There are a lot of people who will tell you how important it is to have happy employees. That of course makes sense to most of us, as having unhappy employees just doesn't seem like a lot of fun. But before we can answer the question ‘How do we make our employees happy?’ we have to first ask ‘Is it even possible to make our employees happy?’ Some of the latest research in positive psychology hints that we may have less influence than we know on another person's happiness.
Sonia Lyubomirsky is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. In her book The How of Happiness, she states that 50% of a person’s happiness is actually pre-determined in their genes. In other words half of a person's happiness is beyond changing weather by you or by the individual themselves. Lyubomirsky goes on to explain that some people have higher happiness ‘set points’ than others which explains why some people seem to find joy in any and every circumstance, while others couldn't crack a smile if they won the lottery.
Well if half of our happiness is out of our control, what about the other half? The research suggests that only 10% of our happiness is contingent on our circumstances. Of course most people when they think of what will make them happy often resort to trying to change their circumstances. “If only I had…” While this might give you a temporary boost in happiness like moving to Southern California in the middle of winter, it's a effects are short lived. So focusing on a change of our situation has minimal long-term affect on our happiness levels. Well if 50% of our happiness is genetically determined at birth and another 10% hinges on our circumstances then what about the other 40%. Well the good news is that this 40% is within our power to change.
Often managers try to make their employees happy by changing their circumstances. This is not a bad approach as long as we understand that it's end result will be temporary. So let's say Sally down the hall is unhappy with her secondhand office furniture. It would be a nice gesture to upgrade her equipment and would for sure put a smile on her face for a few weeks. But it would not generate long-term on-the-job happiness that is so crucial to people enjoying their careers. So I am not saying that we should ignore this 10%. My point here is that we should not be fooled into thinking this 10% is going to make all the difference in the world. Of course as a manager we want to do everything in our power to make employees enjoy their circumstances at work. But let's talk about this other 40%.
In The How of Happiness Lyubomirsky lists 12 happiness activities. These, she says, are what the most recent research has taught us about the real sources of happiness. All of these are within out control and make up that last 40%. Here are the 12 happiness activities:
The current research on happiness points to these 12 items as foundational for a person's well-being. So if you want to have a happy staff, (and I suggest it) then in addition to changing whatever circumstance you can, try and create an environment or a culture where these 12 items can blossom. Obviously there's too much here for a short article but let's take number four for example. Practicing acts of kindness. When people do nice things for others it makes them feel happy. So how can you as a manager encourage or stimulate acts of kindness among your team. Or let’s take a look at number 2; cultivating optimism. How can you as a manger help your team continually develop an optimistic mindset about the workplace and your projects. None of this is easy stuff and requires some thinking, and persistence on your part, but then again, no one said being a great manager was a walk in the park.
At the end of the day people are responsible for their happiness but I think a great manager can help create an environment that makes it easy for people to practice some of these happiness activities. If you would like more on happiness check out Lyubomirsky’s book The How of Happiness.
