in focusing my energy where I can expect the most return for my happiness. Over the next few months I want to help you create a Happy at Work Project. The only way you are going to truly be happy right now is by making a plan of action that will help you reach your happiness goals.

From now on, once a week, we will focus on building a plan that will help you level up and keep leveling up until your life is so freakin’ awesome that you feel like you might explode. (Just the feeling – I will not take any responsibility for any exploding readers.)

We’ll focus on eight core concepts:

• Passion – finding the things you love to do and finding a way to make a living from it.
• Personal happiness – because when you are happy with yourself, it’s easier to be happy at work.
• Confidence – it’s important to trust in yourself and your choices.
• Motivation – feeling energetic while working is vital to success.
• Productivity – getting shhhhhtuff done helps us understand we are heading in the right direction.
• Relationships – the second most important aspect to work happiness.
• Leadership – helping other people work happy only makes your work more enjoyable. We’ll focus on how all of us can make the work experience so amazingly awesome that other people maximize their greatness, too.

As we create a work happiness plan together, we will be planting a seed that encourages joy. And like we do on this blog, let’s support and help each other level up. The more we can help each other work happier, the more we can help one another accomplish great work.

This site is about how I can help you be happy at work. If you have anything you think we should focus on then let me know and we can incorporate it into our happiness plan. Please let me know about the things that bother you in your working life.

Also feel free to email me anytime and I’ll be glad to help. If you want a more personal experience please contact me and we can set up a personal Happy at Work Project that will lift your life to a new level. The first session is free. You’ve got to try out the goods before you join my coaching group.

Get Started Today

• Download the free PDF workbook “The Happy at Work Project”

Email me karl (AT) workhappynow (DOT) come and I’ll send you…

• Free Work Happy Now Weekly Planner
• List of resolutions you can use in conjunction with your planner

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

AndRam @workhappynow i work 10 to 2 pm. take a long lunch break and then back around 4 or 5 till 8 or 9…1:16 PM May 3rd from twhirl in reply to workhappynow

LilianChisca @workhappynow I use the 60/60/30 Formula I learned from @ebenpagan’s Wake Up Productive video trainings.12:29 PM May 3rd from TweetDeck in reply to workhappynow

He went on to explain:

LilianChisca @workhappynow That’s two 1 hour focused blocks of time (w/10 min break on the end for each) followed by a 30 min renewal.12:30 PM May 3rd from TweetDeck in reply to workhappynow

We get too caught up in working certain schedules or hours because other people want us to work, rather than doing what is actually best for our productivity.

I know that we can’t escape the boss’s demands, but we can try to make small changes every week until we are closer to our perfect schedule.

So now I ask you…

“What would be your perfect work schedule?”

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Penelope Trunk’s blog is dynamic and thought provoking. It forces me to look at my own career from fresh angles. 5 Steps to Making Yourself Great is one of my most recent favorites.

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You can follow me on Twitter, @workhappynow, to get your quick work happiness fix.

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If you liked this post then try these on for size:

• How to Build Confidence at Work
• Creating A Project Ritual to Encourage Happines
• The Magic of Allowing Employees to Do What They Love

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!