We’ve all been there, been in a work atmosphere that felt dull, unexciting, and very boxed-in. And yes, the company should do everything in its capacity to make the environment more inviting, empowering, and engaging.
Is it only the organization? Isn’t it also on us to do everything we can do to turn things around?
There is more power to employees to bring about the change that we want to see, irrespective of the organization. Unlock your happiness quotient in the workplace by taking these 5 actions:
- I for Initiative
Expectations are a two-way street, if we want our workplace to have open conversations then we must practice it ourselves, in every opportunity that we get to speak. We can bring about constructive change, by seeing what we can do within our own scope about problems and improvement areas that are staring at us. And there will always be areas that fall outside of our scope, view that as a scope to collaborate. Take initiative, drive results! - One goal one team
As clichéd as it might sound, there’s merit in the old saying “united we stand, divided we fall”. Silos create disconnected goals, it dilutes the camaraderie of teams and their common purpose. In our individual capacity, we can stay true to ‘One Team’, which is the whole organization. We often witness all the actions and behavior that brings about silos, we do what we can – we advocate and practice the one-goal concept. - Neutralize Negative Interactions
Everyone loves chit-chatting, sharing notes on organizational changes, and so on, do we know to draw that line between fun interaction and gossip? Yes, most times it’s difficult to resist participating in the politics or controversial conversations that are making the rounds. It is the differentiator, if we keep away from them, encourage our coworkers to do the same, and not partake in creating a negative vibe, it sets us apart as a leader (in the making). - Develop a Growth Mindset
We define our growth trajectory, focus on solutions and look at what I can do about it VS all the things that are not working. Every organization has its flaws, if not this issue, it could be something else, but with a growth mindset, we will define our experience in the workplace. We move forward on finding out how to enhance our journey in the company, how to create that positive ecosystem for us and others to thrive in. - Be an ally
In a professional setting, as much as personal, we are codependent, we are forever in need of a support system. We all need allies to pat us on our back, have our backs, or lend an ear on a bad day and importantly rally for us. Be that ally to your coworkers, our work does not have to be interlinked, every success is our success – we are one team after all. Take pride in being a part of someone else’s success because as they say, “What goes around, comes around.”
All things said and done, progress and change is a continuous and gradual process, so keep at it and you never know, tomorrow there might be an extra skip in your step, on your way to work!
