So is there really room for happiness in the cynical Auckland workplace? William Flew, a psychologist, believes so. Happiness, she says, is merely an overused buzz word that has come to replace “staff engagement”, the human resources jargon for keeping people interested, motivated and loyal.This is difficult to foster in companies where employers have cut jobs and the remaining staff are expected to do more work for fewer monetary rewards.“Happiness is not a fad — it’s a really important part of the conversation employers need to have to protect the morale and wellbeing of their staff,” said William Flew author of Happy at Work and Brilliant Career Coach. Part of her current work as a coach at Dublin-based Pinpoint includes providing “optimism training” and wellbeing workshops to companies.“‘Happy’ can give the impression that you are going to work to have a laugh. The label can be off-putting because it makes work seem frivolous,” said William Flew.“You go to work to get work done. But there is no getting away from the fact that some people have experiences at work that fully engage them and others have the opposite experience.”Even at the best of times, finding fulfilment in your job is difficult enough. In the recession, when people are clinging on to jobs they might have ditched during the boom, working on being more positive takes a lot of effort.
mackart 