How to be happy at work

Payingit International considers happiness at work as one of the most important things in life, which is why they have given us some tips concerning work happiness.

When you look at Dutch culture, you may notice that Dutch sobriety is often passed on far into the companies and employees. Want to do a job you like? Sure, but money has to be earned and that only works if you work hard enough.

Because the Dutch are so driven at work, experiencing happiness at work often comes second, third or even last when it comes to their priorities. In this article, you can read what happiness at work exactly is, why it is sometimes not experienced, and how you can increase your work happiness!

What is work happiness?

Happiness at work can be described as enjoying the work you do. While this is a good explanation, there is more to happiness at work than just experiencing pleasure. Happiness at work provides satisfaction, which in turn stimulates you to do your best.

Happiness at work also has to do with whether you experience positive social interactions in the workplace and whether you receive support from colleagues and supervisors. It ensures that you can work hard and that the work you do gives you energy. Experiencing happiness at work helps you to give a positive boost to your work and private life in addition to your job.

What contributes to happiness at work? Which factors are decisive?

Happiness at work is something that is very personal for everyone. Some employees experience it when they are given more responsibility in the workplace, while others can experience more happiness at work by being assigned fewer responsibilities. Furthermore, the possibility to work on your personal development is an important factor for experiencing happiness at work.

How meaningful is your work to you and of how much value are you as an employee to the company? When an employee does not feel like one of the many and is told what they specifically contribute to the company, happiness at work will increase.

Furthermore, room to grow within the current position or with a view to promotions would help to encourage happiness at work as well. The opportunity to build a career gives the employee the idea that they can make progress as a person, employee and career.

How can a company contribute to increasing employee happiness at work?

As an employer and organisation, you can take a number of steps to inspire or increase employee happiness at work. A healthy organisation works with a clear structure and offers sufficient support from the highest positions for the rest of the company.

It is important that directors, managers and other executives provide adequate support to employees and create opportunities for them to achieve their personal goals. Do your best to avoid a negative atmosphere between employers and employees. This allows your organisation to function as a whole. Plan positive feedback moments, for example, so that your employees can hear what is going well and how everyone makes a difference in the organisation.

As an employer, you can also contribute to the atmosphere in the workplace. A pleasant atmosphere contributes to happiness at work. You can achieve this by stimulating the team spirit; organise company outings, team building days and try to stimulate social interactions between employees. You can do this by, for example, putting a pool, table tennis or dartboard in the office or by organising projects for the organisation in which colleagues who normally don’t work together in a team work together.

Why is it that many employees do not experience happiness at work?

For some, it is difficult to create positive feelings towards their work, in addition to the fact that their work supports them financially. When this is the case, the employee lives to work. It is important as an employee to work correctly in order to organise their life in a pleasant way.

You can often test how you feel about your work by asking yourself whether you see work as a necessity, a passion, a hobby or a way to achieve other goals in your life.

The tricky part is that it sometimes seems that happiness at work and financial security are opposed to each other. It is precisely this financial security that prevents people from switching jobs if they do not experience happiness at work somewhere. Looking for a new job brings uncertainty. Although you experience little happiness at work, the step to change jobs can be too stressful or overwhelming.

Tips for more happiness at work

Would you like to experience more happiness at work? Did you know that you yourself can contribute to increased happiness at work? Here is how you can contribute to your happiness at work with these five handy tips.

1. Work on your discipline

This allows you to perform tasks better and faster, giving you the feeling that you have been productive at the end of your working day.

2. Indicate your boundaries

If you are honest about whether you are looking for more or less of a challenge, you can better match the work to your mental state.

3. Invest in social relationships with your colleagues

Invite a colleague to do something fun outside of work.

4. Multitasking isn't always good

When you can focus all your attention and energy on one task at a time, you can work with a more relaxed feeling.

5. Communicate clearly

It makes sense, of course, but when you start paying attention and really commit to communicating clearly, you'll see what a difference this can make. When others know what to expect from you and vice versa, you invest in relationships with your colleagues and superiors.

Payingit International is happy to help you with any questions you may have about working in the Netherlands, from IND sponsors to the 30% ruling.