Ways to Be Happy at Work

“I hate my job” arrgghhh! Yup, we’ve all been there at least once in our lives. Check out these suggestions from About.com Guide, Susan Heathfield to get you happy at your workplace.

Choose to Be Happy at Work
I wish all of you had the best employer in the world, but, face it, you may not. So, think positively about your work. Dwell on the aspects of your work you like. Avoid negative people and gossip. Find coworkers you like and enjoy and spend your time with them. Your choices at work largely define your experience. You can choose to be happy at work.

Do Something You Love Every Single Day
Take a look at yourself, your skills and interests, and find something that you can enjoy doing every day. If you do something you love every single day, your current job won't seem so bad. Of course, you can always make your current job work or decide that it is time to quit your job.

Take Charge of Your Own Professional and Personal Development
You are the person with the most to gain from continuing to develop professionally. Take charge of your own growth; ask for specific and meaningful help from your boss, but march to the music of your personally developed plan and goals. You have the most to gain from growing - and the most to lose, if you stand still.

Take Responsibility for Knowing What Is Happening at Work
Seek out the information you need to work effectively. Develop an information network and use it. Assertively request a weekly meeting with your boss and ask questions to learn. You are in charge of the information you receive.


Ask for Feedback Frequently
If you're not positive about your work, think about improving and making a sincere contribution. Then, ask your boss for feedback. Tell him you'd really like to hear his assessment of your work. Talk to your customers, too; if you're serving them well, their feedback is affirming. You are responsible for your own development. Everything else you get is gravy.

Stay tuned for part two of Ways to Be Happy at Work.

Get this: Sitting for too long cuts workplace productivity!

Researchers say that sitting down for long-hours causes back aches and reduces productivity in the workplace.

Via The Star Online: “Occupational health physician Dr Abed Onn lists low back pain as one of the three most common work-related ailments, alongside noise-induced loss of hearing and upper limb muscular disorder. In the absence of reliable statistics, he based his assesment on cases he has handled in the course of his work. Dr Abed said that low back pain, along with similar painful conditions, was the cause of suffering and reduced productivity.”

“Low back pain is not an old man’s ailment. I am seeing more cases of low back pain in fairly young individuals, even people in their early 30s,” highlighted Dr Onn.
Orthopaedic and spine surgeon Dr Siow Yew Siong asserted that office workers suffer mostly sprained and strained low backs as well as early degeneration of the spine due to the sedentary nature of office work. “Sprains and strains are much more common than actual spinal diseases,” said Dr Siow. “Poor sitting posture, poor office ergonomics (designing of equipment to fit the human body), wrong lifting techniques and prolonged sitting can cause sprains and undue strain to your back.”

For those of you who love your high heels, you might want to think again about your penchant for them. Dr Siow mentioned that wearing high heels can also cause the misalignment of the spine, hips, knees and ankles and result in low back pain

He also added: “Sprains and strains usually abate by themselves with time, but if patients have spinal diseases without symptoms, we usually advise them to be vigilant and do back strengthening exercises.”

Dr Abed suggested that employers should provide ergonomically designed equipment like adjustable seats and working surfaces along with software programmes that remind computer users to take micro-breaks.

Share with us what you think about this—do you feel that sitting for too long cuts workplace productivity?