Rotman Management

How To Be Happy At Work

What does it take to be happy at work?

It boils down to three things. First, people need a sense of purpose. They need to feel that they are contributing in an impactful way and that their work is meaningful. Second, people need to feel hopeful about the future. They need to feel that work fits into life and that overall, work is helping them progress towards their life vision. Finally, people need great, warm relationships with colleagues — they need friends.

What role do workplace friends play?

In the best cases, we have more than one friend at work — people who we trust and who trust us, who care about us and whom we care about in return. There is even a phrase for this kind of relationship: ‘companionate love’. The research shows that when employees have these kinds of relationships, they get

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