Employees walk through the door of their office just before 8 am or 9 am and settles in their workstation. Wage is average, and there's not enough space for career development. Flexible working seems to be frowned upon also.
No one would particularly be happy in this kind of company, and thus, there is quite a high turnover of staff. Can you relate to the scenario mentioned?
Because of reports that said office scenario in recent years has been increasing, there has been a bigger focus on improving the employees' psyche and making them happier and healthier. To achieve this, company owners continue their quest for positive psychology.
In essence, the driving force behind positive psychology in the workplace is the idea that satisfied workers tend to be more productive, creative, and develop a better working environment.
'Positive Psychology'
According to positive business psychologist Rob Baker, "Positive psychology can be defined as a scientific approach focusing" on the human life's positive and optimal aspects like thriving, happiness, and wellbeing. Baker is the founder of positive psychology, wellbeing, and HR consultancy, Tailored Thinking.
Positive psychology started as psychology's new domain during the late 90s decade, led by researchers Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Seligman, specifically, started studying and exploring what transpires when individuals concentrate on creating positive outcomes. That's when positive psychology as a field started.
This, as a discipline, Baker explained, is applicable in all areas of life. There are various subfields that look on how to develop and foster happiness, wellbeing and thriving in different aspects of our lives, as well as in society including education, work, coaching and therapy.
How Employers Introduce the Scheme in the Workplace
As a starting point, Baker said, "I often start with three core ideas or pillars" linked to exploring and attaching strengths, "developing a clear and compelling vision," and underscoring and strengthening the sense and purpose of work.
Concentrating on the strengths of people, he said, is an excellent way of increasing productivity, motivation, and involvement levels in work.
Everyone is different, the expert said, and thus, embracing and acknowledging that "we bring other things to the workplace can be greatly beneficial.
Meanwhile, according to Stanford University psychologist, Carol Dweck, fostering a positive outlook and climate in work allows people to deal with any challenges head on with a notion also known as "growth mindset."
She explained it as a belief that an individual's skills and talent can be nurtured through hard work. If one has a mindset, though, added Dweck, "You believe your abilities were predetermined at birth and thus, cannot be developed.
Baker said, as humans, we tend to concentrate on the negatives and the goings-on with our work or lives. Consequently, a positive vision allows one to strive and do good work. It also provides anyone with a clear sense of where they're going and why they are going there.
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