How To Find JOY In Work

The experience of ‘joy’ means different things to each of us – however there is a common underlying shared feeling of joy that we all relate to, that brings a smile to our face as we connect to joyful experiences. It’s a powerful – and transformative feeling.

Joy in work is the feeling of great pleasure and happiness evoked by well-being and success at work. It’s as simple and as complicated as that!

Focussing on joy in work sits at the heart of what we all aspire to (or should) – safe, healthy, harmonious and enjoyable (work) lives. Of course, it’s bigger and broader than our work lives but often ‘joy’ in work is a by-product of ‘fun’ experiences at work and not an intentional, deliberate and strategic focus of work. I want to change that!!

The 9 critical components of joy in work are an integral driver of our ‘inner work life’ these include; physical and psychological safety, meaning and purpose, choice and autonomy, recognition and rewards, camaraderie and teamwork, daily improvement, wellness and resilience and real-time measurement. Together they form part of a system for ensuring a joyful, engaged workforce[1].

So – joy in work, turns out to be,  way more than just a feeling. It’s a scientifically based strategy – quantifiable and measurable.

The IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) in the US, (where I first learnt about the strategy of ‘joy in work’) focussing on the healthcare workforce, state that ‘The most joyful, productive, engaged staff feel both physically and psychologically safe, appreciate the meaning and purpose of their work, have some choice and control over their time, experience camaraderie with others at work, and perceive their work life to be fair and equitable.’ That’s it – right?

Joy in work has become a strategic plank to my practice. I have set out to bring the IHI framework  into my work in everything I do – working with or coaching 1:1 with individuals or leaders for whom work (or work circumstances) has become challenging – burnout, stress, conflict, bullying, mental ill health (to name a few), working with teams experiencing relationship or capability challenges and coaching and training leaders and teams to nurture ‘inner work life’ and foster joy in work.

At Thriving People our focus is on building (or rebuilding) joy in work. Our focus has evolved from over 30 years of working with individuals and teams experiencing challenge, burnout, distress, dysfunction, conflict, injury or illness – for whom work is no longer enjoyable. It can be a hard road back for some people – but not impossible.

Through ‘The Joy Project’ we are also setting out to capture our ‘joy in work’ stories and broadcast them so we can learn from each other – turning theory into reality. Check this out on our website www.thrivingpeople.net.au. If you’d like to know more please connect with us at Thriving People.

Jeanette Kinahan, Founder and Director of Thriving People is an awarded and highly experienced personal injury management and workplace wellbeing practitioner and advisor, an advanced and nationally accredited mediator, and conflict management coach (amongst other things). Yes – Jeanette is also joyful!

[1] Perlo J, Balik B, Swensen S, Kabcenell A, Landsman J, Feeley D. IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work. IHI White Paper. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2017. (Available at ihi.org)