The results are in. LinkedIn released the findings from their latest survey on career happiness at the Texas Conference for Women this past week. They surveyed more than 12,000 professionals, men and women, and found that 63 percent of professionals globally (66% of professionals in the U.S.) said they are happy or very happy with their current job.
Are you surprised by this large percentage? Quite frankly, I was. I also found it significant that 52% of the global respondents (52% of the U.S. respondents as well) believe that if they work hard and demonstrate results, they will advance in their company. In fact, there is a direct correlation between happiness at work and career advancement.
In her book, Happiness at Work: Maximizing Your Psychological Capital for Success, author Jessica Pryce-Jones states that her research on the subject revealed that happy people:
- Get promoted more.
- Earn more.
- Get more support.
- Generate better and more creative ideas
- Achieve goals faster
- Interact better with colleagues and bosses
- Receive superior reviews
- Learn more
- Achieve greater success
- Are healthier
Are we really all that happy at work?
There is no doubt that our current economy affects these results. LinkedIns Connection Director, Nicole Williams notes, A tough economy can make professionals appreciate facets of their job they might otherwise overlook when business is booming, said Williams.
Can we change our mindset if we are less than happy at work?
Author Pryce-Jones states that you can make yourself happier at work.
The easiest place to start is by being more mindful and aware of your situation. All that involves is stepping back to recognize how you feel in any given moment and why. Doing this is one of the easiest ways to build your psychological capital and to protect it too other people have an effect on how you feel and youll have an effect on them too. Being mindful of that is the first step towards understanding that although work cant make you happy, you can make yourself happier at work.
There is also an increased awareness that the benefits of being happy are significant. Perhaps that is why there is such a surge of books on the topic lately. We understand the benefits and want to learn more about how we can increase our happiness. When we are happy, we are healthier. Happiness boosts our immune system. And now we also know that being happy at work has a positive impact on our performance and career advancement.
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. ~A Schweitzer
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