This post will be updated on a on-going basis as we gain more clarity on the factors that create good work from our research. Refer to "Happiness & Good Work Part 1" for the background for this post.
What are the key factors for creating good work?
Factor 1 - Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is more than finishing work on time - it entails:
- Having the flexibility to have handle life issues at work and being trusted to deliver your workload
- Having flexible working
- Being expected to have a life after work and having a workload that supports this
- Spending out of work time on a variety of activities that promote happiness (e.g. maximising social activities and minimising television)
Factor 2 - Health & Fitness
Looking after your health and fitness improves your physical and mental capacity to:
- handle the ups and downs of worklife
- take on challenging work
- handle stressful situations at work
If you are not looking after your health and fitness levels, then you are more likely to:
- to get ill
- take longer to recover when you get ill
- take days off as "mental holidays"
Factor 3 - Reasonable Workloads
Reasonable workloads are:
- Achievable in the required timeframes
- Are designed for human beings who need variety and who need to see the purpose in what they are doing
- Have some stretch where you are required to go outside your normal comfort zones (if you are not learning, then you can suffer from the stress caused by boredom)
Factor 4 - Tools for the Trade
You need to have good access to the tools that will enable you to do your job - this will reduce stress caused by uncertaintly and worry because you do not know how to maximise your work performance. This includes:
- Tools and resources to perform assigned tasks
- Being able to learn new skills yourself easily when you are going outside of your comfort zones
- Tools and resources to handle difficult, challenging and unexpected situations
- Stress management resources and tools
- Anything that reduces your need to worry
Factor 5 - Good Management
A key part of good work is to be managed well by your organisation - this includes:
- Feeling valued by your organisation
- Feeling recognised and appreciated by your organisation
- Knowing that you are being grown and developed by your organisation
Factor 6 - Supportive Culture
No matter what work that you doing, it is important to be part of a supportive culture with:
- Good colleague connections
- Friendly atmosphere
Anything that avoids the creation of a "dog-eat-dog" atmosphere.
Source articles:
- Gwinnett Business Journal - Dec 2006 - How to reduce employee sick days taken by cutting work stress
- Science Daily - Feb 2007 - Why do humans and primates get more stress related diseases than other animals
- www.peoplemanagement.co.uk - 25 Jan 2007 - Core values by Steve Smethurst
- www.peoplemanagement.co.uk - 25 Jan 2007 - The De-stress Call by Anna Scott
- www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/wellbeing - Jan 2007 - Get the Right Fit by Joy Persaud
- www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/wellbeing - Jan 2007 - Well-Founded Firms by Jane Simms
- www.peoplemanagement.co.uk - Dec 2006 - Merrily on High by Nic Marks
Being bound to work restricts freedom. Don’t you sometimes feel like running away from the hassles of work? Does marriage also restrict freedom? I think many married people feel that their freedom has been restricted.
Is it not possible to not to be bound to anyone or anything and live life on day to day basis and do whatever, whenever and wherever you feel like doing (here I am not talking about insane things). Do you feel sometimes trapped by modern forms of slavery like mortgage etc?
Posted by: generic viagra | April 06, 2010 at 04:40 PM