‘Always give employees a sense of purpose’
Tal Ben-Shahar teaches Positive Psychology 1504 and Pyschology of Leadership at Harvard as visiting faculty. The courses broadly cover the psychological aspects of life fulfilment and flourishing, by teaching about empathy, friendship, love, achievement, creativity, spirituality, happiness, and humour and are coveted by students.
In an email interview, BenShahar speaks about how organisations can harness positive psychology; and why we must force ourselves off our smartphone addiction and think deeply about our relationship diet. Edited excerpts: is key. Workouts—as little as three weekly sessions of 30 minutes each—have the same effect as our most powerful psychiatric medication. The workplace will be a happier place, a more creative place, and a less stressful place if employees start a physical exercise regime.
I also encourage employees to take regular breaks during the day, and then have time to recover when they’re at home. Being “on” all the time is not helpful for the individual employee, nor for the organization. More is not necessarily better. We need to recharge our psychological batteries. Creativity and productivity actually go down when there is no time for recovery throughout the day (15 minutes of downtime every hour or two), week (at least one day off), and year (a real vacation once every six or 12 months). embarrassed or punished if she spoke out, asked for assistance, or failed in a specific task. When team leaders create a climate of psychological safety, when members feel comfortable “failing” and then sharing and discussing their mistakes, all members of the team can learn and improve. In contrast, when mistakes are concealed, learning is less likely to take place, and the likelihood that errors will be repeated is higher.
Express gratitude on a regular basis. Companies where leaders and employees appreciate their work—the progress that they have made—rather than take it for granted, actually do better.
Connect employees to a sense of purpose. Those who experience meaning and commitment at work will work harder, do better, and stay longer. There are relationships that are toxic, and what we have to do is be aware of which relationships are good for us, and also how much of each relationship is good for us. There is no precise prescription, and it takes much trial and error, as well as awareness, to figure out what’s right for us. Relationships are analogous to food. We need it to survive, but how much and what kind of food, that is a more complex question. That is a good thing. I personally spend a lot of time at work, and love it. Labelling all people who spend a lot of time at work as workaholics is unhelpful and misleading. If I’m at work many hours because I’m running away from other things—such as dealing with the people closest to me—then that may be unhealthy. If, on the other hand, I’m spending many hours at work because it’s my passion, then that’s usually a good thing. Dealing with addiction usually requires a dramatic intervention. Today screen addiction is a huge problem. I recommend forcing oneself to be off the screen (which includes the smartphone) for extended periods during the day. For example, when you get home at night, switch off, and spend quality time with friends or family.
This will not just make you happier, it will also make you more creative and productive at work.