Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Evita of Evolving Beings

In our first part of this series, we considered “Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home”. Today we follow up with 5 important rules to follow when working from home.

Having experience in working from home for a company (through my husband), and working from home for myself, I would like to explore the topic of working from home from both angles.

Let’s look at how to make the most of your work happiness when you telecommute for a company:

1. Take Accountability

Working from home is for the most part a big privilege, so make sure you are serious about it, should you decide to go this route with your company.

Remember that there are still tasks that need to be done, and people who depend on you. In this type of environment you do get more personal freedom, but that also means you need to take more accountability and initiative for your work.

Make sure therefore, that you know what your company expects of you, what hours you must be available between and what methods of communication you will be using.

(Karl’s note: I’ve seen friends set their careers back because they stopped being a go-getter. They went into cruise mode and stopped wowing their manager and co-workers. One friend told me he wished he would have taken more accountability for his own work. It took him a year and a half to gain his manager’s trust back.)

2. Organize Yourself

This is perhaps the most important tip to having a happy and productive work at home routine, that both you and your company can be satisfied with.

An obvious part of this is having the right technology. Today we have technology to stay so well connected, whether it is quick email, tele-conference or Skype call. We can easily hold meetings with people all over the world or share documents within seconds. Technology can schedule meetings for you, breaks, alerts and more. You just have to make sure it works for you, not against you in how you organize your day.

Therefore, just because you don’t have to wake up at 6 or 7 am any longer, making sure that you are conscious of time and how you spend it, is crucial. This is a huge make it or break it aspect of telecommuting and work from home happiness.

3. Schedule Breaks

One of the biggest things that I have seen happen personally, especially to people who really love their work, is once in a home environment, not only do they become more productive, they actually go overboard. Yes there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

As there are no co-workers around you calling you out for a break or official time to stop, it is very easy to get caught up in your work and suffer in various ways. In being a happy employee you need to be healthy and balanced one too. Therefore, it is very important to have scheduled breaks for proper eating, exercise, etc. Take time out to eat properly, take a stretch break or even a short walk.

You do not have to feel guilty about this either, as you would be taking breaks at your workplace anyway. The difference is that at home they will most likely be more structured and beneficial with what you can do in them.

4. Stay Connected

Working from home for a company usually means that you will still be in regular contact with your boss and co-workers. However, you may need to take more accountability here as well.

Communication really is the key to maintaining and fostering good relationships. Therefore, don’t make your boss wonder what you are doing, apply tip #1 and take accountability for filling them in on your progress perhaps even daily.

Concerned about missing out on office news or outings? Stay connected with your co-workers whether through the company intranet, or even getting in touch with them during a break using the social media that is most suitable.

5. Don’t Abuse the System

When we work from home for a company, everyone wins when we play by the rules. This does not mean that you need to work more or harder than you normally would, but it does mean not abusing the system.

While you may not lose your job, giving employers bad experiences with employees who telecommute ruins the opportunity for many others. If you really don’t want to do what you are doing, than perhaps it is best to re-examine if this is the right job for you altogether.

Otherwise, enjoy yourself and the added benefits that working from home can offer, while offering your company top quality work.

Conclusion

Naturally, working from home is not for everyone. Some people just need that pressure or structured environment of a workplace, while other jobs just simply cannot accommodate it.

(Karl’s note: People also need social interaction. Working from home can be lonely if a person doesn’t take time to reach out to others. That’s why you might want to consider working in a coffee shop or public library for a few hours each day.)

So should you be in this position of working from home or have the option, be sure that you do take it just as seriously as you would coming into the workplace. In the end nobody wins if we slack off and it can quickly cost you your job, not to mention give people the wrong impression about telecommuting. If you work for yourself from home, it can cause you to fail at bringing a needed income and being a successful entrepreneur.

Ultimately, remember that happiness is what you make of it, so whether in your home or the workplace, your level of satisfaction will still come from you and how you approach your work.

Evita next post in this series will enlighten us on how to survive and thrive when working for yourself in a home office.

What do you do to make yourself happy and productive when tele-commuting?

Check out Part 1 of this series: Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home

Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN – is the main author of EvolvingBeings.com where she writes about spiritual and personal development. She hopes to inspire people, to truly live out the life of their dreams and awaken the highest version of themselves. She is also the main author of EvolvingWellness.com where she writes about nutritional science and holistic health for optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.

* Join over 600 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning, when you need it the most. (Sign up is in the top left corner)

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Image courtesy of Paladin27

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Every now and again, I like to bring you short interviews to give you a new perspective on work happiness. During my study of work happiness I have found that there are many paths to the same goal. Some people believe that loving what you do is a must, while other people believe that relationships are vital to enjoying the work that we do. Interviews are a great way to get out of your own perspective and see what other people are doing to be happy at work.

There are so many amazing people in the blogging world, but one of my more recent finds is Jason of Escape Adulthood. He and Kim (his wife) have created a business out of bringing the fun back into life.

The first impression of Jason was a video that I watched of a water balloon fight between Jason and Kim. They were sitting in chairs and throwing water balloons over their garage to see who had the better aim. It was right then that I was hooked. Having fun in life is a big part of being happy, so I’m glad to bring you an interview with Jason.

Karl: On a scale of 1- 10 (10 being very important) how important is work happiness to you? Why did you pick that number?

Jason: I would have to say 10. As a teenager, I worked at a car dealership and hated nearly every minute of it. But I knew it was only a part time job. Even more troubling were some of the mechanics who worked there that also seemed to hate every single minute of it. I decided right then and there that I’d do whatever it took to find a job that made me happy. Now that doesn’t mean it’s always easy or fun, but the challenges are what help make it interesting. Life is too short to spend most of it doing something you hate. Life is also too short to spend most of it doing something you only kinda like.

What is one task that annoys you? How do you make it more enjoyable or at least tolerable?

I’m not a big fan of the accounting side of things. As an entrepreneur, having a good handle on the finances is important, but paying bills and tracking expenses is my least favorite thing to do. So I do a couple of things to cope. I use a payroll service to take care of the check writing and let me know how much tax to pay Uncle Sam. I have an accountant who takes care of the annual corporate tax return. I hire someone to enter orders from our online store into our accounting software. And I schedule the rest of the stuff that I have to do early in the week so I have fun stuff to look forward to when I’m finished.

What is your favorite part of your job? Why?

There are two, and sometimes they overlap: 1) being creative and 2) making people think. That’s when I feel most alive and am most fully using the talents God’s given me. I’ve finally gotten to the point where those areas are where I spend the majority of my time, whether it’s through a speech, a blog post, or a drawing.

How do you maintain harmony between your working and non-working life?

For me, they blend together quite well. A few weeks ago, I spoke at a conference held in a resort that features three indoor water parks. I brought my wife and daughter with me to the program, and we spent some time the day before my talk splashing around. I was thinking that although it’s not unusual for a person to combine work and play with their family, it is a little unusual that for me, I’m kind of expected to. That’s freakin’ cool. Of course, this didn’t just happen; it required a lot of planning and effort and sacrifice along the way. Life balance is a real priority for me and Kim, and we are very mindful and intentional about how we spend our time. Contrary to the old adage, I like to think that I try to “preach what I practice,” which helps keep things pretty harmonious.

What is your favorite stress reliever?

Going for a walk by the lake on a sunny day. Easy. Simple. Cheap.

If you are feeling down, what do you do to lift your spirits?

Eat something comforting, like a big bowl of macaroni and cheese. If I’m ready for something a bit more productive, I’ll go for a walk, bring my iPod, and listen to songs that remind me about God’s love for me. My down moments usually are the result of me drifting too far away from him.

What is your biggest detriment to enjoying your work?

Just like anyone, it’s super easy to get bogged down in the details of the day-to-day. The stuff that piles up, needs to get done, and takes on an overblown sense of urgency. It’s always a challenge to keep from confusing the urgent with the important; a lot of the stuff we get stressed out about doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the big picture. It’s important to regularly stop and reflect to maintain a sense of perspective. If you get too caught up in the busyness of life, stress piles up and you miss out on some of the best stuff.

What do you do to stay motivated and productive?

At first, the avoidance of going out to get a real job provided ample motivation. Then the pressure of paying rent (and now a mortgage) did the trick. But more and more, the gravity of this issue and how it affects families and relationships is what’s driving me. The speed of life continues to increase and create new challenges for people. Life balance is a real struggle. And there are too many people looking back on their life saying, “I wish I woulda…” The mission that motivates me is to help people have as few “I wish I wouldas” as possible.

If you could give work happiness advice to someone just starting their career in 140 characters or less (Twitter style) what would it be?

Don’t wait for permission. Follow your dreams. Work really hard. Don’t give up. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun along the way.

If you want to learn how live with less stress and more fun then check out Jason’s blog Escape Adulthood.

* Join over 600 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning, when you need it the most. (Sign up is in the top left corner)

* Terry Starbucker wrote Don’t Be A Victim of Success (Keep Climbing). I loved the concept of striving to bring more value every single day.

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When a business stops trying to control their employees, the employees begin to feel free at work. This freedom will allow them to feel more comfortable and happy.

Let’s say you have 50 employees who each have 100 Facebook and 100 Twitter friends. That’s 10,000 people that your employees are interacting with. They are talking about you to their friends.

What are they really saying?

Employee Outreach

You should be encouraging your employees to talk about their company, but never force them to use social media. Your employees will share the company’s story with their friends when you treat your employees like the superstars that they are.

This is where freedom comes in. If your people feel that they are free to do what is best for them and the company, they will use this freedom to make both themselves and the company happy.

It’s this happiness that flows into the rest of their conversations.

Some employees will always rebel against their employer. They will feel stifled working for someone else. This is a small percentage. The majority of the people will compare their freedoms with their friends. If they can leave work to watch their daughter in a school play on a Wednesday afternoon, they will feel lucky. If they don’t have to ask the boss for permission to do so, they will feel trusted.

They will also be more willing to think about work while in the shower. This after hours thinking is when the big ideas manifest themselves. When at work people are distracted by the small tasks.  When away from work (i.e. taking a shower) their mind is free to expand into creative solutions.

It’s About the Results

A person who is engaged in their work and who cares about what they do will be working at all times of the day. They will feel free to do this because they were free on a Wednesday afternoon when they wanted to watch their daughter in her play.

“It’s a two way street,” as my father always told me. The more freedom and trust you give your employees, the more energy they will give back to you.

Is this a perfect method? No. But the alternative is watching employees like a hawk, restricting their creativity until you piss off most of your employees, then they feel forced to leave or stay under the radar. We know how both of these options work out.

We have to adapt and treat people the way they want to be treated, so they will be happy and create results that will make both employer and employee proud.

A New Direction

We must rehumanize business for the sake of our health (economy and individual).

It’s also the best way we can reduce stress. People don’t stress out because the work is too hard. People stress out because they feel forced to do work that they don’t like.

70% of people go to the hospital because of stress-related symptoms. It’s funny that 70% of white collar workers are unhappy at work. Coincidence, hmmm I think not.

When people believe that they are making choices instead of being told what to do, then they will feel like they are creating their own destiny.

Rehumanizing business will improve most companies’ bottom line (more creativity, increased engagement and less absenteeism) as well as individual employee’s happiness and job enjoyment.

My Own Rebuttal

If this is such a great idea, then why don’t all companies give more freedom to their employees?

Old Habits Die Hard

We are so used to the old way of doing business. We are afraid to try something that might not work. We don’t want to risk the whole company crumbling because everyone is off watching their daughter in her school play or hanging out in coffee shops.

We need to crush this fear and replace it with fear of falling behind. We all know that when we are happy and free, we do great work.

We should give employees more freedom to connect with the customer (improve marketing), take off when they want without fear of big brother keeping track (improve trust), and develop projects that will improve the company (improve creativity).

Let’s rehumanize business together.

Link to this post or tweet about rehumanizing business and let’s get more people talking about this concept. You could also send this series of posts to a friend who owns a business. Hopefully they see the value in letting their employees have the freedom to create amazing work.

Want to catch up in this 3 part series? Then check out:

- Part 1 – Rehumanize Business

- Part 2 – Unleash Your Employee’s Creative Marketing Beast

* Join over 600 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning, when you need it the most. (Sign up is in the top left corner)

* I love an article from Office Arrow. It’s called Challenge Your Potential: Competent Leadership.

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You may have read that title and thought, “What does my company’s marketing have to do with work happiness?”

A lot.

70% of business is transacted because your friend told you about a product or service. You probably own an iPod because your friends wouldn’t stop raving about their iPod. You trust your friends to recommend good stuff.

Zappos let’s their employees Twitter on the job. They trust their people to connect with the customer.

I love Zappos, not because they have every kind of shoe on the planet, but because they ship for free, have a 360 day return policy and pay for shipping back to the company if you want to return a purchase. Now that’s worth spreading.

People want to share stuff that makes them happy. It’s up to companies to encourage their people to share their story.

Your Marketing Team

When a company thinks of everyone as a part of their marketing team, they become more humane to their employees. For example, an employee can now blog or Twitter about an event that happened at work and there is potential for millions of people to hear about it.

Southwest Airlines has the rapping flight attendant. Over 100 thousand people have viewed videos of the flight attendant rapping the rules of the flight. It makes me wish that some day I will have him on one of my flights. This is more valuable than a Super Bowl ad (2 million dollars for 30 seconds). This YouTube video is being passed around by friends, making people talk about it. Because our friends like it, we trust it.

Friends encourage one another to watch the video, which makes people more likely to try the product.

We are living in a day and age when employers can encourage employees to take a larger role in a company’s success. Why aren’t we jumping all over this?

Fear.

- Companies are afraid that their employees may do something to embarrass the company.

- Companies are afraid that their employees will take advantage of these new tools.

- Companies are afraid that…

And on and on. The fear rolls on.

Your fear should not determine the happiness of your employees. After all, your employees who are taking advantage of you are doing it right now and will continue do it because they feel they are justified.

You can’t stop this.

It Comes Back to Trust

What you can do is give your trust, and when your trust is broken you can create a warning system (3 strikes you are out) then pull that trust from that one employee. Don’t take it out on everyone else.

Most of your employees will be more loyal when they know that they have your trust and respect.

If you allow your employees to Twitter, blog, and Facebook while at work then it’s up to you to create some guidelines.

The idea is to create an open community of thoughts and ideas. When you allow your employees to share their thoughts with the world about your business, you will get honest feedback and a chance to reach out to the world with your people’s ideas.

Company Culture

Zappos encourages a fun, interactive, and creative culture. They want to develop relationships that stick. Read my interview with the CEO of Zappos Tony Hsieh right here. Zappos has some of the stickiest relationships with their customers.

I admit that tweeting and blogging isn’t for every company, but I do believe that every company should implement some kind of open forum for their employees to reach out to the community. We need to create a culture that allows people to let their personalities out.

Let’s stop hiding our people away form the public. Let everyone have a chance to influence the customer. The freedom to make connections that will build loyalty. It’s this marketing that pays forward in many directions. The employees feel trusted. The customer doesn’t feel abused (they opted in to the message). The company makes both employees and customers happy.

In the next post we will talk about freedom at work.

Want to catch up? Check out Part 1:

- Rehumanize Business

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* Tony the CEO of Zappos wrote an enlightening piece called Your Culture Is Your Brand. It’s a must read for all business owners.

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Image courtesy of lowlevelrebel

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Too many businesses are worried about playing it safe. They don’t want to uncover the bad stuff that is happening in their business, so they look the other way instead. Human Resources is there to protect the company. Upper management only wants to know about positive sales figures.

Who can most employees turn to?

They don’t turn to anyone; they just leave.

I want to rehumanize (I borrowed the word from Chris Brogan) business so that people feel free to speak up. The only way business is going to become faster, more enjoyable and more profitable is if you have every person in your company and even your customers become a part of your marketing department. That means they tell their friends, family and their internet buddies that your products/services are awesome.

Eliminate Employee Criticism

A great way to reduce or eliminate badmouthing of the company by the employees is to give them the chance to talk about what is bothering them, listen to their concerns, and allow employees to be a part of the change.

BzzAgent’s CEO Dave Balter learned that his employees’ opinions mattered. They mattered so much that the whole company addresses everyone’s issues, from needing four pronged forks in the lunch room to discussing how they can communicate with clients better. He created an anonymous suggestion box that was open to everyone. This created an opportunity to listen to and address people’s problems.

There will be times when a company is unable to accommodate an employee, but most employees understand this. At least they had a chance to make their feelings heard.

Your company probably has a few disgruntled employees. Every company has them. If you aren’t listening to their needs, you are creating a divided culture.

Listening Skills

Think about what you can do to improve your listening skills and deal with your employees’ needs.

When a company stops treating their employees as dollar signs and actually allows them to direct the company, that company gains 1,000 paddles in the ocean pushing their message out to potential customers. Believe me, the money will flow back into the company. I promise. All it takes is a leap of faith.

In the next post we’ll talk about how to unleash every employee’s creative marketing beast.

* Are you on Twitter? Then join over 3,000 people who get my stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes. @workhappynow

* Gallup wrote an interesting piece called How to Bolster Employees’ Confidence. I’ll give you a hint, encouraging words matter.

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Image courtesy of CC Chapman

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Relationships are built on trust. If I trust you to help me finish a project and you flake out on me, that trust is gone.

If you are a stand up person who sweats, bleeds, and cries by my side and also encourages me to be great than you’ve earned my trust. I’ll love you until the end of time.

This video was shot on my lunch hour because that morning I worked on a project with a group of guys I would go to business war with. They are smart, fun, and we get a lot accomplished. Yes, I’m talking about my day job. Hey, I’m doing this for you, so I can learn first hand how to make people happy at work.

We need to learn to build trust with our co-workers, bosses, and clients. That means being there and supporting them when they need it the most.

Now it’s time to watch the video and find out one more way to build better relationships at work.

* Want to be able to Kick Butt at Work and Be Happy Too then check out my teleseminar on February 23^rd to help you do amazing work that doesn’t stress you out. Click here to find out more details.

* One of my favorite books by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is called Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust (Affiliate link to Amazon. If you end up buying a book. I’ll be able to buy a box of tea. A great way to keep me energized for a month.) The reason I like it so much is it’s ability to encourage all of us to earn trust. Without trust we can’t build the type of career that makes our moms proud.

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Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

I posted on Twitter about the importance of rewarding your co-workers. I love Twitter, by the way. The ability to connect with fun, smart and quirky people is brilliant.

A friend on Twitter told me that she likes to create tags for her co-workers.

I asked her what she meant and she explained that she likes to give out random acts of kindness to the people she works with. She draws beautiful pictures on pricing tags. She sent me these photos so I could share them with you.

This is what she said about this work happiness technique:

I give them to the “benefits team” I make 15 every month and everyone gets one ( this includes 2 managers and one supervisor and 2 contract” men” and other counselors like me!), sometimes they are all the same and sometimes they vary a little depending on what supplies I have.  They started out as a RAK -random act of kindness- in February and now have evolved into a coveted work happiness. It really is the little things in life that ease the way.  So silly as it may seem they are not silly at all.

Just the other day the boss asked if we will continue this tradition into the New Year? And of course I said why not. She was thinking of ways to display them  right now they reside on each office’s door we have little 3M message boards with sticky stuff on top (they stick great) and white board on the bottom.

By refusing to wait for our boss and/or co-workers to make us happy, we can take control of our own happiness. And when we have the control, we start creating happiness for others.

It’s all about feeling good. We may as well spread the joy.

Thank you Tamara for supplying the images. This post wouldn’t have had the impact without them.

* Want to build better relationships at work? Then sign up for the 10 Week Work Happy Now eCourse. (Sign up is in the top left corner). You’ll receive a new lesson in your inbox every Monday.

* Naomi of Ittybiz has a brilliant series about goals. My favorite so far is Batshit Crazy: Creative Ways To Meet Your Goals. It’s a must read, especially if you made a resolution to start off the New Year.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Tess Marshall of The Bold Life.

According Deepak Chopra, a senior scientist for the Gallop poll:

29% of employed people in the U.S. are happy, passionate and take interest in their work. They are passionate and have a sense of belonging.

56% of employed people in U.S. are disengaged and sleep walking through their workday.

15% of employed people are actively disengaged, unhappy and make others unhappy as well.

If you aren’t in the top 29% of the people happy at work the following suggestions can help if implemented:

Attitude

Expect positive outcomes. Establish a sense of reverence and appreciation for your company, co-workers and work. I worked in a prison as a psychologist for one year. Anyone whose crime was related to alcohol/drugs attended my group therapy sessions. Without respect for the prisoners, guards and probation officers I wouldn’t have been effective. They were the most important people in my world when I was with them. I had their respect because I respected them. When you give what you want to gain, you can’t lose.

Meditate

Take time to sit in silence. It will create calmness when you are in the hot seat! I learned to do this as a therapist. I would get quiet and ask for guidance 10 minutes prior to seeing a client. I do the same for coaching, speaking and writing. I also meditate with my husband every morning. When we miss a day or two we are more impatient and less loving. It has been proven that meditation is the most effective activity one can do for personal and spiritual growth. My friend believes meditating twice a day for twenty minutes will eventually cure any addiction.

Develop bounce-back muscles

Learn to be resilient. You may have experienced the loss of a position or income due to the economy. Or you may be expected to do more with less. When things happen that aren’t in your control you have an opportunity to reevaluate the situation, take necessary action steps and move on. Think back to all of the previous times you’ve not only bounced back but bounced ahead. You have solved all your problems in the past and you will continue to do so in the future!

When you are tempted to sit on the pity pot repeat to yourself: “No big deal, I can let that go. I don’t have to make this mean so much.” Most things aren’t as serious as we make them out to be. From this you will gain strength.

Lighten up

Learn to laugh, smile and create fun for yourself and others. I was often referred to as a “spark plug” because of my happy laughter. Happy people create fun and laughter where ever they go.  At one work place, my friends all wore black on my final day. They surprised me with a black outfit as well. They literally laughed me out the door with memories for a lifetime!

A fun attitude carries us through difficult times. Release your concerns about tomorrow and live for today. Face the world boldly. Live. Laugh. Be happy for no reason. The health of a workplace can be determined by the amount of laughter.

Devote yourself to the work you’ve been given and let go of the outcome

Every coach wants their clients to achieve their dreams. Yet we are only one variable in the outcome. They client has to do the work and one’s attitude and timing have to be right. The correct opportunities need to fall into place. My happiness cannot depend on their outcome. I don’t have that much power. It’s narcissistic and egotistical to think I do.

Gratitude

It’s important to consciously acknowledge all of the wonder and beauty pertaining to our employment. For example, I’ve learned to become grateful for coffee, office space, the heat or air conditioning, my computer, ink and sticky notes. Also worthy of appreciation are gifts of insight, intuition, creativity and productivity. I also include my love and compassion for my clients who have chosen to work with me when there are millions of others just as capable. If you aren’t self-employed I would encourage you to express gratitude for your employer and your co-workers. Feeling blessed and expressing gratitude draws more blessings to all.

Give up judgment

Go twice the mile and forgive seventy times seven. I used to share a building with 10 therapists. Two of the men and I had completely different styles. I often felt disrespected by both. I would do everything I could to remain centered through out the day. I learned I could accept them without agreeing with them. I would keep a journal and ask the question, “What are they here to teach me?” My focus then becomes my focus. It’s never about the other person. Remember nothing can disturb you unless you allow it.

Reduce stress

Stress doesn’t come from what is happening at work. It comes from how we interpret what’s happening. Stress causes weight gain, addiction, anxiety etc. Be engaged. Live in the present, savor the moment and remain in the flow. When you’re stressed ask yourself, “How can I see this differently?”

Another tool for stress reduction is to prioritize daily. Do the three most important things on your list and let the rest go.

I also hang up positive reminders like photos, cards and other mementos on the wall above my desk. 15 years ago I framed a photo of our newly purchased cottage and hung it where I could see it. On my difficult days I would look at it and remind myself how blessed I was to have a job that helped us to purchase it. Today my photos are of my grandchildren enjoying summer vacations at that same cottage.

Celebrate life

Even when it is complicated and difficult. The first sentence in the book by Scott Peck, “The road less traveled is: “Life is difficult.” Tragedy and loss happen to everyone.

Christopher Reeve is my personal example of a hero. In spite of losing his most basic freedom–the freedom to move–he continued to juggle his acting and directing careers, his political activism, his foundation and his role as a husband and father. He did this while undergoing intense physical therapy to maintain his health.

He had a vision. He had an “in spite of” attitude. He rose above his paralysis, doubt and fear. The question for me becomes, “Am I willing to do what it takes?”

When life becomes difficult, focus on your blessings and your strengths. Envision only the best for yourself and your place of employment. See the best possible outcome for your work or project. Create excitement about your future. There are infinite opportunities all around you. Ask yourself, “How can you take possession of them?”

You can read more from Tess Marshal over at The Bold Life. Warning! Her blog will challenge you to be more, give more, live fearlessly, take more chances and show up in the world unstoppable, daring and bold.

* Are you on Twitter? Then check me out at @workhappynow. I give stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and cool quotes that save the day.

* Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project has a cool interview “Running, Blogging, Taking Risks — and Watching ‘The Devil Wears Prada.‘” Anyone that talks about the importance of loving what you do gets an A+ in my book.

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Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

I caught myself deep in work, hunched over my keyboard. I must have been working for four hours straight, with just one bathroom break and one tea break.

I was so in the zone that I didn’t realize that my back was killing me. I stretched out my neck and back, but it was too late. My back was throbbing.

The more I stretched and brought awareness to the pain, the more it ached. It was a catch 22 of pain.

I told myself that I was going to stretch every two hours.

Yeah, that worked really well. I just went back to my same old routine. So I decided to set my cell phone alarm for 10:30 am and 3 pm.

Worked like a charm.

Every time my alarm went off I took a little break, gave myself some attention and felt much better.

You may work in close quarters with some co-workers, but who cares. Actually, try to get them to join in with you. Make it a way to give back to your co-workers. See if they will take 5 minutes to stretch with you. You’ll be bonding and at the same time making them feel better.

Join over 300 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning. When you need it the most. (Sign up is also in the top left corner)

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Pamela Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation wrote a cool post called How to get your mojo back. It’s worth your time.

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Image courtesy of Katie@!

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

I shared a drink with a friend who manages a team of five people. He was wondering how people’s moods can fluctuate in such a broad range, which affects the quality of their work. One of his employees is always up and down. He is engaged with his work one week and then he seems to lose interest. His interest fluctuates and he isn’t sure why.

We all have this problem it’s just that most of us force ourselves to stay focused. My friend told me that he has tried giving this employee various kinds of work to see what interests him, but that didn’t work either.

I asked him if he ever sits down with his staff to explain the reasoning behind the work.

He said he didn’t. He never really thought of that because it’s pretty obvious to him. They need to design websites that exceed the customer’s expectations.

He was losing out on a huge opportunity. People often stop looking at the larger picture because they get comfortable. This comfortable feeling reduces their desire to go above and beyond the normal effort.

A study at the University of Alberta showed that people need a sense of purpose in order to feel engaged with their work. A ‘Spirit at Work’ intervention program for a group of long-term health-care workers boosted morale and job retention. This program urged employees to rethink their job, which reduced absenteeism by 60% and turnover by 75%.

“We discovered that people who are able to find meaning and purpose in their work, and can see how they make a difference through that work, are healthier, happier and more productive employees,” said Val Kinjerski, a University of Alberta PhD graduate who co-authored the study.
- E-science news gathered this information from the Journal of Gerontological Nursing.

By helping your people understand why they do what they do – you can increase happiness and productivity.

I’m going to give you a few ideas that might help your employees/coworkers to connect with their work.

Create Your Own Spirit at Work Intervention Program

1. Talk about positive stories
2. Have people share positive stories to be compiled for other employees
3. Listen to customer feedback
4. Find out what improvements your people would like to implement
5. Ask your employees how they want to celebrate great results

Your organization has an opportunity to create happier and more engaged workers with these easy to apply secrets that everyone should know, but many aren’t willing to try.

1. Talk about positive stories

Your organization has many stories of how employees solved problems, helped others in need, and other ways in which they went above and beyond to make someone happy. However, a lot of us like to play the modesty card. We hesitate to flaunt our achievements.

Wrong. So wrong. You need to flaunt your greatness; it’s a must.

A client recently told me about how I helped her feel happier. She explained that drugs that she took to keep her emotionally balanced didn’t help, but my site did. She thanked me profusely. (I put her quote on my hire me – coaching page.) I sent the email to my wife. I think Nikki got a better understanding of what I’m trying to do with this blog. Since she edits all of my writing I need her to feel engaged with the work, so we keep putting out the best content to help the readers of this blog.

You have to share similar stories with each other. Talk about how a customer gushed over your attention to detail. It shows the rest of your co-workers why you do what you do. Most of you aren’t working just for the paycheck. You are also working because you make a difference in people’s lives.

2. Have people share positive stories to be compiled for other employees

So now that you have all these positive stories, you should compile them in a central location. That means keeping emails from customers/clients and that also means writing down stories from employees.

I keep every positive email from my readers. Whenever I feel like my mood is low, I can always go into the archives and remind myself why I need to stay motivated.

The more stories an organization can compile the more powerful it becomes. If your organization is huge, then break it down into departments. Even departments such as marketing and accounting need to compile stories. These stories may be more internal, but it’s still important to document what is happening so you can link to why you do what you do.

3. Listen to Customer Feedback

In order to stay engaged in our work, we have to recognize our mistakes and understand how to fix them. By listening to customer feedback, an organization is taking the time to understand their mistakes and correct them.

I have known many people who like to solve problems. They get an energy boost from making a solution happen. I used to work at K-Mart, and one day a woman came into the store asking for a patio umbrella that wasn’t in stock. The salesperson called 4 different stores before she found the lady’s umbrella.

I remember when the lady came into the store to pick up the umbrella. She was gushing because it was the only one that fit her patio furniture.

You could see the manager beaming with pride.

You need to give your people a chance to create solutions so they can feel like they are a super hero.

4. Find out what improvements your people would like to implement

If you can listen to customers’ needs then it’s time to listen to employees’ needs. Your employees are at their most creative when they are trying to fix problems.

I worked for a company in which the employees had so many good ideas, but the manager never listened. We would be sitting in the lunch room and three different people would share ideas that sounded great to me. I asked them if they tried to talk to Alex about it and they said yes, but he told them to email him. They did and they never heard about the idea again. They got so disheartened that they stopped trying.

Your organization employs smart people, otherwise they probably wouldn’t hold the positions that they do. They just need a chance to unleash that creativity and wow the customer.

5. Ask your employees how they want to celebrate great results

Every company is capable of achieving great results, especially if they’ve been around for more than a few years. If your organization is ho hum about the results that do occur, your people may stop trying.

People want to know that what they do matters. That means celebrating all the good things.

This should be done in large and small groups. The larger gatherings can occur about 1-4 times a year, while the smaller groups (celebrations by department) should be done more often.

When you allow your people to dictate how they want to celebrate, they are less likely to find fault with the celebration.

Making your celebration a regular routine is the key, because you want to make a habit out of celebrating your successes. For the first month, try celebrating every week. Then have a celebration only once a month to keep things from getting stale. If you overload people and celebrate too often, they will get bored and also be unable to find reasons to rejoice in their hard work.

To avoid allowing this practice to fall away, it’s important to make the celebration fun. That might mean bringing food, letting people joke around, and finding other ideas that get people excited about attending.

Why It Works

After implementing these secrets for about a year, assess how these changes affect your organization. You will probably notice that people are more engaged and willing to try a little harder to meet each other’s needs as well as the needs of the customer.

These techniques will work for most companies. The companies that do fail usually do so because they don’t make this practice a habit. It needs to become part of the culture, so when something difficult happens there are techniques to fall back on. And when something great happens everyone dances on their desks, feeling proud of their effort.

Are you on Twitter? Then check me out at @workhappynow. I give stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and cool quotes that save the day.

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As many of you know I’m a recent father and I’m not a big fan of father blogs, but I am a big fan of Sean’s Writer Dad. I love his writing style and flair for a story. Check out one of my recent favorites, The Mothers and Fathers of Tomorrow.

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Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!