Dear readers, you deserve a disclosure on my situation on why work matters so much to me, and why I've decided to make a blog on happiness at work.
1) I'm married, but there are no kids in the picture at this time. My furry children include a cat and a dog, both rather demanding creatures, to be sure. However, parents of human children will likely say I'm very much still 'in the cave, seeing only shadows on the wall' regarding my view towards work. So, yes, in a nutshell, my work is extremely important, a very high priority in life. Work is worth writing about, and I so dearly want work to be worth doing as well, always.
2) My financial planner, who's not too far off from retirement, laughed her head off when I told her this, but I plan on working for as long as I possibly can. Therefore, I better be sure I pace myself, and make sure this is something I'm not going to get an ulcer on. I'm in my thirties, but in the fields I've worked in since high school (science, academia, non-profit management, arts & culture) I've seen and known personally a good number of devoted employees happily coming into work everyday who are in their 60's, 70's and 80's - they come in because they are liked and respected, can still make valuable contributions, and absolutely love what they do. And if they can still be paid to do it, why quit?
3) With the social security cache dwindling, there's a good chance I'm going to need to keep making money for as long as possible. So again, isn't it important to come in everyday to something truly gratifying?
I've started to do some research on the relationship between happy employees and management structures, and will share some things as I go along:
To be happy in a job, one’s ‘basic needs’ must be met first.
In their book 'First Break All the Rules', Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman present their conclusions from studying over million employees over 25-plus years.
The questions that define the basic needs, as outlined by Buckingham and Coffman, are directly linked to employee satisfaction and retention. These questions are:
Do I know what is expected of me at work?
Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
At work, do my opinions seem to count?
The five questions above are linked to the actions and management style of the employee’s immediate supervisor.
There's a responsibility on both sides here: the side of the employee and the side of the employer. At that critical interview stage, both sides are asking the question: 'do you have what I need?' And of course, both sides must be prepared to either deliver on what is promised or politely decline any further procession.
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