10 steps to happiness

Because our moods affect our performance, it’s no surprise that our members are increasingly aware of their employees’ emotional wellbeing. Employees are beginning to realise the impact that emotional wellbeing has on their employees’ performance. 32 per cent of UK employees are not happy at work and 86 per cent see a direct link between their performance and their mood. William Montgomery reveals ten ways how you can improve both.

1. Take control. There are things you can change about your workplace. It may even be that you need to change jobs. Too many people are too passive and thy stay in jobs. It’s kind of better the devil you know. They need to start taking control of the situation and start doing something about it.

2. Have the right attitude. Be positive and remind yourself of the good things about your job. Yes, you need skills and capabilities at work, but our attitude will take you a lot further.

3. Smile. Interaction with your colleagues is important. Being honest, open and authentic and having an expectation that people will come back with the same things.

4. Reduce stress. If you’re under too much pressure, tell somebody at work. If you’re working under pressure that you can’t handle and you live wit that stress for a long time something will give. Either change your circumstances or something will change within you.

5. Matching values. Do you agree with your company’s values? It’s important for people when they are looking for jobs to look at what are their values and ask do the values match.

7. Research. It helps to research a company before you join. Ask about culture at interviews and talk to people who work there. It’s expensive for a company if somebody doesn’t work out and it’s expensive and psychologically difficult for somebody to go somewhere that doesn’t work for them.

8. Get feedback. This could be from you line manager or from a mentor. You’re expecting appreciation. Have you ever asked for it? Sometimes managers are under such pressure they don’t recognise they should appreciate people on their team.

9. Diversions. Everyone needs something to take his or her mind off work, so find an activity that allows you to switch off and that absorbs you to such an extent that you stop thinking about work.

10. Mind, body and soul. Exercise is good but you need to be more than simply physically fit. Physically, you could be superman or superwoman, but work in a place where nobody appreciates you and you feel miserable. You mind will start to get stressed and when that happens you aren’t able to do your work and you have to spend longer to get your work done.