Being happy during leisure and work is a necessity. This view is still widespread, although there is a growing recognition that happy employees are more productive and creative. But how do you achieve a healthy and balanced work-life balance? So that both "work" and "life" alike satisfaction create.
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Hard work makes you successful - where does the myth come from?
Before the industrialization the work of the people was to till the land and reap the fruits of their labor to feed their families. One worked under the most adverse conditions. Being happy didn't matter, because the only purpose of the work was to secure one's livelihood. Even with the advent of factories and machines, hardly anything had changed in this basic attitude. Rather, the relationship to satisfaction that can result from real agricultural activity or manual labor has been reduced even further.
In recent decades, movement came into the work picture
Today, we are constantly available through modern technologies, read work e-mails also in our free time and can not switch off properly anymore. More than half of the cases in the EU are due to mental illness such as fatigue, sleep disorders and burnout. Even the private life is not spared and suffers increasingly under these conditions.
Over the past few years, psychologists have found in numerous studies that satisfied employees perform better. A good work-life balance is therefore not only valuable for the individual, but also for the profitability of the entire company. Companies with happy employees are around 20% more successful than their competitors.
The work has a huge impact on our well-being
Nevertheless, the myth that work shouldn't be fun remains firmly anchored in people's minds. Success is still associated with high pressure to perform. Only those who work hard, work overtime and put up with stress are successful. In addition, industrial relationships are used for networking purposes. Personal desires, goals and values are seen as private matters that have nothing to do with work.
But that is precisely why many people can not identify with their work. This discrepancy and distancing makes you unhappy and sick in the long run. Frustration and demotivation are the result. Because we spend about 50% of our lifetime at work - so it has a big impact on our overall well-being.
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Fun at work: for more success and a healthy work-life balance
But how do you make the step to more well-being at work? Annie McKee In her book How to Be Happy at Work, she identified three steps to more happiness at work and a healthy work-life balance:
1. sense
It is in human nature to search everywhere for meaning and purpose. He is decisive for everything we do. It drives us, motivates us and increases our willingness to invest energy in one thing. Of course, sense is strongly influenced by personal values and desires. But those who see meaning in their work will not only make them better, but also with a happier feeling.
2. hope
Hope, optimism and a positive view of the future are also very human traits. They allow us to deal with pressure and prioritize. They inspire us to realize our potential. In order for this to work well at work, it is important to see his personal desires and dreams reflected in his work and to realize oneself.
3. Friendship
Friendships are the salt in the soup - not only in private life, but also at work. They form the perfect basis for good teamwork and make us happy because they make us feel as accepted as we are. Friendships between colleagues make us feel like we belong - an essential factor for happiness and a good work-life balance.
From the book How to Be Happy at Work by Annie McKee
