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Chapter

Happiness at Work: A Psychological

Perspective
Nishi Misra and Shobhna Srivastava

Abstract

Modern human beings spend their maximum amount of time in the work
setting. Hence, how they feel at the workplace has a direct influence on their overall
quality of life. Therefore, understanding what makes us happy or unhappy at work is
very crucial. Surprisingly, there is an absence of a sound theoretical and conceptual
framework for understanding the concept of happiness from the organizational
perspective. For developing a conceptual framework for happiness at work, two
components are relevant -the external work environment and the internal mental
mapping. The concept of happiness in psychology has been equated with pleasure, a
mixture of pleasure, engagement and meaning, or with the concept of well-being. A
precise definition of happiness is missing. There have been numerous studies on the
contributions of positive psychology to happiness and its influence on employees’
well-being and productivity. Most researches concentrate on the external happiness of
individuals. But in the future, organizations need to focus on the intrinsic happiness
of employees as well, to get the best outcome at the workplace. This chapter covers
the causes and consequences of happiness in the workplace. Ways of inculcating
happiness at the workplace to increase organizational productivity and create happy
employees have also been discussed.

Keywords: happiness, engagement, productivity, workplace, well-being

1. Introduction

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

In the present age, we have been bestowed with the opportunity to witness many
pinnacles of scientific and technological ingenuity, the comforts of life that were
once beyond imagination are now an everyday reality. There has been an encouraging
increase in the number of unorthodox work opportunities and job avenues, where
one can transform not only their hobbies into economic pursuits, but also align their
personal goals with their professional ones. People are looking toward being happy at
work.
Thomas Edison echoed these sentiments and claimed, “I never did a day’s work in
my life, it was all fun” [1]. More recently, the late Steve Jobs (2005) put his own spin
on it by saying, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do,” (p. 3) [1].
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Happiness and Wellness - Biopsychosocial and Anthropological Perspectives

The construct of happiness has been the subject of intrigue between scientists and
philosophers, alike. The Eastern philosophers equated it with self-realization, while
the West spoke of Hedonia and Eudemonia.
Aristotle defined the concepts of Hedonics, where happiness is a result of an indi-
vidual’s degree of experience of pleasure versus pain, pleasant feelings vs judgment.
Eudaimonic views of happiness underline doing what is virtuous, morally right, true,
and meaningful to one’s self and realizing one’s potential [2].
The rise of positive psychology in the past decade has lent the abstract concept
of happiness to empirical research. Happiness has been equated with emotional
well-being. Emotional well-being supports the eudemonism philosophy that consists
of one’s life having a sense of meaning and purpose, the pursuit of excellence, and
intense involvement in activities [3].
Psychological well-being comprises six distinct dimensions of wellness (autonomy,
environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in
life, and self-acceptance) [4].
It was believed previously that success at the workplace had no connection with
the happiness level of employees. People do not expect their jobs as a path to happi-
ness. It was neither necessary to like the people with whom you work nor even share
their values. “Work is not personal,” the thinking went. It was regarded as drudgery
that should be avoided if at all possible. Still, people worked because working is a
reflection of being a responsible member of society and the money that we earn from
doing work allows us to have a comfortable life.
It was believed that happiness came from relationships, family, and friends. In the
business environment, major concerns were profits, demand, supply, efficiency, and
productivity. Happiness was rarely given any attention.
The situation began to change a few decades ago when economics and manage-
ment started discussing about happiness. Colleges and Universities introduced
Happiness courses in their curriculum such as “What makes employees happy”?,
“Foundations of Happiness at Work,” or “How to Create an Enjoyable Work
Environment.” The Happiness Research Institute in Denmark came up and many
books on Happiness flooded the market, like How to Be Happy at Work [5], Powered
by Happy: How to Get and Stay Happy at Work [6]. Work Happy: What Great Bosses
Know [7], and others.
Research has shown that 50% of our happiness is genetically predetermined, while
40% is the result of our attitude, and just 10% is based on the circumstances of our
lives [8]. Therefore, happiness depends a lot on how we react to situations, and that’s
something we all can control. As a result, even if an employee is in a comfortable envi-
ronment, he/she will be unhappy at work if he/she has a bad attitude. Embracing a
positive mindset filled with gratitude and compassion will lead to happiness at work.
In sum, it appears that happiness is a function of environmental events and cir-
cumstances, stable tendencies in the person, and the fit between the two. The impor-
tant connection between happiness and production has been emphasized in research
[9]. Statistical data revealed that happy employees were 12% more productive on
average. Research also demonstrated that because of happiness at the workplace,
stock prices grew an average 19%, as opposed to a mere 10% for companies with
low morale. A Gallup State of the American Workplace study published in 2012 [10]
revealed 41% lower health-related costs in employees with high overall well-being and
62% lower costs compared with employees who were “suffering.” Greater productiv-
ity and performance were related to employee happiness, which in turn benefitted
the employer has been reported [11]. Happy people are more productive; therefore,
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organizations can benefit by improving work environments and facilitating unhappy

employees to become happier [12].
This made the managers believe that happiness is a way to boost productivity. In
the corporate world, happiness gained increased attention. Companies today spend
much money on happiness coaches and consultants. Google has a Chief Happiness
Officer who is responsible for maintaining high morale among employees.
“We spend more of our lives engaged at work than any other single activity” [13].
This statement reflects the reality of the modern world, especially, during post-
pandemic, where the boundary between home and work has diminished. People now
find themselves spending more time at their work desk because the time consumed
in traveling and getting ready for work has reduced to almost nothing. Now the home
has become synonymous with workplace.
With so much of human resource investment, it is now more than ever important
to reiterate the importance of employee happiness at workplace. Employee happi-
ness leads to positive emotions, that may be linked to ameliorating physical illness or
disease [14].

2. Happiness vs well-being

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there are shades of difference
between them. While “hedonism” has been linked with happiness and pleasurable
experiences, “eudamonia” corresponds with a holistic sense of well-being. Well-being
further forms happiness as it encompasses many positive emotions such as content-
ment, realizing one’s potential, developing a sense of purpose, and establishing
positive relationships in life.
‘Wellbeing’ is a state of contentment whereas “happiness” is a feeling of complete
fulfillment, something that is transient and is experienced by all of us at some time or
another. There are occasions that make us happy and we tend to cherish the memories
of those moments. By contrast, ‘well-being’ can be sustained over a longer period of
time. It includes a set of activities that we carry out to keep ourselves well. Well-being
is a gestalt concept that emphasizes happiness but also encompasses domains that
support a fulfilling life. Well-being at work can be attained by living a complete and
fulfilled life.
Deiner et al. [15] linked well-being with psychological flourishing which is an
individual’s perceived success. It also includes traits such as optimism, purposeful life,
social relationships, engagement in activities, and self-esteem. Davidson [16] speaks
of four dimensions of well-being: (i) Differentiation: the ability to distance and break
free from negative life patterns and develop one’s own value systems, (ii) Attention:
the ability to redirect attention and focus on where one wants; being mindful and
receptive, rather than reactive, (iii) Goodness: believing in the basic goodness of
our fellow human beings and ourselves (iv) Resilience: An ability to persevere when
things become difficult
The concept of happiness has been explained by Kahneman [17] who says that
there are two systems that relate to feeling good. The first is the actual feeling of
the here and now. The second is the remembering, reflecting, and narrating system
that decides how satisfied we are with the experience and what was good for us. He
believes that we ought to be focused primarily on the first system. Happiness is a cen-
tral but only one component of well-being. It is the affective element of the subjective
experiential element. Happiness can exist without well-being, but well-being can’t
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Happiness and Wellness - Biopsychosocial and Anthropological Perspectives

exist without happiness. It leads us to physical and emotional aspects which every
person is trying to blend into a single and harmonious mixture. Happiness, in today’s
common usage, is more or less synonymous with “subjective wellbeing” – with the
psychological experience of living well. Someone can feel happy or experience life
satisfaction without really living well. Happiness is an abstract concept that is difficult
to define as there are complex meanings associated with what is really good life.
The theory of Authentic Happiness [18] states that happiness could be analyzed
into three different elements: positive emotion (what we feel e.g. pleasure, ecstasy,
warmth, comfort etc.), engagement or flow (concentrated attention using cognitive
and emotional resources), and meaning (serving something bigger than the self).
Each of these elements is better defined and more measurable than happiness.
From the viewpoint of evaluation of happiness, there are two different kinds of
distinctions: objective and subjective. Do we want to measure health or the experi-
ence of being healthy?, Beauty or the sense of looking ok?, achievements or the sense
of achievement? These are evaluative considerations. Is one interested in measuring
subjective happiness or objective happiness?
Happiness is more close to “living well” whereas well-being is used with a nar-
rower reference to being in good shape physically and mentally [19]. Living well
means living an active life and fostering social happiness. Happiness denotes a
dynamic concept of “living well” than just having a condition of well-being.

3. Happiness and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)

Organizational citizenship behavior is a voluntary behavior that is not a part of

a person’s job description or is paid for, through the organization but it helps in the
betterment of the organization and improves the overall work environment [20].
Happiness at work and organizational learning capability has been considered as
the drivers of Organizational Citizenship Behavior [21].
It has been suggested that happiness at the workplace is one of the major media-
tors toward the development of organizational citizenship behavior because it
creates a feeling of job satisfaction among the employees. Employee happiness
and positive attitude toward their work have been linked with a greater quality of
customer service [22].
Happy employees are more likely to produce long-term organizational success and
sustain high performance over time and deliver key results. OCB is closely linked with
organizational culture, an environment that promotes appreciation and reinforce-
ment has been linked with greater employee retention [23]. Happy employees outper-
form unhappy employees [24].

4. Contributors of happiness at workplace

The contributors can be categorized into physical factors and psychological

factors. Physical factors include earning a high salary, affording a home, a car or nice
clothes, job characteristics, and the like.
At the psychological level, factors include learning a skill, getting more exposure,
facing a challenge and a sense of expansion of belongingness, organizational pride,
authentic relationships, and a sense of meaning are important. Some major factors are
discussed as under:
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4.1 Wage satisfaction and equity

Wage satisfaction depends not so much on how people earn, but on how much
people earn in comparison with others. Taking from the hedonic perspective employ-
ees feel gainfully compensated and happy when they witness pay parity [25].
Another strong contributor to happiness at workplace is a sense of equity, where
the workers are treated respectfully irrespective of their position or wage drawn.
There is fairness in workload distribution and overall job security [26].

4.2 Job characteristics

A meta-analytic study has shown that five climate dimensions of role, job, leader,
work group, and organization were consistently related to job satisfaction and other
job attitudes [27]. The conceptualization of job characteristics has been expanded
to include not just the five motivational factors from Hackman and Oldham, but
several additional motivational factors, social factors, and work context factors such
as those positively related to happiness at work, and collectively explain more than
half of the variance in job satisfaction and 87% of the variance in organizational
commitment [28].

4.3 Dispositional characteristics

Dispositional positive affect has been linked to better performance in manage-

rial decision-making and interpersonal tasks [29]. It is also known to predict career
success. Happy people earn more, perform superior than their peers, and are more
helpful [24]. In general, individuals high on dispositional positive affectivity and core
self-evaluations (comprised of internal locus of control, self-esteem, generalized self-
efficacy, and emotional stability) tend to be happier at work as well as in other areas
of life [30–32].
Happy people are less likely to experience periods of unemployment [33] and
more likely to succeed in their job search. They are charming interviewers [34]. Their
cheerfulness attracts social support from colleagues, thus. enabling them to perform
better.

4.4 Connectedness

Organizations that promote community building; a sense of belongingness in the

employees, increase their pride, and help in cultivating social identity [35].
Research in well-being focuses on “social-capital,” which is considered very impor-
tant for the quality of life and higher levels of happiness. It includes making friends at
work, as well as through the community.

4.5 Autonomy and decision making

Research has found that job autonomy has a positive impact on employees’ mental
and physical well-being. It increases employees’ intrinsic motivation, engagement,
and work performance [36]. It can also reduce mental burnout and emotional
exhaustion in workers, and also reduce the desire to change jobs [37]. More impor-
tantly, it has long been considered an effective management tool to increase job
satisfaction [38].
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Happiness and Wellness - Biopsychosocial and Anthropological Perspectives

4.6 Engagement at the workplace

To be fully engaged and happy, three things are needed:

a. A meaningful vision of the future: People learn and change when they have a
personal vision that is linked to an organizational vision. People want to be able
to see the future and know how they fit in [39].

b. A sense of purpose: Employees want to feel that their work matters, and that their
contributions help to achieve something really important. They want to know that
they and their organizations are doing something big that matters to other people.

c. Great relationships: Leaders, managers, and employees prefer close, trusting,

and supportive relationships that are hugely important to their state of mind and
their willingness contribute to a team.

Those who are engaged in their jobs work harder and smarter [40]. Disengaged,
unhappy people aren’t any fun to work with, don’t add much value, and impact our
organizations (and our economy) in profoundly negative ways. It’s even worse when
leaders are disengaged because they infect others with their attitude. Their emotions
and mindset impact others’ moods and performance tremendously.

4.7 Work-life balance

The ability of employees to deal with the successful combination of work, family
responsibilities, and personal life is crucial for both employers and employees. Work-
life balance is established when a person has an equal level of priorities in relation to
their career growth and the requirements of personal life. A positive work-life balance
reduces employee stress, reduces the risk of burnout, and creates greater well-being.
This positively affects not only the employee him/herself but also the employer
[41]. Organizations/workplaces should look toward promoting a culture where the
employees, enjoy democratic freedom, can achieve subjective well-being, and find
meaning in their lives, in other words are able to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

4.8 Meaningfulness of work

Meaningful work gives essence to what we do and what brings a sense of fulfill-
ment to our lives [42]. When people have a sense of meaning in their work, they
become more committed to the organization. People feel happy when they pursue
meaningful activities [43]. If employees perceive the worth and meaning of work,
they may be happy to do their work [44, 45]. Meaningful work connects employ-
ees with their workplace and experiences a high level of job satisfaction and job
security.

4.9 Flow in work

When a person finds his/her flow and performs to his/her full potential, he/she
is productively engaged and deeply immersed in an activity that is “difficult,” but
well adapted to his talents and he/she strives to achieve a meaningful objective [6].
Thomas Carlyle [7] wrote, “Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other
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Happiness at Work: A Psychological Perspective
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108241

blessedness”. Concentration is so intense that there is no attention left over to think

about anything irrelevant. Self-consciousness disappears and the sense of time becomes
distorted [45]. It transforms the self. Such personalities are referred as “autotelic per-
sonality”. They report positive experiences when in flow, more cheerful, stronger, more
active, concentrated, creative, and satisfied.

4.9.1 Leadership

A correlation of 0.77 between charismatic leadership and subordinate job satisfac-

tion has been reported [46]. Leader-member exchange is also fairly strongly related
to job satisfaction and organizational commitment [47]. Trust in the leader is a strong
predictor of satisfaction and commitment [48]. Autonomy support displayed by lead-
ers also appears to be important for follower satisfaction, well-being, and engagement
[49, 50]. Recognition can be provided in a number of ways. Leaders have to find out
what their employees value most and customize recognition accordingly by showing
empathy toward them and providing them with succession planning and different
opportunities to get high designation [51].

4.9.2 Connectedness

High-quality connections with others is an important source of happiness and

energy for employees [52, 53]. In the book Vital Friends [54], it has been reported that
individuals who said they had a best friend at work were seven times more likely to
report being engaged in their job.
Thus, salary is not an important thing at the workplace. One may get a good salary
but still may not be happy. What really makes employees rank their company well is
the type of work they do, how well they are managed, and how well they are recog-
nized for their work (The Career Bliss Team).
Happiness at work and having a positive attitude at the workplace is important
for maintaining the efficiency of the organization and meeting organizational goals
[11]. Happiness at work refers to a situation at work when human resources feel happy
working, are resourceful and achieve the targeted goals, both at the individual and
organizational level [55].
Researchers see happiness resulting from a combination of three or four basic
factors. Annie McKee sees three components essential for happiness: a meaningful
vision of the future, a sense of purpose, and great relationships at work. Others go as
high as 10 or 15 ingredients, and a few point to an extensive list of dozens of factors
contributing to happiness.

5. Is workplace happiness real?

A number of empirical studies have been conducted in the field of happiness but
the theory about happiness is very weak. A lot of confusion exists in the way research-
ers understand happiness and its source. As a result, the knowledge has limited
practical applicability.
The definition of happiness remains vague. Some researchers associate it with
a good life while others identify happiness with subjective choices that people
make and others look to culture as the determining factor of what we regard as
happiness.
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Happiness and Wellness - Biopsychosocial and Anthropological Perspectives

Authors like André Spicer and Carl Cederström [56] created a corporate storm
when they challenged the notion that happiness is good. The authors believe, backed
by research, that happiness can do more harm than good at the workplace (Harvard
Business Review).
Happiness is personal. Everyone has a particular definition of what being happy
means. Consciously pursuing happiness can actually drain the sense of joy we usually
get from the really good things we experience.
Not every employee wants to be promoted or receive a title. For many people
“personal time” is becoming more important than financial rewards. Thus, for both
individuals and organizations, happiness is important at the workplace [11, 57]. The
best places to work are those in which people can flourish and be their best selves –
instead of pretending to be someone else five days a week. Such a workplace also gives
people flexibility and autonomy as to where and how they work, built on a culture of
growth and trust [58].

6. How leaders can create a happy workplace

Specific tips can be followed to create a happy workplace by motivating each and
every team member to work more efficiently.

6.1 Host engaging and interactive team-building events

Nowadays, more and more offices understand the value of making time to have
fun in the office by holding interesting team-building events through which feeling of
contentment and fulfillment is nurtured. These activities empower teams to collabo-
rate, boost morale, improve communication, and bond with each other. Employees
play together, laugh together, and resolve issues together. This allows them to get to
know each other and helps in building trust and connection [59].

6.2 Providing wellness programs and challenges

Wellness programs are focused on bringing positivity and a healthy lifestyle for all
employees. Benefits may include yearly health check-ups, unlimited doctor consulta-
tions, and access to a one-on-one personalized stress therapy program. Benefits can be
offered beyond the basics. The salary of employees can be supplemented by offering an
extra level of life insurance or disability insurance to protect their incomes. Other ancil-
lary benefits, such as dental and optical wellness can also be offered. Gym memberships
and transit benefits are great perks to keep employees happy and healthy. “It is impor-
tant to provide higher benefits so that the employees know that they as well as their
families are truly cared”– Bobby Hotaling, president and CEO of The Hotaling Group [60].

6.3 Physical activity interventions

Employees’ happiness can be targeted by engaging them in physical activity

programs such as walking programs, yoga, light resistance training, and others. Other
physical exercises can be a combination of muscle relaxation, strengthening, coor-
dination, and flexibility exercises, yoga intervention, aerobics, and weight-training
courses Workplace interventions have been reported to significantly reduce body
weight, BMI, and waist circumference [61].
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6.4 Mental health interventions

Not only the physical health but the mental health of employees is equally impor-
tant. People are often reluctant to discuss mental health problems, especially at work.
Eliminating mental health issues such as depression and anxiety would increase
employee happiness. Mental health issues can be dealt in organizations by building a cul-
ture that prioritizes psychological well-being. Mindfulness training, as well as cognitive-
behavioral training, resiliency training and selection, optimization, and compensation
(SOC) training, has been shown to increase employee well-being [62, 63]. It also led to
an increase in job satisfaction. The mental health of employees can be evaluated by send-
ing small surveys and getting their feedback on a scale of 1 to 5 as to how they are feeling
regularly such as happiness, sadness, gratitude, frustration etc. This way a log of these
scores can be maintained for weeks and an overall happiness score can be calculated.

6.5 Promote work-life balance

Work-life balance is beneficial for employees as well as for the organization. If there
is a good balance between work and personal life, it leads to improved mental health. A
healthy work-life balance is not only important for health and relationships, but it can also
improve employee’s productivity and ultimately performance. Research [64] has revealed
that work-life balance and happiness positively and significantly affect employee perfor-
mance. Beyond the 8 hours spent at the workplace, employees should practice disconnect-
ing completely from their work and enjoy time for other commitments.

6.6 Employee engagement

Engagement is the wheel and happiness is the power. Engagement gives us direc-
tion and happiness creates energy. It’s one thing knowing where you want to go, it’s
another to have the energy to take you there. Engaging employees in an organization
helps to achieve job satisfaction and improves communication and team building.
Engaged employees are happier, both at work and in their personal lives. This can be
achieved by conducting weekly fun activities so that they can have some time off from
work and relax. This also helps in building better relationships and bonds among
the employees. Organizations with highly engaged employees experience increased
customer satisfaction, profits, and employee productivity [65].

6.7 Inclusive and fair policy

Workers know they’re worth more than money, so fostering an environment of

respect is critical to employees’ performance and retention [66]. Emphasis on creat-
ing a highly inclusive work culture and having fair and flexible policies for employees
is very essential for increasing their happiness. Employees who get fair treatment in
their workplace trust their employers and enjoy their work with more dedication.
When employees feel that they are treated fairly, the relationship becomes strong,
trust increases, and they enjoy their work.

6.8 Candid feedback

Leaders can create a psychologically safe work environment by emphasizing

positive, authentic communication [67]. One can be both candid and caring. Candid
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Happiness and Wellness - Biopsychosocial and Anthropological Perspectives

feedback is one of the best ways to elevate employee morale and create a more positive
and happier work environment. It helps in remaining aligned with the organizational
goals and in improving relationships with employees. If employees feel free to share
what they think about the organization, management, and other employees, they are
more likely to be happy and engaged with the organization.

6.9 Promote a positive work environment

Having a positive culture and workplace environment helps a lot, as it encourages

teamwork and communication, which increases engagement and opportunities for
teammates to learn from each other. Happiness leads to positivity.
It is essential for leaders to criticize constructively, whether it’s a mistake made
or goals are not achieved. Being approachable is the foundation of building a good
relationship with employees. It helps in breaking down barriers between employer
and employee so that an environment of trust can be created. A culture of hierarchy is
not encouraged in such a workplace.
Leaders should lead by example by starting the day well, greeting everyone,
praising co-workers for their efforts, asking them about their day, and making them
feel valued. This can have a significant positive impact on workers’ well-being. Even
the smallest of team accomplishments can be celebrated. Holding of regular feedback
sessions is also a good strategy that can be adopted.

6.9.1 Build a sense of fulfillment through a higher purpose

A clear purpose is essential to keep a team focused. It can also build a sense of
fulfillment within colleagues. Leaders should have team members visualize how their
individual contribution is part of a bigger mission. With everyone being on the same
page, leaders can capitalize upon people’s innate need to serve. Reminding the team of
the purpose behind their responsibilities will help keep everyone’s motivation high.

6.9.2 Offer more leisure time

The highest performers can be rewarded with incremental vacation days with family
and friends. A team outing can also be arranged which fosters unity and solidarity among
the workforce. This will rejuvenate the employees and will help them in experiencing hap-
piness at work. Holidays and festivals can be celebrated with employees to create an enjoy-
able environment at the workplace, thus, creating a family environment at the workplace.

6.9.3 Create a career pathway

Leaders should arrange for regular career planning discussions and mentoring ses-
sions with their employees. This will help in reducing employees leaving the organiza-
tion [68]. Maria Kraimer, business professor at the University of Iowa said that as a part
of training and development, employees should be made aware of the different types
of career paths or job opportunities available for them.

6.9.4 Recognize and reward employees frequently

“Reward frequency is more important than size. It has been seen that smaller, fre-
quent positive feedback and rewards will keep people happy longer than a single large,
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infrequent happy event. Even the biggest awards or raises “wear out” in less than a
year, with most employees responding better to small doses every few days” [69].

6.9.5 Office decor and ergonomics are essential

According to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology

Information, a direct relationship exists between chronic pain and neurocognitive
function like attention, memory, processing speed, and executive functions. This
negative cycle can be avoided by providing an ergonomically safe workplace. Doing so
lowers the risk of injuries and chronic pain and reduces stress, significantly improving
employees’ job satisfaction and performance.
Office decor and workplace ergonomics play an important role in determining
employee creativity and productivity. Brightly painted walls, comfortable chairs,
inspirational quotes, images on the walls, etc. can all help you to create a sense of
motivation and happiness in the workplace.

6.9.6 Provide flexible hours to your employees

Provide flexible work hours and remote options for the employees. Flexible
schedules significantly increase employee productivity and morale. They allow a
level of freedom to create their work schedules and achieve work-life balance. It is a
perfect solution to offer employees so that they can meet their responsibilities at both
work and home. By offering such options, better talent can be attracted and retained
at the workplace. It is reported [70] that the ability to change one’s schedule was
associated with a reduced reported likelihood of job stress. A strong association was
found between being able to take time off and three well-being outcomes, including a
reduced reported likelihood of job stress, and an improved reported likelihood of job
satisfaction and healthy days.

6.9.7 Cultivating character strengths

Character strengths-related person-job fit has been found to be associated

with job performance and positive experiences at work [71]. Each individual has a
unique configuration of personal or character strengths, talents, and preferences.
Individuals should discover what their personal strengths are, and then design their
job or career to allow them to cultivate these strengths and spend much of each day
applying them while minimizing demands to complete activities that do not use
strengths.

7. Conclusion

Happiness at the workplace involves the concept of well-being. Besides work

that affects our well-being at the workplace, finances, relationships, and health also
play an important part. If an individual is happy at work but dissatisfied with other
dimensions of his life, his overall level of happiness or well-being will be lower.
Likewise, if an individual has health or relationship issues, it will interfere with his
productivity and happiness at work.
Workplaces should work toward promoting a good life for their employees. The
workers should be able to attain high levels of subjective well-being and find meaning
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Happiness and Wellness - Biopsychosocial and Anthropological Perspectives

in their lives, i.e. achieve eudemonic well-being. This will not only improve the
employee-employer relationship but also improve the overall organizational culture.

Conflict of interest

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

Author details

Nishi Misra1* and Shobhna Srivastava2

1 ITM, Mussoorie, India

2 University of Washington, USA

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

© 2022 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided
the original work is properly cited.
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Happiness at Work: A Psychological Perspective
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108241

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