Happiness and satisfaction are subjective concepts – while for some of us monetary benefits can be equated with job satisfaction, some might strive for recognition of their hard-work and lose motivation on failing to achieve so.
No matter what the standards are, being content with our careers is crucial for maintaining the ‘work-life’ balance.
As enlightened employers look for ways to boost employees' health and well-being, a new kind of corporate culture is emerging, one that recognizes that healthy, happy employees, the kind who balance work with play and who nurture both their professional and personal passions, are more likely to make a company great-and to stick around for the long haul.
When Google promoted a software engineer named Chade-Meng Tan to the role of "Jolly Good Fellow", his career - and the entire culture of Silicon Valley - took a sharp turn. Meng, a cheerful employee valued for his motivational qualities, went from developing mobile search tools to spreading happiness across the organisation.
A 2017 study found that 57% of start-up businesses had at least one member who worked remotely, either from home or wherever they happened to want to work.
An added benefit here is the implied trust and autonomy of allowing staff to work remotely may contribute more to their happiness than dragging them into an office stocked with free coffee and fruit.
One-on-one meetings are a great tool for managers and employees. The allow you to check in with the team's morale and to get to know the people you are working with better. Effective one on one meetings are also great for getting employee feedback which is extremely important for managers.