Sit down with Dr. Tracy Brower, award-winning speaker and sociologist, to discuss strategies for finding fulfillment in the workplace, all taken from her recently published book, Secrets to Happiness at Work. It’s possible to reshape the narrative surrounding work, but leaders and teams alike have a shared responsibility to create a work environment conducive to happiness. Tune in to get practical approaches for cultivating happiness, including choosing joy, practicing gratitude, and building meaningful relationships.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Dr. Tracy Brower, a sociologist and award-winning speaker, is the author of two influential books, The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, Sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
FINDING FULFILLMENT
While work may never be perfect, there’s value in striving to make it more fulfilling. According to Dr. Tracy Brower, recent guest and author of Secrets to Happiness at Work, it’s important to reshape the narrative surrounding work. But where do we start? Dr. Brower highlights the need to empower individuals to find fulfillment in what they do. She says, “I actually believe that work is a really important thing… we want to create the conditions for work to be a source of joy.”
In recent years, the pursuit of happiness in the workplace has become increasingly pertinent. Our priorities have shifted towards fostering meaningful work experiences and finding work-life balance. Employers, according to our guest, have learned that they must adapt and prioritize employee well-being. Dr. Brower stresses the shared responsibility of both employers and employees in shaping a future where work is more fulfilling and purpose-driven. If we want to see change, we must all ask ourselves, “How do we become agents in creating that kind of future of work?”
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Choosing Joy
“Leaders don’t have responsibility for other people’s happiness, but they have a responsibility to create the conditions. We each own our happiness in the work experience that we’re creating for ourselves, but leaders have a responsibility to create great conditions for work, managers, colleagues, […] and I think when we choose joy, what we end up doing is really thinking about our mindset, right? We may not be able to control everything around us, but if we kind of give up on that control and believe that nothing can be happy until all the things are in place around us externally, we’re also giving up the power that we have over our own ability to create joy and create the conditions for joy.”
Retraining Your Brain
“One of the things we know from research is that gratitude is a really, really influential piece. […] Like even in small ways, thinking about, ‘Oh, I appreciate this about my capabilities or my people or my situation, right?’ Gratitude is one, and another is kind of expanding our perspective toward other people. One of the characteristics of depression or anxiety is feeling like our world is kind of closing in, and when we really focus on others and focus on how we can contribute to them, that actually contributes to happiness as well. So those two things, gratitude and then thinking about contributing to others are really good tips and tricks [to retrain your brain for happiness].”
Sources of Happiness
“Exercise is a source of happiness, not just because of endorphins but because of blood flow. Taking naps on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon is literally correlated with greater happiness. […] Nature is really, really correlated with happiness. And so there are those elements, but then there are bigger things as well. Like when we search for stretching and learning and growth opportunities, when we really try to form deeper relationships with people that we care about, when we look for a sense of purpose, even in a small way.”
Establishing Clear Purpose
“When organizations have a more clear purpose, they actually see better business results, and people tend to have a higher level of happiness, satisfaction, performance, retention, all of those kinds of things, and they work together. Purpose is about three things. Purpose is about, first of all, a feeling that there’s something bigger than myself, outside of myself, kind of that bigger picture. [Secondly,] purpose is a sense that I can make a unique contribution to that thing. And thirdly, purpose has always got to be about people.”
Building Relationships at Work
“We’ve elevated convenience over connection. And so I think what we need to do is shift our focus, shift our time investment toward being face-to-face with people — even if we’re on video — toward being with people in a non-distracted way where we put our phones away, put our devices away. Being with people and really asking questions and checking in and being attentive. Being with people and listening to what they’re going through, right? Being with people and commiserating and being authentic about what we’re also going through. Those are the things that will move the needle in terms of less depression, anxiety, loneliness, and greater levels of happiness because those connections — both at superficial levels and deeper connection levels — which I’ve described will actually make a difference in terms of our fulfillment.”
Pursuing Growth
“We might wait to take the next step in our career until we feel a hundred percent ready, and I think we absolutely can take a risk and step outside of our comfort zone when we’re 70% of the way there. Go for the job. Put in for the promotion. Advocate for yourself. That is an element of professional courage. And when we demonstrate that level of courage and confidence, we partly convince ourselves. But we’re also making a case for others about our ability to contribute to the organization.”
Looking to the Future
“I really believe that we’re going to see employers and organizations paying more and more attention to the employee experience because the talent shortage is here to stay. Every developed and developing country has a declining birth rate, and so this need for talent, for people, is absolutely going to continue. Technology will help, but it won’t replace us all. We will have this fundamental value that we will need to bring as humans to the organization. So where I see it going is toward great cultures, toward positive employee experiences, toward well-being.”
LEARN MORE
Find a copy of Dr. Tracy Brower’s recently-released book, Secrets to Happiness at Work: How to Choose and Create Purpose and Fulfillment in Your Work, on Amazon or wherever books are sold.