The quickest ways to kill goodwill and happiness at work – are you guilty?

Does your workplace have an innovative way of maintaining employee happiness? If so, we would love to hear about it!

We all know the feeling: you have just enjoyed a long weekend relaxing at home on the sofa, or with family, but before long Monday has come around again and it is time to return to getting up early and making the journey to work. Nobody likes the post-weekend feeling, regardless of how much they love their job, but how can you tell when that sinking feeling is not just the Monday blues but an indication of a more serious underlying problem at work?

Problems at work – what causes them?

A recent survey of over 700 employees by WooHoo Inc acquired some findings as to the top causes of unhappiness at work, with the results somewhat surprising. While people may think it is low pay or even problems at home that act as the major contributors to unhappiness at work, this was not the case according to the survey results. What was it that killed happiness at work?

Negative co-workers

Whether the negativity comes from something as simple as co-workers constantly moaning about jobs or something more severe such as workplace bullying, negative co-workers can bring down the entire office morale and are reported to be one of the main causes of dissatisfaction in the workplace.

Unsupportive employers

Those who feel that their employer does not have their best interests in mind, or perhaps puts them under too much pressure with high workloads and tight deadlines, reported a lack of satisfaction in the workplace as a result. Following on from this, a lack of praise for good work can also result in employees feeling demoralised and under-appreciated.

No direction

On the other hand, while some are perfectly happy with their workload and the job expectations, they have a lack of clarity as to what they are working towards. This can come from being in the same job for a long time with no form of promotion or bonus, or can occur when employees feel they are not achieving anything for their hard work. This is a real issue in more monotonous jobs where the tasks are fairly repetitive.

How to improve morale at work

Are you concerned that you may be experiencing any of these problems? Don’t worry, as WooHoo Inc believes that it has not only identified the causes of unhappiness in the workplace but also the winning formula for maintaining employee happiness.

Quite simply, it believes that the model for happiness is based on results and relationships. If strong work relationships are formed and hard work is praised and rewarded, employees will feel valued and appreciated. As a result, company morale will be raised.

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