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29 March 2024

UAE workplace: 6 simple ways to be happy at work

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

Many in the UAE workforce are over-worked and over-stressed, and in such a scenario, being a happy person is not easy.

Take the case of Penny Oscar, a British national working in Dubai. She’s in the PR industry and believes it is very difficult to be happy at work if the atmosphere is not conducive.

“In our industry, we are always trying to keep everybody happy – the clients and the media – and whilst doing, so we become the most unhappy ones. Most of us here work long hours. We don’t even have time to talk to people besides work with pressure building by the hour. This is just not a useful piece of advice, try working 9 to 9 for a couple of years then think up of ideas to stay happy,” she says without wishing to name the company she works for.

If you are in the same boat as Oscar, and believe there is no light at the end of the tunnel, it would be best to move on but if you can’t for various reasons, then try to salvage the situation even if you believe it’s the worst office in the entire world you are in.

And while there is no magic wand that will make workplace woes disappear completely, bigger problems can be made lighter if we try a bit harder.

“Job satisfaction is a personal choice and it is one that we make every day. It may sound very simple but we can choose to be happy or unhappy at work. That same holds true in our personal life as well. Do we decide to be unhappy?” Ash Athawale, Recruitment Manager at Reed Specialist Recruitment, told Emirates 24|7, adding “if there are no ups and downs in your life, you are dead.”

Career experts and those in the recruitment industry believe happiness at the workplace doesn’t come easily to many but is definitely worth a try. Here are six simple steps that can help you in attaining happiness at office, even if it may not be your dream job.

“Happiness at the workplace is a perspective and your mind can be programmed to be happy by following some or all of these simple ideas,” as Athawale puts it.

#1 Be happy to have a job

Only those who are out of jobs or have been rendered unemployed for a long time now can tell you how lucky you are to just have a job. Firstly, it gives you financial stability and prepares you for your next big job without any break in your career that can only pull you down in your next big venture.

“You are in a job; focus on your work and stop looking for a new job all the time. There is always a better job out there but if you don’t do justice to the one you have, you will never qualify for that better job. Ideal candidates need to have spent at the very least two years in their present job; otherwise, it sends the wrong signals to future employers about their motivation to move,” says the Reed manager.

#2 Always B +ve

“B +ve is not just a blood group – it is a way of life,” explains Athawale. No job is perfect and there will always be two sides to a coin; so flip to the one that tells you the good aspects of your job and think about it.

“Remain positive at all times,” reiterates Caroline Gentles, Senior Consultant at Cobalt HR Consultancy. “You are always going to have good and bad days in the office, however, it is amazing the difference a positive attitude can make. If you are not happy, identify why, and work out how you can make small changes to help this,” she told this website.

“There are so many stories we learn growing up about looking at the glass half full rather than half empty so appreciate what we have. Then, we land up in a job and we tend to look at the negatives rather than the positives. We need to focus on what this job is teaching us? What skills and techniques am I learning in this job? Focus on learning and expanding your skills rather than what is not there. There will always be something missing,” adds Athawale.

#3 Programme yourself to succeed

Both happiness and positivity come from within. Whether it’s your personal or professional life, if you decide not to be happy, nothing can help. You have to help yourself and fast enough to avoid a constant bout of depression that can follow a long period of unhappiness.

“If you get up in the morning and decide you are going to have a bad day, chances are that you will. Don’t start your work day waiting to see what is going to go wrong, focus on what can go right and has gone right. What is the one ‘take away’ from your day that could have gone wrong and actually didn’t,” advises the career expert at Reed.

#4 Think and plan ahead

You can be less stressed and more productive if you plan ahead. “It is amazing how many people come to work with no plan for their week. They are the ones who aren’t happy at work,” says Athawale.

“Focus and set yourself attainable targets – by putting a short and long term goal in place with daily, monthly and yearly targets. It is much easier to track your progress and feel you are achieving each day,” emphasizes Gentles.

“Plan your work and work your plan. Keep a buffer for any surprises but know what job you are there to do. Don’t go to work on the first day of the work week with no plan or goals or objectives. Wonder why the management has a meeting typically on the first day of the work week?” points out Athawale.

#5 There’s more to work than just money

Without any doubt, we all work for money but that should not be the only criteria. “It is not all about money. The number of candidates that I have met as a recruiter who say there is no money in the world that will make them stay at their present job is large. A simple formula that I have followed includes several factors. It is about the company, your role in this company, location of the job, the environment or the manager and then the money. You can have all of the first four and if the money is a little less, you will still enjoy going to work and more than that, keep going back every day and have a natural smile on your face because you love your job,” adds Athawale.

#6 All work and no play? Well, take a break

If you’ve been working hard without taking a break, you will eventually suffer burnout and the fatigue will be evident for all to see. So, take a break, stretch yourself and come back to work refreshed.

Work break can be just a quick one like a coffee break or a long one like a vacation with family and friends.

“Take a mini break when you can. If you have an office based job where you sit at your computer eight hours a day, try to take mini breaks, going to take a drink, chatting with another colleague, or even standing while you are on the phone.

“Make the most of your evenings and weekends by doing what you enjoy with your time off, be it family, friends or a sport. It will allow you to come into work with a fresh mind and a motivated approach,” suggests Gentles.