Happiness equals productivity at work

Do you look forward to going to work, or do you groan as soon as you hear the familiar ringing of the alarm clock in the morning? If it’s the latter, it’s time to make some life changes—both for yourself and for your employer.

New research shows that happy employees are far more productive and motivated at work than their unhappy colleagues. Jessica Pryce-Jones, author of Happiness at Work and CEO of iOpener, collected data from more than 3,000 questionnaire respondents and focus group participants. She found that being happy at work has major advantages over being unhappy.

Pryce-Jones found that the happiest employees were:

> 180 percent more energized than their unhappy colleagues

> 155 percent happier with their jobs

> 150 percent happier with life

> 108 percent more engaged

> 50 percent more motivated

The results also showed that the least happy workers spend just 40 percent of the week completing their assigned tasks, while happy workers spent 80 percent of their week on the tasks. Happy workers also took 66 percent less sick leave than less-happy employees.

“Happiness at work is closely correlated with greater performance and productivity, as well as greater energy, better reviews, faster promotion, higher income, better health, and increased happiness with life,” Pryce-Jones says. “So it’s good for organizations and individuals.”

So whether you need to beat burnout, stop gossip, or simply remember why you love your job, you owe it to yourself—and to your practice—to become a happier employee. If you’ve tried but can’t seem to find happiness at work, perhaps it’s time to move on and find a more satisfying position. Click here to get started.