1. Being seriously happy at work and
improving levels of job satisfaction
by Toronto Training and HR
June 2012

2. 3-4 Introduction to Toronto Training and HR
5-6 History of happiness
Contents 7-8
9-12
Wellbeing
Make your workforce happy
13-14 Features that affect happiness
15-16 What’s important to you?
17-18 Avoid happiness traps
19-24 Employee ratings of job satisfaction
25-27 Job satisfaction theories
28-30 Motivation theories
31-33 Career discussions
34-36 Individual happiness in Canada
37-38 Happy people
39-40 Happy countries
41-45 Measurement
46-47 Maximizing happiness
48-51 Case studies
52-53 Conclusion and questions
Page 2

3. Introduction
Page 3

4. Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
• Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and human
resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
• 10 years in banking
• 10 years in training and human resources
• Freelance practitioner since 2006
• The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR are:
- Training event design
- Training event delivery
- Reducing costs
- Saving time
- Improving employee engagement & morale
- Services for job seekers
Page 4

5. How to improve workplace
happiness
Page 5

6. How to improve workplace
happiness 1 of 3
Quiet the mind chatter
Give thanks every day
Be in the now
Make your office/cubicle your own happiness zone
Page 6

7. How to improve workplace
happiness 2 of 3
Get away from the grind
Don’t miss happy hour
Shorten your commute
Join the club
Become a mentor
Think twice before applying for a promotion
Page 6

8. How to improve workplace
happiness 3 of 3
WOMEN
Improve your work/life balance
Take breaks, use vacation time, create weekly to
do lists, leave work at a reasonable hour
Remember that more time at the office does not
always equal higher productivity
Take more “me” time during the workday and
away from the office
“Me” time in the office (surfing the web, talking to
coworkers) in moderation is okay too
Page 6

9. Happiness measures
Page 5

10. Happiness measures 1 of 2
EIGHT VARIABLES
demographics (age and marital status)
health and education
income and unemployment
religion (belief and participation)
social capital (family, friends and community)
trust (general and specific)
ethnicity, migration and discrimination
workplace social capital
Page 6

11. Happiness measures 2 of 2
FIVE FACTORS IN THE WORKPLACE
Trust- equal to a rise in income to $115,000
Variety of tasks- equal to a rise in income of
$90,000
Skills- equal to a rise to $60,000
A workplace void of conflicts- equal to a rise of
$42,000
Time enough to do work assigned- equal to rise of
$30,000
Page 6

12. Happy people v less happy
people
Page 5

13. Happy people v less happy
people 1 of 2
HAPPY PEOPLE:
Have more energy and are more motivated
Are more optimistic and more resilient in the face
of hardship
Are healthier, have stronger immune systems, and
take fewer sick days
Are more cooperative, better liked by others at
work and have richer friendships
Page 6

14. Happy people v less happy
people 2 of 2
HAPPY PEOPLE:
Make better and more informed decisions and are
more productive in their jobs
are better leaders and negotiators
are more open to learning new things and show
more flexibility and ingenuity in their thinking
Page 6

15. Optimistic people
Page 5

16. Optimistic people 1 of 7
Perform better
Don’t give up as easily as pessimists
Have better health
Get stressed less easily
Live longer
Page 6

17. Optimistic people 2 of 7
OPTIMISM TEST
1A. I’m unreliable and always let the team down
1B. I didn’t organize my time well for this
assignment
2A. I don’t want to work in this team again
2B. I am happy to start the next assignment
3A. I’m very likely to miss the next deadline too
3B. This incident was a one off and won’t affect
my ability to meet the next deadline
Page 6

18. Optimistic people 3 of 7
OPTIMISM TEST
4A. I feel anxious about meeting future deadlines
4B. I work best with challenging deadlines
5A. Missing the deadline means that I’m a
complete loser!
5B. I’m upset I missed the deadline but I will learn
from this and do better next time
6A. The team will probably think I’m a loser too!
6B. The team is annoyed with me but its only
temporary
Page 6

19. Optimistic people 4 of 7
OPTIMISTS
See bad events as temporary (not making the
deadline was a one-off)
See bad events as caused by external factors
(other events took up my time)
See good events as caused by themselves (I will
learn to meet the deadline next time)
Page 6

20. Optimistic people 5 of 7
PESSIMISTS
See bad events as prevailing (I’ll always let the
team down)
See bad events as caused by internal factors (I’m
a loser)
See good events caused by external factors (I
struck lucky)
Page 6

21. Optimistic people 6 of 7
PROMOTING OPTIMISM IN THE WORKPLACE
Test for optimism levels in prospective employees
as part of their selection process
Place people with high levels of optimism in areas
or departments that match their psychological
strengths
Develop optimism in your workforce
Page 6

22. Optimistic people 7 of 7
APPLYING OPTIMISM TO YOURSELF AND THE
WORKPLACE
Adversity
Beliefs
Consequences
Disputation
Energization
Page 6

23. Questions to ask
Page 5

24. Questions to ask 1 of 2
Do I know what is expected of me at work?
Do I have the materials and equipment I need to
do my job right?
At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do
best every day?
In the last seven days have I received recognition
or praise for good work?
Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to
care about me as a person?
Is there someone at work who encourages my
development?
Page 6

25. Questions to ask 2 of 2
At work, do my opinions count?
Does the mission/purpose of my organization
make me feel that my work is important?
Are my co-workers committed to doing quality
work?
Do I have a best friend at work?
In the last six months has someone talked to me
about my progress?
At work, have I had opportunities to learn and
grow?
Page 6

26. 2011 findings in Canada
Page 5

27. 2011 findings in Canada
Happiness with work environment has decreased
consecutively the last 4 years
Engaged organizations have the potential to
reduce attrition rates by 87% and improve
performance by 20%
Recent research has identified the top five
happiest careers of: Biotechnology
worker, Customer Service
Representative, Teacher, Administrative
Assistant, Buyer
Each happy friend increases a person’s chance of
being happy by 18%
Page 6

28. Reducing stress levels
Page 5

29. Reducing stress levels
Indulging in physical exercise/yoga/sports which
aid good health and positivity of attitude
Allotting a relaxation time for them in daily
schedule, and indulging in activities that can
provide a sense of joy and happiness
Humor is said to be a great stress reliever
Follow an action plan
Page 6

30. What leads to job
satisfaction?
Page 5

31. What leads to job satisfaction?
A RECENT SURVEY REVEALED:
Secure jobs 63%
Benefits 60%
Compensation/pay 57%
Opportunities to use skills and abilities 55%
Feeling safe in the work environment 54%
Relationship with supervisor 52%
The work itself 50%
Independence 47%
Work-Life balance 46%
Corporate Culture 45%
Page 6

32. Job satisfaction factors
Page 5

33. Job satisfaction factors 1 of 8
WORK CONDITIONS AND ATMOSPHERE
Overall work condition
Space of office
Leadership improves work climate
Development improves work condition
Page 6

34. Job satisfaction factors 2 of 8
JOB REWARD
Income from salary
Distribution of rewards
Welfare and treatment
Possibilities of promotion
Page 6

35. Job satisfaction factors 3 of 8
WORK ACHIEVEMENTS
Suggestions being adopted
Abilities fully to play
Busy at work
Achievement from work
Cohesion from work
Page 6

36. Job satisfaction factors 4 of 8
JOB COMPETENCY
Competency of knowledge
Competency of skills
Competency being recognized by co-workers
Page 6

37. Job satisfaction factors 5 of 8
JOB SIGNIFICANCE
Character of job being self-recognized
Character of job being recognized by leaders
Character of job being recognized by co-workers
Performance of job being recognized by leaders
Page 6

38. Job satisfaction factors 6 of 8
TEAMWORK
Cooperation with co-workers
Communication with co-workers
Relationship between co-workers
Page 6

39. Job satisfaction factors 7 of 8
MANAGEMENT
Management is helpful for development of the
organization
Ability of management needs being improved
further
Page 6

40. Job satisfaction factors 8 of 8
WORK ENTHUSIASM
Concern for development of organization
Positive feeling for their work
Page 6

41. Measures of job
satisfaction
Page 5

42. Measures of job satisfaction
Job Descriptive Index
Job Satisfaction Survey
Job in General Scale
Job Diagnostics Survey
Workplace Spirituality Scale
Work and Meaning Inventory
Page 6

43. What is a good job?
Page 5

44. What is a good job? 1 of 2
Scope to exercise a range of skills and talents
A requirement to see an identifiable job through
from start to completion
A sense of a significant role to perform, measured
in terms of impact on others
Autonomy and discretion in selecting methods and
working time
Clear feedback on how performance is judged by
supervisors and team leaders
Page 6

45. What is a good job? 2 of 2
MAXIMIZING THESE CHARACTERISTICS RESULTS
IN:
Experiencing meaningful work
Having a sense of being responsible for outcomes
Gaining knowledge of the results of work activities
Page 6

46. Job satisfaction aspects
Page 5

47. Job satisfaction aspects 1 of 3
Opportunities to use skills and abilities
Relationship with immediate supervisor
Communication between employees and senior
management
The work itself
Autonomy and independence
Overall company culture
Organization’s financial stability
Organization’s commitment to professional
development
Page 6

48. Job satisfaction aspects 2 of 3
Flexibility to balance work and life issues, such as
alternative work arrangements
Benefits
Management recognition about your job
performance
Job security
Contribution to organization’s business goals
Career development opportunities
Career advancement opportunities
Feeling safe in the work environment
Compensation and pay
Page 6

49. Job satisfaction aspects 3 of 3
Job-specific training
Meaningfulness of job
Variety of work
Relationships with co-workers
Paid general training and tuition reimbursement
programs
Networking opportunities
Organization’s commitment to a diverse and
inclusive workforce
Organization’s commitment to CSR
Organization’s commitment to a green workplace
Page 6

50. Dimensions of job
satisfaction
Page 5

51. Dimensions of job satisfaction
A reply of employees against a particular situation
of a job, it cannot be visible and it is just
conclusion from evidences
Depends upon how accurately the outcome of
organizations have been met
Characteristics which are related to the job
Page 6

52. Dimensions of
empowerment
Page 5

53. Dimensions of empowerment
The work I do is very important to me
My job activities are personally meaningful to me
The work I do is meaningful to me
Page 6

54. Higher education in
Pakistan
Page 5

55. Higher education in Pakistan
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB SATISFACTION
AND…
Gender
Age
Qualification
Experience
Rank/designation
Job status
Net monthly salary
Universities considered as Public or Private
Page 6

56. Drill
Page 5

57. Drill
Page 6

58. Conclusion and questions
Page 52

59. Conclusion and questions
Summary
Videos
Questions
Page 53