Workplace happiness self-assessment

Professor Sir Cary Cooper: “We know what affects employees’ happiness at work, and it’s a range of factors. One is how people are managed, which comes down to the competency of their line manager. They’re critical to employees’ health and wellbeing at work. The hours people work is another. We know that people who consistently work long hours get ill. Another factor is technology itself. It’s what we call technostress.”

How happy are you at work? Are you feeling supported and empowered, or are you suffering from unnecessary stress?

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* 1. How often do you feel happy at work?

A – Often

B – Occasionally

C – Never

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* 2. How would you rate the level of your job pressure?

A – Mild

B – Moderate

C – Severe

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* 3. Have you ever felt any of the following symptoms whilst working, either in the office or remotely? Heart pains, tight chest, shortness of breath, headaches and dizziness, exhaustion.

A – Never

B – Occasionally

C – Regularly

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* 4. Have you ever felt any of the symptoms whilst encountering a problem with technology?

A – Never

B – Occasionally

C – Regularly

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* 5. How do you feel when technology doesn’t work for you in the workplace?

A – It doesn’t bother me

B – Mild panic or frustration, but I can usually find a solution

C – Overwhelmed

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* 6. What would you usually do when faced with trying to fix a technical problem?

A – Attempt a basic troubleshoot but not spend too long on it

B – Google a solution and try my best to fix it, but will give up after one unsuccessful attempt

C – Keep trying to find a solution until the problem is resolved

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* 7. Do you find it easy to speak to IT or someone else from within the business about your technology issues?

A – Yes

B – Sometimes

C – No

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* 8. How often do you have a break from your desk during a typical working day?

A – I move away from the screen/desk every few hours

B – I only take a lunch break

C – I don’t take a break

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* 9. How often is your working day longer than 9 hours?

A – Occasionally

B – Regularly

C – Daily

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* 10. How often do you work more than 50 hours in a week?

A – Never

B – Once a month

C – More than twice a month

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* 11. When do you first check your work emails in the morning?

A – Not until I’m in the office or at my WFH desk

B – I wait until I’ve had breakfast

C – It’s the first thing I do on my smartphone

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* 12. How often do you check emails or work messages in the evening?

A – Never

B – Once or twice a week

C – Every night

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* 13. Do you feel trusted by your line manager to define how you work?

A – Yes, I get to define my working day

B – On the whole. I collaborate with my line manager to set tasks for the day / week

C – No. I am micromanaged and have little say in my daily tasks

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* 14. Is there someone you can talk to at work about your wellbeing? Do you do so?

A – Yes, I do so regularly

B – Yes, but I struggle to say exactly how I’m feeling

C – No. I don’t feel like I can

Mostly A.
“You have good coping strategies. You can cope with a lot of pressure before you get into the stress zone”.
You’re happy at work. When the pressure mounts, you still maintain your good work-life balance and your daily routine gives you time away from the ongoing pressure at your desk. You can cope with technostress, and you can switch off.
Maintaining your workplace happiness: Continue to focus on your work-life balance. Those emails can always wait. If technology doesn’t work, it’s no sweat. Let IT know and get back to focusing on your day.

Mostly B.
“You have adequate stress coping strategies. You can deal with pressure in the working environment, but occasionally you experience technostress”.
You can find workplace happiness. You understand the good practices to help with stress in the workplace, but you don’t always put these into action. You can do much better.
Finding workplace happiness: Try to focus more on your work-life balance. Remember, emails can wait until tomorrow and time away from your desk is essential, not a luxury. If technology doesn’t work for you, speak up and help to find new solutions.

Mostly C.
“Your stress coping strategies are not so good. Just a little pressure catapults you into the stress zone.”
You’re far from workplace happiness. Without adequate coping strategies, you struggle to cope with technostress. With too much micromanagement and not enough time away from your desk, stress and anxiety continue to affect your working day.
The first steps to workplace happiness: It’s essential to try to find a better work-life balance. Ignore the emails in the evening and find time away from your desk during the working day. Consider opening up about your lack of wellbeing at work – having open and honest communication with your line manager can boost your happiness. When technology isn’t working as it should, don’t get overwhelmed – log your issues and speak to IT. It will help them find new solutions to help relieve your technostress.