I’m back from Iceland and I’ve got some great feedback from everyday working Icelanders. We hear how wonderful other countries’ working environments are, but it’s not that different from America. They too have problems with…

• Communication

• Retention of Employees

• Motivating Their Staff

It’s not any easier working in Iceland than it is in America, India, or Australia.

They are paid three times as much as we are paid in America, but they also pay three times as much for their food, gas, and other necessities. It really all balances out. It’s amazing how a free market does that.

Icelanders live very similar to middle class Americans. They live in average size homes and have extra spending money for the movies, a night out, or mini lobsters, lamb, fresh fruit, and a myriad of other wonderful foods.

My uncle works for an Icelandic computer company and he has a work hiking group that he hangs out with every week. This promotes healthiness and camaraderie. I know that we have these clubs in almost every big company. So why are Icelanders working happy?

I believe the culture of their happiness comes from how they treat each other.

They tease each other and aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves. You may wonder, how does this make them happier? When you can laugh at yourself or a co-worker it eases the tension. They don’t hold on to these emotions. They let it go and just move on to the next part of their day. I know not all Icelanders are this way, but many of them are able to laugh off the stress.

I recently wrote a post called Inside Out Shirt Day. At first I wasn’t sure if I should publish it because I might look like a boob. After a minute of running it through my mind I decided to go for it because I’m not perfect and we should understand that mistakes are a part of work. We should learn from these mistakes, but also be able to laugh at them, so it doesn’t feel like the world is going to come crashing down on us.

I know most of us are capable of enjoying a good laugh at other people’s expense, so next time a co-worker makes fun of you, don’t get upset. Why not laugh with them? You’ll be harnessing your inner Viking. Just put your ego aside for that moment and let out that laugh. Just maybe you’ll feel like a working happy Icelander.

What was the last mistake that embarrassed you? Come on, you know you want to share.

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There are many ways to work happy, but some days can feel like a torture rack, pulling every last bit of joy out of you.

Meetings are a major culprit to unhappiness at work. We can’t all be like Timothy Ferriss of the 4 Hour Work Week and not attend. So what tools do you have that can improve the meetings you must attend?

The Daily Mind wrote a great post about finding happiness in a meeting. He wrote about board meetings, but I think this can apply to almost any meeting you attend.

1. Don’t say a single word

2. Get interested

3. Don’t go

4. Meditate

He wrote a short paragraph on each, but my favorite little gem was from – Get Interested.

…take a bit of an interest in the meeting it can become a wonderful opportunity to make some changes around the office. If you present things in the right way you can often get the ball rolling on something exciting and new.

Almost everyone I know can get a little more involved in improving their company. It may be something as simple as organizing a gathering at the local pub or coffee shop, but whatever it is you’ll feel more engaged. An engaged you is a happier you. A friend told me that. I thought it was a little cheesy, but as you can see it stuck with me.

I would add one more to his list.

5. Take breaks

When you take the time to go to the bathroom or grab a drink you can readjust your thinking. When I’m out of the room I like to think of one thing that I am enjoying about the meeting. Maybe it’s someone’s new mustache that needs to be shaved or the fruit platter. There is always some little thing that attracts your interest besides the material at hand.

Meetings should also be a great place to get things done. If you don’t like how people are sharing ideas or not sharing ideas then speak up. You should try to make these meetings as useful as possible, to you as well as the people you are sharing this time with.

What is your biggest pet peeve about your meetings?

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WHAT? No, no way. I love when work is slow and I have time to relax.

You may be thinking this, but if you look down deep at when you are the happiest at work it’s probably when you are most productive. I love attending outside events because it gets me out of the office. I meet the people that are already customers or potentially new contacts. There is just something special about face to face meetings that email, telephone, and video conferencing can’t replace. I also feel like I’m making a difference at my job. I know that if I’m talking the good talk that people will come in and use our services.

At the end of the day I’m more tired, but I feel more satisfied. I can also feel this way when working on a report. The day just seems to fly by and I look up and it’s time to go home. I’m usually relaxed and feel a sense of accomplishment.

I read a great article from Doug Kline. He wrote a guest post called Employees Want More Work? (Not Less?) at the Performance and Talent Management blog.

My favorite part was…

Employees who are bored (reporting “too little work”) are often doing work for which they are ill-suited, or have jobs that are poorly designed. As a result, they have by far lower job satisfaction, sense of accomplishment, and pride in their employers compared to all other workers. All in all, they feel less valued.

Read the whole article here.

If your job isn’t what you want it to be then speak up. Try to give feedback to your manager and see how they respond. You probably don’t want to start off with outrageous demands of running the department, but you could start by asking for a job that you’ve been wanting to do for a while. It never hurts to ask.

I have a friend who loves to help her co-workers out when her work is slow. She stops by their desks and asks if they can give her a little something to lighten their work load.

You should see their face when she asks to help them. They just light up.

One might worry that this would be an invitation for people to dump all their work on her, but no one ever does that. They usually give her something really easy and she is able to help a couple of people in the office with their work.

Has a co-worker ever asked to help you with your work? How did you respond?

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