Happiness and performance at work

Pages: 1803-1805
Jesline Maria Mamen (Department of Psychology, Kuriakose Elias College Mannanam, Kottayam, Kerala)

Happiness is a crucial ingredient of well-being. No matter how different people’s lives whether due to age, gender, culture, or life experience the desire for happiness is widespread. Regardless of culture, socioeconomic status and geography happiness appears to be universally recognized. Happy workplace fosters employee health and happiness while enhancing organizational performance and productivity. But for many people, the workplace is a highly stressful environment and this means it can be a damaging place for their mental health. The importance of happiness at workplace has grown over the last two or three decades as there has been a shift from physical to psychological sources of pressure at work. An economy in a downward spiral, rising unemployment, anxieties about future job loss, lack of access to affordable health care, crisis in the financial industry and declining consumer confidence are among some of the challenges creating significant stress in the lives of workers and their families. Much can be done to improve and sustain happiness at work and there are many possible approaches that can be taken. It is the purpose of this paper to explore: 1) Conceptual framework of happiness 2) Models of happiness (Sustainable Happiness model, PERMA model, Performance-Happiness model) 3) Happiness enhancing activities 4) Positive Psychological Capital 5) Positive Organisational Behavior 6) Benefits of happiness. Happiness is healthy and adaptive up to a point, but like all things, it requires balance. Research studies show that even though happiness is beneficial, yet psychologically it can become maladaptive. This paper also discuss on the downside of happiness.