How Being Happy at Work Can Make You Happy at Home

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If you are lucky enough to view your occupation as the labor of love, you don’t “work” a day in your life. And that mindset boosts performance, because happy employees are productive employees. But for people who are not enamored with their professional responsibilities, is there still a way to view the workplace as a source of satisfaction and emotional fulfillment? Believe it or not, the answer is yes.

Contentment on the Clock: Civility Is Positivity

Many people find it easy to complain when they don’t like their job. Whether it’s long hours or unfulfilling work, most people have no trouble singing the workplace blues. Sometimes the complaints are about management—as many people don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses, because there is more to the workplace experience than the activity we were hired to do. But how often do we finish a work week celebrating accomplishments, singing the praises of co-workers, or relishing in the authentic praise from a superior for a job well done? Perhaps it is time to focus on the personally positive aspects of our work lives instead.

Annamaria Di Fabio et al. (2016) studied the impact of workplace relational civility on well-being and acceptance of change.[i] Among other findings, the team noted that focusing on healthy people as flourishing and resilient workers promoted a positive work environment that stimulated employee health with respect to both performance and well-being from a perspective of organizational positive psychology, concentrating on positive rather than negative functioning. They noted that this shift in focus emphasizes the balance of gainful employment and work-life balance for self, family, and the organization itself—which includes job satisfaction, safety, and a sense of belonging.

Di Fabio et al's findings recognized several factors that are important from an organizational positive psychology framework: cultivating skills and talents, satisfaction with work product, and developing positive interpersonal relationships. They noted that enhancing individual resources impacts one’s professional life as well as quality of work and recognized the link between work quality and workplace relationships, noting the importance of this association within the broader context of quality of life.

Civility Cultivates Satisfaction on and off the Clock

Di Fabio et al. described workplace relational civility as a relational style characterized by “respect and concern for oneself and others, interpersonal sensitivity, personal education, and kindness toward others” as associated with acceptance of change. They found that a workplace characterized by treating each other with dignity and respect was linked with enhanced personal life satisfaction. Therefore, not only does showing respect and caring for self and others foster workplace relational well-being, creating a positive workplace climate can also impact the overall evaluation of life.

As a practical matter, the impact of positive workplace interaction is experienced within industries from fast food to forensics—since most jobs include working with others. Many people like their jobs because they like their co-workers. Indeed, some of the strongest friendships we have are made in the workplace, which is also the place many people meet their significant others. So, when we say we love our job, we might be expressing that we love the way our boss and co-workers make us feel—about ourselves. Working is about more than what we do, it is also about who we are. And while we take our paycheck to the bank, the feelings of self-confidence, value, and worth are positive sentiments we take home.

Considering how much time many people spend in the workplace, adopting an intentional culture of workplace relational civility should increase the likelihood of fostering employee wellness both professionally and personally. Regardless of industry, geography, or salary, quality of life is priceless and is an emotional paycheck worth cashing.