Developing well-being at work - from problems to solutions
Busy, exhausted and under-resourced? Or meaningful work and joy with nice colleagues and clients? The answer depends on your perspective. Improving well-being at work is possible in all sectors by increasing the potential of work and personal resources.
For several decades now, the Labour Force Survey has been tracking developments in working life. Estimates have remained roughly at the same level for the last 20 years. On average, 60% of employees feel that their job is somewhat or very emotionally demanding.
Has nothing changed in working life in the last couple of decades? When I became a professor of well-being at the University of Tampere in 2004, the word well-being at work brought to mind physical fitness and fun sports days. Now, however, well-being at work is generally understood as the development of a smooth workflow in cooperation with the employer and the staff. Well-being at work is known to be linked to the financial success of an organisation, employer reputation and lower levels of sickness among staff, among other things.
"In resource-based development, the focus is on the resources of the work and the individual - what is good."
Factors contributing to well-being at work
The concept of well-being at work has therefore been extended to include job development. This broadening of perspective is reflected in the fact that job satisfaction and enthusiasm have begun to be explored as an antidote to the negative costs of working life. The professions and tasks that are rich in work resources are the ones where people feel most enthusiastic about their work.
Job satisfaction refers to a positive emotional and motivational state at work. It is linked to employee health, good job performance and the financial success of the company or organisation. Work resources such as developmental, varied work, sufficient autonomy, feedback, good leadership and a good workplace atmosphere are key drivers of job satisfaction.
Workplace structures, work processes, the working environment and continuous improvement also have an impact on well-being at work. The work environment includes not only the physical but also the mental aspect, information ergonomics, also known as cognitive ergonomics. Employee attitudes, psychological capital, skills and health also contribute to or hinder the experience of well-being.
How to develop well-being at work?
Resource-driven development focuses on the resources of the work and the individual - what is good.
In order to increase positivity, we can ask: what kind of successes, what kind of highlights have we had? What can we be grateful for today? How can we work together more and help each other?
Of course, we must also highlight the failures. How have we coped with our predicaments in the past? Where could we get the same tools? It is also easier to resolve differences with others. One student told me that she had marked a crying jag in her diary so that she didn't have to spend all her time worrying about her divorce. In one workplace, hernia lessons were organised to encourage people to be brave about their problems. With the permission of the manager, you could pick as many peas as you could find. The work community then began to think of solutions.
Developing social capital
Community builds well-being. This so-called social capital has been shown to reduce illness, depression and the ability to receive help from others. The behaviour of both managers and employees affects the sense of community. (Read more on developing social capital).
The social pain felt by a social outcast is entirely comparable to physical pain. Emotional skills such as empathy, the ability to put oneself in the other person's shoes, also contribute to one's own well-being. The unselfish offer to help. Greeting, asking how you are, giving feedback, thanking and praising, and looking into the eyes all trigger an approach response, which is reinforced by a smile. These are workplace skills that everyone can practice.
The cornerstones of good management are fairness, looking after the well-being of employees by monitoring workload, and inspiring and promoting optimism.
Developing work
You can enrich your work to make it more meaningful, inspiring and suitable for you. This approach, which is also known as "tuning", has had positive results, but it also takes time.
Increasing the demands of work or rethinking the meaning and goals of work will affect the meaningfulness of work. Threats of change fade as people look for opportunities to address current grievances.
Social resources are enhanced by support, asking for feedback, guidance, co-development and learning from others. Would it be stimulating to acquire new skills? Would we develop our work together with colleagues, students and partners?
Structural resources grow out of independence, autonomy, autonomy of expression, variability and the possibility of development. What would happen if work was not done in the same way? Or if something was left out?
Excessive information overload, interruptions, multiple tools and multitasking can lead to dispersed intellectual resources, loss of control and inefficiency. Overworkers can't relax - resulting in techno-stress. To reduce it, it is good to consider the information load and balance the worker's intellectual abilities, social needs and information environment.
One way to manage the information load in the workplace is to create a common set of rules for digital communication practices to manage information overload, software, email and social media.
My own ability to cope
Everyone can contribute to their own well-being by learning to know themselves. Psychological capital has four dimensions: self-confidence, optimism, optimism and resilience. It can be learned over a lifetime, including with colleagues. (Read more on developing psychological capital).
In particular, long-term stress is at the root of work fatigue. There are two types of responses to stress, depending on whether you can influence the situation or circumstances. If not, you should try emotional exercises: relaxation, regulating your emotions through meditation or mindfulness, for example, and reducing distractions by going out into nature, for example.
But if you can influence the situation, it's a good idea to bring the problem to light. In particular, resilience is needed. It is worth adapting your goals to your own life situation. You don't always have to be the best in the world at your job. It is worth cultivating a positive self-image and nurturing optimism. Good physical fitness is the foundation of a good mind. At least in your free time, you can relax if that seems impossible at work.
The author Marja-Liisa Manka, PhD, YTM, has worked as a professor of well-being at the University of Tampere School of Management from 2004 to 2015 and is currently an entrepreneur and associate professor of well-being at work. Marja-Liisa, who has been researching well-being at work for many years, has been recognised for "advocating good working life" and named Social Scientist of the Year. Marja-Liisa has written numerous books on well-being at work, including Manka, M.-L. & Manka, M. 2016. M. Manila, M.L., M.L., M.L., M.L., M.L. TalentumPro. docentum.fi.