Six ways to be happily engaged at work

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In 2015, a report by Gallup Inc. gave an insight into the mindset of employees and their attitude towards work. The study stated that about 51 percent of workers were not engaged to their duty whereas 17.2 percent displayed active disengagement. This meant that only one third (about 32 percent) of the workforce saw their work as an enthusiastic endeavour and an opportunity to grow.

These figures suggest that a majority of employees remain dissatisfied with their work. One thing is certain; engagement works from both sides of the fence. Besides a conducive workplace environment, an organisation thrives only when its employees have the right notions about their duties.

There are no set rules when it comes to engaging yourself at work. No doubt, getting a job done is your number one priority. But what if you could adopt a mindset that helps you achieve your goals and simultaneously, gives you a sense of satisfaction? Here’s how you bring out the best in yourself and have a great time chasing those deadlines.

We are hardwired to indulge in activities that give us pleasure. On the contrary, we avoid situations that are unpleasant. A great way to leverage this is to find a motive that makes you excited about work. It could be in the form of initiating new projects, trying out new efficient ways of problem-solving, or the satisfaction of successfully completing a campaign.

A ‘growth-mindset’ is crucial in your journey as a professional and as an individual. The on-going process of self-discovery should keep your riveted to what you do.

You can either write a poem, doodle, draw or paint or even learn to operate a new software. The objective is to keep unleashing your potential and use the knowledge to perform better.

You can either look at your work as an ordinary task with no value or, on the contrary, as something that makes a dent in this world. The choice rests with you.

Engaged employees realise that the path to success is full of failures. They use disappointments and impediments to their advantage and emerge as winners. The expectations of a challenging adventure should be enough to keep employees involved.

What you can do is give yourself ample time to recover from fatigue. Be it a long vacation, a weekend or an hour’s break, ‘switching-off’ from work can recharge your batteries and get those creative juices flowing.

Over the years, organisations have recognised the correlation between happiness and productivity. The idea is to empower the workforce in achieving their professional and personal goals. This helps them attain the much-required work-life balance. Also, it is crucial for organisations to comprehend challenges that keep the workforce from active engagement.

The author is a Transformation Coach & Consultant and the founder of Cupela.