Thank God It's Monday
By Jyoti Thottam
[1] As rearchers in psychology, economics and organizational behavior have been gradually discovering, the experience of being happy at work looks very similar across professions. People, who love their jobs, feel challenged by their work but in control of it. They have boss who make them feel appreciated (enjoyed) and co-workers they like. They can find meaning (interest/ significance) in whatever they do. 国际音标在线学习And they aren't just lucky. It takes real effort to reach that sublime state (status).
[2] An even bigger obmarcellestacle, though （however）, may be our low expectations on the job. Love, family, community (society) — tho are suppod (thought) to be the true sources of happiness, while work simply (only) gives us the means (tools) to enjoy them. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who coined the term flow (happiness<->ebb), which adherents (supporter) of positive psychology would u to describe the job-induced highs (high spirit/ happiness), says that distinction (difference) is a fal one. "Anything can be enjoyable if th
e elements of flow are prent," he writes in his book Good Business." Within that framework, doing a emingly boring job can be a source of greater fulfillment (achievement) than one (anybody) ever thought possible."
[3] Csikszentmihalyi encourage易贝乐英语s (urge) us to reach a state (level/ status) in which work is an extension of what we naturally want to do. Immerd (absorbed) in the pleasure of work, we don't worry about its ultimate (final) reward. If that sounds out of reach, take heart (try one’s best). You may soon get some encouragement from the head office (headquarters). A growing (increasing) body (amount) of rearch is demonstrating (showing) that happy workers not only are happier in life but are also crucial (most important) to the health of a company.
[4] Thirty-five years ago, the Gallup Organization started rearching why people in certain work groups, even within the same company, were so much more effective (->efficient) than others. Donald Clifton, the Gallup rearcher who pioneered that work, conducted (directed) a ries of extensive interviews with highly productive teams of work
ers. From tho interviews, Gallup developed a t of 12 statements (rules/ points) nordostdesigned to measure employees' overall (general) level of happiness with their work, which Gallup calls "engagement". Some of the (criterion->) criteria reflect the obvious在职研究生报名入口 requirements of any worker (Do you have what you need to do your job? Do you know what's expected of you at work?), while others revealtroy (show) more subtle variables (Do you have a best friend at work? Does your supervisor (boss) or someone el at work care about you as a person?). Gallup started the survey in 1998, and it now includes 5. 4 million employees at 474 organizations; Gallup also does periodic random polls of workers in different countries.
吸血鬼日记第三季[5] The polls paint a picture of a rather disaffected (unpleasant/ unsatisfying) U.S. work force. In the most recent poll, from September 2004, only 29% of workers said they were engaged with their work. More than half, 55%, were not engaged, and 16% were actively dingaged. Still (Furthermore), tho numbers are better than tho (figures) in many other countries. The percentage of engaged workers in the U. S. is more than twice as large as Germany's and three times as great as Singapore's. But neither the late 1990s b
oom nor the subquent （following） bust (depression) had much impact (influence) in either direction, indicating (showing/ implying) that the state of worker happiness goes much deeper than the swings (waves) of the economy.
[6] James Harter, a psychologist directing (conducting) that rearch at Gallup, says many companies are simply 台灯的英语单词misreading (->misled/ don’t know) what makes people happy at work. Beyond a certain minimum level, it isn't pay or benefits; it's strong relationships with co-workers and a supportive boss. "The are basic human needs in the workplace, but they're not the ones thought by managers to be very important." Harter says. Gallup has found that a strong positive respon to the statement (question on 新西兰总理怀孕questioner) "I have a best friend at work", for example, is a powerful predictor for engagement at work and is coredificerelated with profitability and connection with customers. "It indicates (shows) a high level of belonging," Hatter says.
[7] Without it, a job that looks (ems) good on paper (theoretically) can make a worker mirable [to live/lead a mirable/ happy life]. Martina Radix, 41, traded a high-pressure
job as an executive assistant at a company where she liked her colleagues for a less taxing position as a clerical worker (clerk) in a law firm six years ago. She has more (free) time and flexibility but feels stifled (depresd) by her co-workers and unappreciated by her boss. "I am a misfit (mismatch) in that department," she says. "No matter how good your personal life is, if you go in to a bad (atom->) atmosphere at work, it takes away from it."
[8] In fact, engagement at work is less a function of your personality than is happiness in general. Harter estimates that individual disposition (personality) accounts for (take up/ explain) only about 30% of the difference between employees who are highly engaged and tho who are not. The rest of it is shaped (decided) by the hundreds of interactions that employees have every day with co-workers, supervisors and customers.
[9] The most direct fix (remedy/ cure/ solution), then, is to ek out (look for) a supportive (positive) workplace. Finding a job that fits a life calling (need) unlocks the door to happiness. Listte Mendez, 33, says her job coordinating the annual book fair at Miami
Dade College is the one she was born to do. "Books are an inextricable (inparable) part of my life," she says.
[10] Even if your passion (->passionate) does not easily translate into a profession (job->career), you can still find happiness on the job. Numerous studies have shown correlations between meaningful work and happiness, job satisfaction and even physical health. That n (feeling/ significance) of meaning, however, can take many different forms. Some people find it in the work itlf; others take pride in (be proud of) their company's mission (task) rather than in their specific job. People can find meaning in anything.
