Positive Psychology in the Workplace
Positive Psychology in the Workplace
Sandie Tharp
University of Charleston
English II
Nada Najjar
March 30th, 2013
Positive Psychology in the Workplace
It has been proven that positive psychology in the workplace can improve and enhance workplace satisfaction because employees are more confident and are better able to manage stress and adversity. Employees that are happier with their work environment are typically more motivated and are more likely to pursue growth and development. Job satisfaction is an engine that drives organizations to success and keeps turnover rate to a minimum. An article from Harvard Business Review states that “a decade of research proves that happiness raises nearly every business and educational outcome: raising sales by 37%, productivity by 31%, and accuracy on tasks by 19%, as well as a myriad of health and quality of life improvements” (2011, Archor). Additionally, the author Archor asks if there is anything that a company can do to affect employee happiness and should a company invest resources into happiness. One avenue to happiness is using training as a tool that can be used to help employees to learn to manage stress. The first step is explaining the goal of the organization and how the employee contributes to that goal. Clear goals and expectations set out the mile post marking the marathon, by having clearly marked points of achievement for individuals or teams giving them a clear map to their success. It’s the manager’s responsibility to verify the goals of the team members, identify the common goal, and verify that they are in alignment with the organization goals. The King James Version of the Bible states “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs.22:6- King James Version). On the job training is the adult equivalent to raising a child. Putting subordinates on the path of success by providing the focus of the organizational instead of
Sandie Tharp
University of Charleston
English II
Nada Najjar
March 30th, 2013
Positive Psychology in the Workplace
It has been proven that positive psychology in the workplace can improve and enhance workplace satisfaction because employees are more confident and are better able to manage stress and adversity. Employees that are happier with their work environment are typically more motivated and are more likely to pursue growth and development. Job satisfaction is an engine that drives organizations to success and keeps turnover rate to a minimum. An article from Harvard Business Review states that “a decade of research proves that happiness raises nearly every business and educational outcome: raising sales by 37%, productivity by 31%, and accuracy on tasks by 19%, as well as a myriad of health and quality of life improvements” (2011, Archor). Additionally, the author Archor asks if there is anything that a company can do to affect employee happiness and should a company invest resources into happiness. One avenue to happiness is using training as a tool that can be used to help employees to learn to manage stress. The first step is explaining the goal of the organization and how the employee contributes to that goal. Clear goals and expectations set out the mile post marking the marathon, by having clearly marked points of achievement for individuals or teams giving them a clear map to their success. It’s the manager’s responsibility to verify the goals of the team members, identify the common goal, and verify that they are in alignment with the organization goals. The King James Version of the Bible states “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs.22:6- King James Version). On the job training is the adult equivalent to raising a child. Putting subordinates on the path of success by providing the focus of the organizational instead of
References: Archor, S. (2011). “The Happiness Dividend”. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/06/the_happiness_dividend.html Bible - King James Version (1997). Proverbs 22:6. Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody. MA. Manjool, F. (2013). “Here 's How Google Became Such A Great Place To Work. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/working-at-google_n_2526889.html Tarwater, M. (2012). “Employee Satisfaction”. Retrieved from www.carolinashealthcare.org Wilner, J. (2011). “5 Ways Positive Psychology can Improve the Workplace”. Retrieved from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/positive-psychology/2011/11/5-ways-positive-psychology-can-improve-the-workplace/