The power of loving your job

As we spend the majority of our week at work, it’s hugely important that we love what we do as well as the environment we work in. It goes without saying that we’ll have the occasional bad day at work but when the occasional bad days become more frequent, it can have negative implications. The awful Sunday anxiety, lack of motivation and stressful workloads will eventually take an emotional toll on your wellbeing. When employees are unhappy at work it can also have a knock-on effect on colleagues and management, creating a toxic environment and relationships.

Why it’s important to love your job

Not only will a happy work life reduce stress and anxiety in the workplace, but it will also mean a happier personal life. When you love your job, you’ll approach work with a positive mindset that will help you achieve your goals and become more successful. You’ll also be better equipped to overcome any challenges along the way. Hungarian psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, believes that when you enjoy your job, you’ll have better focus and more creative ideas. Your passion and focus provide you with the fuel needed to succeed. When you do find a job that you love, you will benefit in many ways:

• Increased productivity and motivation
• Better mental and physical wellbeing
• Improved quality of work
• Stronger working and personal relationships
• Happier home life
• Increased self-confidence
• More energy 

And, of course, the company you work for will also reap benefits such as:

• Higher retention rates
• Increased productivity
• Happier work environment
• Better communication between colleagues and managers

How to fall in love with your job again

If you’ve been working within the same company for a long time, it’s likely you’ve lost your passion for what you once loved doing. But there are steps you can take to fall in love with your job all over again.

• Break up more monotonous tasks with the ones that you enjoy doing.
• Take regular breaks and drink plenty of water to help you feel motivated and energised.
• Reward yourself when you’ve accomplished something you’re proud of or do something to celebrate.
• Take up relaxation exercises such as meditation, yoga or mindfulness that can reduce stress and help you to stay calm.
• Speak to your manager if you need support and ask if you can do any other tasks that you prefer.
• Set goals that will inspire you and make a list of things that you’d like to improve.
• Create a positive workspace whether that’s bringing in a plant, putting your favourite photos on your desk or listening to uplifting music.
• Remind yourself of what you used to love about your job and make a list of all the benefits. When you start to focus on the more positive aspects, perhaps you’ll realise how much you do enjoy it after all.

Practising the Three Principles of Positivity at work

There may be times when you struggle to focus your attention on the positive aspects of your life, especially when everything around you appears to be falling apart. And it can be even more frustrating when other people are telling you to think positively but you just can’t look on the bright side. The good news is, there are certain principles that you can put into practice that will, over time, help you to maintain a positive outlook.

The human brain is extremely complex and pretty amazing at managing our moods. Known as the 'happy hormones', endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin can all help us to feel good, and by practising the Three Principles of Positivity, we can improve our mood and mental wellbeing. Research available in the National Library of Medicine suggests that cortisol, oxytocin and adrenaline have a fundamental role in happiness and mood regulation.

What are the Three Principles of Positivity?

1. Positive thought

Each of our thoughts generates activity in our brain, and this can also impact our physical state and response. For example, if you are worrying about a situation, you might start to feel the effects of anxiety in your body with symptoms such as butterflies in the stomach, a racing heart, shakiness or nausea. These symptoms are created as the negative thoughts in your brain tell your body how to react. Similarly, if we consciously change our thoughts to something more positive, our brain releases serotonin and we will feel happier and more confident.

It can take time and practise to train your brain but once you start to master the art of positive thought, you will begin to notice your change in mood.

Ways to practise positive thinking at work:

• Make a list of all the positive tasks you have achieved each day.
• Remind yourself of your value at work and how you contribute to the company.
• When you don’t achieve your goals at work, make a note of everything that you learned from your experience and embrace the lessons so you can improve next time.

2. Positive action

Just as positive thinking can produce happy hormones in the brain, so can taking positive action. By doing things that get positive results, our body produces dopamine which can make us feel good and increase our levels of motivation.

Ways to practice positive action at work:

• Listen to music that makes you feel good, especially when you’re undertaking a challenging task as this can motivate you and help you achieve your goals. 
• Go for a walk outside during breaks as this will release serotonin and endorphins to make you feel good.
• Ensure you have good sleeping patterns by going to bed and waking at similar times each day. By receiving the correct amount of sleep, you’re enabling your brain to recuperate and your serotonin levels to regulate. 

3. Positive interaction

Our relationships with people both inside and outside of work are really important to our mental wellbeing. In order to feel self-confident and mentally strong enough to cope with stressful situations, we need a good support network around us. Positive interaction can also prevent us from feeling loneliness, which can have a negative effect on our mental health.

Ways to practice positive interaction at work:

• Take part in work-related social activities to strengthen relationships with colleagues.
• Being kind to people and helping others will release oxytocin and serotonin and make you feel good, as well as making others feel happy too.
• If you work from home or don’t spend much time around your work colleagues, try to stay connected by email, social media, or telephone. As humans, we often crave interaction and by positively interacting with our work colleagues, we produce oxytocin which helps us cope with stressful situations.

Finding the courage to change your career

There are many reasons you may be contemplating changing your career. The catalyst for this change may not have even been your choice. If you’ve had the same career for many years, it can become part of your identity and the idea of changing this can be extremely daunting. If you dread the thought of going to work each morning, there is obviously a problem that needs to be solved. People can be adversely affected by the pressure of unrealistic workloads, or by an unpleasant work environment. However, there are ways you can embrace the new chapter in your life and find the courage to do so wholeheartedly.

Why change career?

According to the employment search site, Flexjobs, the five top reasons people choose to change career are:

• Pay – many people simply want more money and realise that a different career path can lead to this.
• Recognition - lack of recognition for being a good employee can make people feel unappreciated.
• Promotion – if there isn’t the possibility to advance in your current role, you could feel stuck in a rut with nothing to look forward to.
• Stress – Some professionals will feel the toll of a stressful occupation and may yearn for less responsibility. 
• Flexible hours – striking the right work/life balance can be tricky if you have rigid work hours. A flexible role would be more appealing to those wanting or needing less rigidity and more freedom.

The impact of the work environment on your mental health

Spending each day in a job you don’t enjoy, or even detest, can have a significant impact on your mental health. When you hate the thought of the working week beginning yet again you may experience sleepless nights, anxiety and even depression. An excessive workload or responsibilities can lead to exhaustion both physically and mentally. When you recognise that your current role is having a negative effect on your wellbeing, you may consider a change of career.

How a negative work environment can affect existing mental health difficulties

According to the Health and Safety Executive:

“Work-related stress can aggravate an existing mental health problem, making it more difficult to control. If work-related stress reaches a point where it has triggered an existing mental health problem, it becomes hard to separate one from the other.”

Problems such as anxiety, stress and depression can all be exacerbated by a heavy workload, work pressures, and difficult managers or colleagues. If your workplace isn’t open to transparent conversations about mental health and assistance at work, you may find it difficult to change the circumstances.

Is your current role damaging your self-esteem?

Stress and anxiety aren’t the only problems created by a negative work environment, and you may find your confidence depleting as you tackle a building workload, or unsupportive colleagues and line managers. As your self-esteem decreases so does your confidence that you will be able to switch careers.

Fight the fear of the unknown by taking positive steps

It can be very stressful to think about leaving a secure job to plunge into an entirely new career – but it can also be very exciting. There are numerous steps you can take that will encourage better mental health and give you the courage to change career:

• Speak to your support network outside work such as family and friends. Let them know what you are feeling and how a change of career will enrich your life. Having their support will help build the courage to take steps to find a new and better career
• Use visualisation exercises to see what your future could be like once you make the change
• Make a pros and cons list to determine the reality of your current situation versus what you envisage will happen when you change careers. Once you can see how much better life will be once you find a job you actually like, you will have more confidence to make the change.
• Take time away from the situation completely. If possible, book a few days away among nature and meditate on what really matters to you. Even short walks in woodland or forests can help centre your thoughts.

Positive actions such as those mentioned above can help to build confidence in yourself and the decisions you make.

Tips for avoiding loneliness when you’re working from home

If you’re new to the concept of working from home, the idea can be initially exciting. Imagine, no colleagues to distract you and being able to turn up to your new workplace (home) in your PJs. Not to mention, only needing to do a tea/coffee run for yourself. However, although there are some obvious perks to working from home, there’s one rather drastic downside – feeling lonely. Owing to health and safety measures brought about by the current COVID-19 pandemic, many more employees are now working from home.

Working alone can inevitably lead to feelings of loneliness, but there are measures you can take to minimise these feelings. Here, we take a look at what can cause loneliness while working from home, and what steps you can take to alleviate these feelings.

The importance of social interaction

We often forget that the workplace can also provide social interaction, even if it’s just to gossip about what you’ve been up to over the weekend. Even those colleagues you don’t consider to be friends can provide a break from the monotony of the working day. The physical detachment associated with working from home can become a concern in the long term as you become isolated from physical and social contact. Although it may not be noticeable at first, this detachment can lead to poor mental health for those that aren’t used to being so alone on a daily basis.

An article written by Dr Vivek H Murthy that was published in the Harvard Business Review suggested that loneliness and social isolation have a significant impact on our health:

“Loneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity.”

Although shocking, this information is important to acknowledge to help people understand the importance of taking action against loneliness. Research suggests there are three main areas of loneliness intervention:

• Identifying the individual experience – are they lonely or isolated?
• Self-awareness and self-involvement in organising activities to prevent loneliness
• The importance of group interventions alongside potentially further insight into individual activities.

How can we prevent loneliness when working from home?

Get organised

One of the most significant changes you can make to ensure you don’t find working from home lonely is to organise your time. This means assigning office hours to your homeworking and making plans to socialise once your working day is over.

Flexible workspaces

One of the simplest ways to feel less isolated now that lockdown restrictions are easing is to choose a social workspace. This could be a library, café, at the home of a colleague or a designated work-hub where you can hire a desk for the day. Just being in a peopled environment can help you feel more connected to the outside world and you will also have the opportunity to interact with others.

Set up a workplace chat room

When you work from home while others are working from the office, it can be easy to feel out of the loop. One way to stop this happening is by having a chat room that colleagues check into each morning. This is better than email as it is less formal and can be used for lunchtime video calls and to send fun messages to each other at less busy times of day. Suggest a chat room to your manager and explain how feeling connected to your colleagues can really help avoid loneliness when working from home. Make plans to meet up with colleagues at the end of the week to socialise and connect, at a distance, of course.

Break up the working day

Just as you would take breaks during the working day, do so while working at home. Arrange to meet a friend for lunch, or, if this isn’t possible, arrange a facetime session or even just a regular phone call. Be proactive with your break times and make sure you have the option to connect with someone, be it virtually or in person.

Get a pet

When you have a cat or a dog, there is limited opportunity to feel lonely. A pet can provide the physical connection you need and stroking a cat or a dog can actually help with other negative feelings such as stress and anxiety. If you don’t have a pet of your own, consider borrowing a friend’s and enjoy the company as you work from home. Having a dog is also a great excuse to get away from your desk and take a walk which can help you connect with others, especially if you arrange meet-ups with fellow dog walkers.


The NHS has some great advice about how to cope with loneliness and tips on how to get help if you become overwhelmed by it.

How to grow your self esteem and start taking risks at work

Some might consider this a bit of a ‘chicken and the egg’ scenario. Which comes first? Do we grow our self esteem prior to taking risks or do we take risks to grow our self esteem? Well, if the truth be known, a little bit of both can work wonders.

I hear you saying “I’m too scared. What if it all goes wrong.” But you’ll never know what is possible until you do take risks. But, okay, let’s work on improving your confidence first.

For whatever reason, many people lack self esteem and this can act as a huge barrier when trying to progress in all areas of our lives, including work. When we lack self confidence, it can leave us with negative emotions, which can influence the path we map out for ourselves in life. Too often we opt for the easiest or simplest route as we are too afraid of failure, anxiety, and stressful situations, but does that make us truly happy? A recent study undertaken by My Confidence Matters revealed that women are affected most by the lack of confidence and it is holding them back from moving forward in their jobs.

Sometimes we lack self esteem because of past relationships, and how people have treated us in our past can have a huge effect on how we treat ourselves. Just remember that whatever other people tell you or say to you isn’t always the truth, so you shouldn’t let it dictate how you see yourself.

5 tips for improving self confidence

1. Be kind to yourself. You know that you have positive qualities and skills, they just seem to go unnoticed. Remind yourself every day – write things down or just say them to yourself – about everything you like about yourself. It might seem difficult to begin with but once you get into the swing of it, you’ll start to find more and more things that you love. Don’t forget that when you run yourself down, your body and mood are negatively affected and likewise when you recall all your good points, your body and your mood improve.

2. Stop comparing yourself to others. Remember that everyone is different and has their own unique traits, qualities, and skills. Not everything is always as it seems – some people are just much better at ‘bigging’ themselves up than others. This doesn’t mean you have to go around telling everyone how great you are but if you believe in yourself, then this will show in your demeanour and attitude and you’ll find that people will start to think differently about you when they see that you feel confident about yourself.

3. Surround yourself with people who boost your self esteem rather than knock it down. If you don’t already have friends or family who you can rely on, try to find a new support network. Mind has lots of peer support and Elefriends is an online community where you can meet like-minded people wanting to support each other.

4. Set yourself challenges.  Challenges will help you take steps towards growing your self esteem. For example, learn a new skill such as a language, take up a sport or do something creative and you’ll see just how amazing it feels to achieve something, no matter how small.

5. Set yourself some work goals. Make a list of all the things you’d like to achieve at work, prioritise them, and then break them down into smaller goals. If you’d like to go for a promotion at work, what steps could you take to achieving your goal?

• Show initiative by taking on a small task without checking in with your manager first. Most bosses like to see an employee using their initiative.
• Demonstrate leadership skills by perhaps asking a colleague to undertake a part of your project that you feel their skillset would be better suited to.
• Speak up in meetings. Don’t be afraid to offer your opinions and accept that not everyone will agree with what you have to say but it doesn’t matter so long as they give your thoughts some consideration.
• Is there something in the company that you feel could be done better? If so, why not address it and offer a solution to the problem. Problem solvers are often looked upon favourably.

Once you start taking small steps, the more your self esteem will begin to grow and you’ll become less afraid to take risks. Remember, not everything will always go your way or work out how you want it to but it’s having the confidence to do it anyway and not letting the outcome affect who you are that’s important.

Staying positive through collaboration

There are many aspects to creating a successful work environment, but research shows that collaboration can play a huge part. A study undertaken by researchers at Stanford University in 2014 found that collaboration (even when physically apart) generates higher levels of engagement as well as a higher success rate. It seems even just feeling part of a team working towards a common goal is enough to increase interest, enjoyment and productivity in the task. 

Why is collaboration important in the workplace?

There are several reasons why collaboration plays an important part within any business:

1. Firstly, it can reduce monotony. While some people might prefer to work alone, it’s beneficial to work with others on certain occasions to reduce the tedium and repetitiveness. It can be easy to fall into a habit of wanting to work alone but in the long run this can lead to boredom, apathy and a lack of motivation. If you continue to work alone for long periods of time, it could begin to affect your mental wellbeing and positivity.
2. When working alone, you are also less likely to challenge yourself as it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Working collaboratively with colleagues can ignite healthy competition, which means you will push yourself harder to achieve results, and this will also give you a greater sense of achievement.
3. Working in a team is a great way to inspire each other. Activities such as brainstorming can spark your imagination and make you think in more positive ways. When you’re inspired, you begin to feel more motivated, passionate and positive about the task at hand.
4. Working alongside others also allows you to share the burden of your job. Whether that’s talking about your worries or being able to delegate a task to someone who’s better equipped to do the job, it will certainly lighten the load and ease some of the pressure. With less to worry about, you’ll start to have a more positive outlook.
5. Another benefit of working collaboratively is being able to share your knowledge. Unlike working alone, you can teach each other new skills that you wouldn’t have otherwise gained. This can save you a lot of time trying to figure something out for yourself and by sharing systems, you’ll start to see much more positive results. This is not only advantageous for the company your work for, it’s good for your own development too.
6. There’s nothing better than experiencing a positive team spirit that not only brings everyone closer together on a work level, but also on a more personal level too. You can help each other to remain focused and positive during challenging times and offer support when it’s needed. Also, you can share the success with your colleagues and feel proud of being part of a team.

Ten ways to motivate staff

One of the most important aspects of managing a business is keeping your staff motivated, particularly at the moment. Without motivation, the work environment (whether real or virtual) will soon become toxic and employees’ wellbeing will be affected. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that if your staff are feeling unappreciated, stressed and unhappy, they are less likely to perform to their full potential and you risk losing much-needed employees.

Gallup conducted research into performance management and found that “only 2 in 10 employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work”. With this in mind, there are many opportunities for employers to introduce ways to motivate their staff.

Many of us don’t just want to earn a living, we want personal development, appreciation, respect, rewards and, most of all, we want to be happy. By putting the following ideas into practice, you can inspire and motivate employees to work harder, which will then create a happier and more productive workplace.

Ideas for motivating staff

1. Use incentives to encourage staff to hit their targets, such as bonuses, gift cards, or an early finish.
2. Provide positive feedback on a regular basis either in the form of a monthly appraisal, personal email or recognition in a staff meeting.
3. Ensure your employees have the proper equipment they need in order to do their job to the best of their ability and with ease. There’s nothing more frustrating than a slow PC or faulty machinery. 
4. Run an 'Employee of the Month' scheme and perhaps create a wall of fame where the best performing staff will gain recognition among their colleagues.
5. When normality resumes, organise social activities such as bowling, a day at the races or a work’s party. But in the meantime, you can organise online social activities such as an online quiz or a virtual group run. It’s important for people to feel included and part of a team to create a positive environment.
6. Offer flexible working hours or allow staff to continue working from home from time to time if they have other responsibilities such as caring for children or an elderly parent.
7. While dressing up may be appealing as an alternative at the moment, Dress Down Friday is a fun way to end the week and a slightly earlier finish to the working day always seems to go down well with employees. However make sure people know if there are any rules about how they should dress, otherwise suddenly telling staff that they're not allowed to wear jeans, for example, may make people unhappy to participate. 
8. Brighten up the workplace with a fresh coat of paint, leafy plants or vibrant artwork. A study by the University of Massachusetts revealed that art in the workplace can reduce stress, increase creativity and productivity, and enhance morale.
9. Offer staff training and room for growth in the company. If an employee is able to work towards a promotion with an increased salary through personal development, they are much more likely to feel motivated and work harder to achieve a goal that is in sight.
10. Provide free healthy snacks and drinks such as fresh fruit, herbal teas and purified water. Healthy food and hydration can increase energy levels, improve mood and keep the brain alert.

How practising empathy can create a better work environment

No matter what kind of industry you work in, the chances are there will be times when work colleagues clash, emotions run high and stress levels go through the roof. Spending so much of our time (whether in person or online) with work colleagues is sure to put a strain on our relationships from time to time.

So, how can we improve our working relationships and what can we do to create a more positive work environment? In Denmark, empathy classes are a part of the curriculum, teaching children from the ages of 6 to 16 how to empathise with others and help to solve each other’s problems collaboratively. Although this method might not necessarily work in an adult workplace, by practising empathy in other ways, we can create a better environment.

The three types of empathy

Psychologist Daniel Goleman believes there are three types of empathy: compassionate, cognitive and emotional. 

1. Cognitive Empathy – Being aware of how someone is feeling or what they're thinking by understanding what other people are experiencing emotionally or mentally on an intellectual level. For example, you recognise when someone is feeling sad even though you might not actually feel their sadness.
2. Emotional Empathy – Physically feeling someone else’s emotions. Perhaps a loved one is going through a lot of pain which creates an emotional response from you such as crying. 
3. Compassionate Empathy – As well as understanding someone’s feelings on an intellectual level and becoming emotionally involved, compassionate empathy means that you want to help the person.

By showing all three types of empathy with the people we work with, we are able to create a sense of trust between one another and connect on a deeper level. In a work environment, you might find that different situations require a different type of empathy, so it’s important to recognise when to understand, when to feel, and when to help.

The American website Businessolver delivered a Workplace Monitor Report in 2017 which detailed how empathy in the workplace impacts on the productivity of employers.

Incorporating empathy into the workplace

There are many ways you can incorporate empathy into the workplace:

• Undertake surveys and questionnaires so you can understand employees better.
• Listen more to colleagues and ask more questions.
• Shadow a colleague in another role so you can observe their working day.
• Try to establish facts before making assumptions about a situation.
• Organise social activities once a month to allow workers to get to know each other on a more personal level.
• Encourage group lunches to promote inclusion.

In 2018, HMRC undertook an empathy experiment to discover how they could improve relationships at work, the results were very interesting.

Working in an environment where there’s little or no compassion between employees and employers can heavily impact on a person’s mental health. Making a few relatively small changes that encourage staff to practise empathy can make a huge difference to the work environment and people’s wellbeing.

How to pick yourself up when your job is dragging you down

Owing to the fact that we spend so much time at work, it’s inevitable there will be times when our job gets on top of us. Even if you are fortunate enough to love your job, there’ll be days when you feel overwhelmed, stressed or lacking in motivation. Although this isn’t uncommon, it can put a lot of pressure on our mental and physical wellbeing.

Long work hours, disagreements with colleagues, job insecurity and a heavy workload can lead to anxiety, stress, depression, sleep problems and lethargy. So, what can we do to alleviate angst and stress and get ourselves back on track when our job is dragging us down?

Stay motivated

Once you start to lose motivation at work, it will not only affect the way you think but also your actions. Perhaps you no longer feel the urgency to get to work on time, or maybe the highlight of your day is emptying the contents of the vending machine and taking more coffee breaks than usual. But there is a way back from this apathetic attitude…

Tips

• Prepare a healthy lunch and snacks the night before. Try to eat nuts, salad, chicken, pulses and other protein-rich foods that will boost your energy and keep you alert.
• Replace coffee with water or a vitamin-rich smoothie. This will keep you hydrated and help focus your mind.
• Get up half an hour earlier so that you aren’t rushing around and have plenty of time to eat breakfast.
• Get your clothes ready the night before and choose something that’s comfortable but also makes you feel good about yourself.
• Take a full lunch break at work to help you re-energise. A short walk outside in the fresh air will also give you an energy boost and a daily dose of vitamin D. 

Don’t dwell on things

It may seem easier said than done to not dwell on misdemeanours in the workplace, especially when we fear our job may be at risk. But we need to remember that we are only human and mistakes do happen. When we overthink a situation, we can put a lot of pressure on our mental wellbeing, which can lead to stress and anxiety.

Tips

• When we’re accountable for our actions, people are more likely to understand and forgive any mistakes we make. Burying your head or shifting the blame onto someone else will only make the situation worse and cause people to lose trust in you. 
• If something's playing on your mind and causing you distress, speak to someone about it so you can gain a clearer perspective and act towards resolving the situation.
• Take up a hobby or sport outside of work to focus your mind on something positive.
• Remember each day is a new start.

Stop complaining

If you find yourself constantly complaining about the same things, it’s likely you need to take action. Negative thoughts are not only bad for our mental health, they can impact on our physical wellbeing, too.

Tips

• Recognise recurring concerns and decide if it’s something you can improve or change. If it is, then make a list of steps you can take to make those changes.
• Start looking for the positives – what do you enjoy about your job? 
• Distract your thoughts with things that make you happy and make an effort to do more of them.
• Speak with your boss about anything you find particularly stressful and find ways you could overcome this.

According to research undertaken by Mind, work is the biggest cause of stress in people’s lives so it’s vital that we find ways to be happier in our jobs.


Try to remember we always have a choice to make changes and although it may seem daunting to begin with, once you start to take action, you’ll feel more motivated and able to face challenges with a more positive attitude.

The benefits of volunteering on your mental wellbeing

Whether you’re a busy professional with a hectic lifestyle or retired with plenty of time on your hands, there are lots of opportunities for volunteer work that you can fit into your schedule.

Whatever your reasons are for wanting to volunteer, you’ll find that volunteering your time can have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing.

Social contact

Working alongside other like-minded volunteers is a great way to make new connections and improve your social skills. Having this kind of support network around us can give us a sense of belonging, thus creating more positive thoughts about ourselves.

Combats stress and anxiety

As well as enjoying social contact, helping others can be a huge mood booster. Volunteer work helps you forget many of your own personal worries and, instead, encourages you to focus your attention on someone else’s needs. You’ll find lots of outdoor volunteer work too, which can release endorphins and provide you with some much-needed vitamin D.

Helps fight depression

When we’re suffering from depression, we tend to feel worthless and self-critical as well as lethargic. By surrounding ourselves with other volunteers, we increase our social network, and this can prevent feelings of loneliness. Helping others gives us a purpose in life and it can increase our self-esteem and self-worth.

Giving makes us happy

When we put others’ needs before our own without expecting anything in return, it gives us a great sense of achievement and makes us feel good about ourselves. For many people, the act of giving is far more rewarding and brings us more happiness than receiving.

Physical wellbeing

Studies have shown that taking care of our physical wellbeing can have a knock-on effect on our mental wellbeing. A lot of volunteer work involves activities that keep us exercising without us possibly realising it. As well as lowering blood pressure, exercise is one of the best ways to keep us mentally in shape and it’s great for boosting mood too.

Working with animals

Studies have shown that animals can play a part in improving mental wellbeing. The mere act of stroking or playing with an animal can help us to feel relaxed and calm. If you’re an animal lover but are unable to keep a pet at home, then voluntary work with animals could be the perfect choice for you.

If you would like to find local volunteer work, the Do-it Trust has lots of information and advice as to where to find suitable opportunities, from first aid and fundraising to support work.

Successful stakeholder relationship skills

It’s International Day of Happiness today. Most of us will have a good sense of what makes us happy outside of work but, given that we spend most of our waking life at work, it makes sense that a feeling of contentment at work contributes to our overall happiness.

Positive personal interaction makes the world go round and one of the keys to happiness at work is the relationships we form with our colleagues and other stakeholders. By learning how to build productive connections with other people, we can improve our overall happiness and mental wellbeing.

Stakeholder management is usually regarded as a business process. This assumes that relationships are rational and that we can manage these interactions in a documented way. What this fails to address is that stakeholders are human beings and, as such, operate on an emotional level. By appreciating both the rational and emotional aspects of stakeholder relationships we can build deeper connections that deliver mutually beneficial results. Here are some tried and tested tips to help you connect with your colleagues and co-workers.

Accept that you are dealing with people, not processes

The first step in relationship building is appreciating that people don’t always behave in a consistent or predictable way. Every relationship requires effort and an appreciation of where other people are coming from. That’s how you build trust – and people work better with people that they trust and respect. When building relationships with people at work, it’s pays to try and look beyond their job titles to see what drives and motivate them on an emotional level. You can read more on how to do this in this article from Psychology Today.

Give and take goes a long way to building goodwill

Learning the art of compromise is essential to building mutually beneficial relationships in the workplace. Far from it being about giving in, it’s more about understanding and accepting that there are always different viewpoints in any given situation. Give and take is about respecting the opinions of others and being prepared to change your own expectations and priorities – perhaps even your proposed plan of action - for the good of your personal relationships.

Say what you mean and do what you say

Decisiveness is essential to building productive stakeholder relationships, especially if you want to take people with you on a particular course of action. Collaboration and consensus have their place and are laudable, but ultimately people respect those colleagues who are not afraid to make decisions when needed to. Working with people who constantly sit on the fence or are always looking to others for approval and agreement can be very frustrating for co-workers. Taking decisions shows that you are responsible and this is a solid basis on which to build trust with stakeholders.


Successful stakeholder management takes time. It’s worth remembering that difficult relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at work can be emotionally draining and very distracting, which can impact your own performance, so it really pays to make the effort to make your work relationships positive. You can find more tips on how to build beneficial work relationships in this Psychology Today article.

These are our ideas for building successful stakeholder relationships. What would you add to the list? Please comment below and let us know…

Build some fun into your working day

Just because you're at work doesn't mean you can't have fun with your co-workers. We're not talking big nights out and team bonding sessions. Research has shown that workplace friendships are beneficial for productivity and office morale. Friends are more likely to share information and skills without being asked to do so and more likely to give each other a helping hand when the workload becomes too much. 

Here are some ideas for engaging with colleagues and having some fun while maintaining the professionalism necessary at work. 

• Organise a 'dress down Friday'. Dress down Fridays are great for making people feel more relaxed and people tend to give away a bit more about themselves when they wear their own clothes.
• Do a group activity during your lunch break or after work. Exercise is a good option as there is a clear structure while also allowing a chance for you to interact. Try to have some fun rather than be competitive - something like zumba is a good choice depending on the fitness of your colleagues. Bonding is the key here, not winning - it's all about the experience. 
• Have lunch together once in a while. This doesn't have to be loads of work. You could each bring one item to share - bought or homemade, it doesn't matter. Or you could take it in turns to supply the food. The aim is to bring you all together over food. 
• Would your work allow a visiting office dog? Having a pet around the place every now and again has been shown to boost wellbeing. 
• Laugh together. Try and see the funny side at work and look for opportunities to laugh together. You could have a night out in fancy dress, sponsor your boss to wear something silly, or organise a night out to a comedy show, laughter is the best way to bring people together and will make you feel fantastic. 

Common workplace stressors

It’s National Relaxation Day this week which is all about taking the time to wind down and put the chaos of daily life on hold. One of the biggest stresses of modern day life is work, which can be problematic as we spend a huge proportion of our lives here. The good news is that by identifying what causes your stress you are better placed to manage it more effectively.

Here are four common causes of stress in the workplace:

Job ambiguity – poorly defined jobs with no procedures in place and ambiguous goals can lead to stress as it leaves us unsure of what we’re supposed to do and why we’re doing it.

Favouritism and inequality – unfair treatment at work can be a major source of stress. Often promotion, raises and other perks, which should be given to recognise and reward good performance, are based on favouritism and seniority. This is demotivating and leaves us wondering why we bother.

Politics and power – some organisations are inherently stressful because in order to get ahead they expect us to play the game and many of us just don’t want to. These organisations are often run by political game players who overlook hard working employees for power hungry individuals, and exist because of the above.

Punitive and bullying managers – bullying in the workplace is a major stressor.

Managing stress in a healthy way involves changing the situation itself or the way you react to it. These changes known as the four A’s involve avoiding the stressful situation or altering it, adapting the way you think about it or just accepting it.

In extreme cases, and if finances permit, it may be possible to avoid the situation by changing jobs. If this is not feasible, it may be worthwhile talking to your boss or HR department to ask for appropriate training as well as a clearly outlined job description. Managers could help alleviate stress by conducting formal appraisals of job performance to reduce favouritism and workplace politics. Leadership with good communication, care for employees and clear goals, without punishment or bullying is also vital in making the organisation a great place to work.