Future of Work
EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION
C hoose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. The sentiment, commonly attributed without much evidence to Confucius, has long graced email signatures as the mantra of workaholics who wear their devotion as a badge of honour. More recently, it has seeped into employers’ expectations of their staff. Research shows that ‘passion’ is now a regular requirement in job listings. This expectation is not shared by younger workers. The rise of ‘quiet quitting’ and calls for better work-life balance suggest that falling in love with work has become unattainable, stereotyped millennials and Gen Z as entitled and averse to hard work. Perhaps they would be better served by approaching the issue from a different perspective. Instead of demanding that workers are passionate about their profession, they could focus on helping employees to find joy in their work. Contrary to common concerns, his doesn’t have to come at the expense of doing good work. Research shows or at least unfashionable. As a result, critics have the two can go hand in hand. Positive emotions such as joy, happiness, and pride happen when we accomplish something that brings us closer to a goal. That could be a work achievement, such as finishing a project, or a social experience with a colleague. These emotions can improve employee wellbeing, keep us motivated and engaged, and lead to better work quality. They can also enhance teamwork, trust
by Tina Kiefer Plump for joy
between coworkers, and a sense of belonging. This is especially true when we have fun in the workplace. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson, an expert in positive emotions, suggests that experiencing fun and joy at work can broaden our horizons. “The pandemic has changed our experiences and expectations of work”
can have a damaging impact on staff wellbeing. Positive emotions can act as a buffer against the many negative experiences we inevitably encounter at work. They can relieve stress, diffuse tension in difficult group situations, and reduce burnout. The pandemic has changed our experiences and expectations of work. Today, many office workers view some degree of flexibility – and the resulting improvements in work-life balance – as a standard job requirement. The ‘great resignation’ suggests that some people would rather quit than lose flexibility and autonomy in their working arrangements. My research found that people enjoyed their jobs more in a hybrid working environment, spending at least part of their week working from home. Of course, some were happy to be away from toxic office cultures or micromanaging supervisors. But more broadly – and crucially – employees felt a heightened sense of mastery over their work when operating remotely. Many of us have experienced how much easier it is to accomplish things and stay motivated
When we are enjoying ourselves, we are willing to try new things,
engage in different kinds of behaviour, and, as a result,
improve our abilities over time. That’s not to say that negative emotions are universally bad. They can serve a purpose in manageable doses, focusing our minds and our attention on a particular issue. This is evident when we are anxious about solving a problem or overcoming an obstacle at work. However, an excess of negativity
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