"We want to do meaningful and fun work, maybe even good or beautiful work. We want to accomplish something. And ideally, we would like our work to transcend us. That it somehow reaches beyond."
So begins the preface to 'Mooi Werk' a book by Ben Tiggelaar that is still burningly topical. Because isn't that what we all still want? To do beautiful, fun and good work that ideally surpasses us?
And yet, still it goes wrong very often. People feel uncomfortable at or through work or both!
What is going wrong?
- People eagerly look forward to the weekend, dreaming for years of the fun they will have once they retire.
- People make unexpected attempts and enter into conversations with colleagues, supervisors, HR managers, etc. with the expectation that they will tell them what to do.
- People become frustrated, demotivated, tired, jaded. They enter a vicious cycle in which they find it increasingly difficult to recharge themselves to do what they are supposed to do, first professionally, but over time privately as well. The once-driven employee goes on a 9 to 5 rhythm for the sake of self-preservation.
- People begin to doubt themselves. Can they actually do this job? Wouldn't they be better off opting for another job at a lower level? Or is the manager right that their way of working is not good? That they should try just that little bit harder to get that structure in order, work more efficiently, polish up that time management, speak more to the point, be more hands-on, have more constructive conversations and so many other things?
No job happiness?
No idea? The only thing that is certain is that there are no winners in the above scenario. Employers are at a loss as they fail to realize the projected business growth. Employees sink into frequent short or longer absences, depression, burnout and a head full of question marks where self-confidence no longer has a chance.
But where do we go wrong? What does it take to ensure that we are happy and satisfied at or through our work? What does it take to be able to say that we are even happy at or through our work? Or what is "happiness" tout court?
Ben Tiggelaar also knows the answer to this. He studied the work of psychologist Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology. The latter conducted research on "happiness" and came up with three important dimensions of happiness.
Work happiness through enjoyable, good and meaningful work
Combined with a variety of practical, empirical research on work and work experience, Ben Tiggelaar defines work happiness as being composed of enjoyable work, good work and meaningful work.
- Enjoyable work is about a sense of wanting to belong. Being heard and seen in who we are or what we do and knowing what is expected of us, so we know when our work will be considered good.
- Good work is about what we have to do at work and the feeling we get from it. Being able to use our strengths, being able to participate, develop yourself and achieve good results are crucial to this.
- Meaningful work involves a desire to work for a higher purpose, something that transcends ourselves.
Whether that is simply the satisfaction we experience in what we do every day, the happiness we feel when we achieve a great team result or the pride in being able to work for that particular company... It doesn't matter as long as we can see for ourselves the "why" behind our work.
Having or finding enjoyable work, good work and meaningful work is easier said than done. Practice shows that many people struggle with their jobs due to the absence of just that missing piece of recognition, appreciation, inspiration, challenge, collegiality, participation or whatever.
Unfortunately, it is not always easy to figure out where things are going wrong and what could be done better.
Work happiness thanks to career guidance with career vouchers
Fortunately, the Flemish government also realizes that there is still work to be done and that both companies and individuals benefit from actively addressing this issue. This is why the system of career vouchers was created back in 2013. The purpose of this subsidy is to provide professional guidance to people who, for one reason or another, get stuck or are in danger of getting stuck.
Experiencing work happiness?
Then measure an appointment for a free telephone introductory consultation and find out what we can do together.