We know that most people who work for Comfort Keepers chose the home care sector out of a desire to help others. It’s a great starting point for achieving job satisfaction. But, how do you stay focused? What can you do to ensure your working day is always a pleasurable one? And, are there changes you can make in your life that will have a positive impact on your happiness while you’re working? The simple answer to that last question is a resounding, “Yes!” Read on for the tips you need to be happier at work.
Comfort Keepers Cares
Comfort Keepers cares greatly about its employees’ well-being. We understand the emotional toll carer jobs can take on a person. That’s why we are constantly striving for innovative ways to support our staff.
We have, for example, recently increased our hourly rates for working weekends. We’ve also improved mileage allowances to help carers who travel from one client’s home to the next.
We’ve introduced a new well-being program called “Be Well.” It offers free exercise, pilates and yoga classes. And, we have a confidential Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that can give advice and counselling to staff and their immediate family.
To complement these extra staff services, we’ve some other tools backed up by science that our staff can use every day:
Start the Day as You Mean to Go On
The way you feel when you wake up or begin the day has a direct impact on how you will feel at work for the rest of the day. When you’re in a good mood you will be more productive and have more positive interactions with clients or colleagues.
Make time for some simple mindfulness at the start of the day. This could be by savouring your first tea and coffee of the day, for example. Focus on what you feel as you drink, taking a few minutes to do nothing else but that.
Several studies show that those who practise mindfulness and meditate before or after work feel more able to connect with others at work and are more emotionally stable.
Try to make a point of taking some outdoor exercise at the beginning of your day. Research shows that a brisk 20-minute walk, rain or shine, can give a boost to feelings of happiness and improve our sense of well-being.
Make Progress and Acknowledge It
One of the most powerful reasons for positive morale and happiness at work lies in feeling as though you’re moving forward and making meaningful progress.
Before starting work each day, write down a list of 6 small things that you plan to get done. Once you’ve accomplished them, cross them off your list. Before heading home, take a look back at your achievements and acknowledge the progress you made.
Sometimes the thought of the day ahead can feel overwhelming. Breaking things down into smaller parts helps to make the list of tasks feel more achievable.
If you know that you have done your bit and given something your best shot, reward yourself. Even small rewards that you give yourself can increase your engagement and that has a direct connection to enthusiasm, energy, persistence and pride.
Take Time to Reflect at the End of the Day
A study on working practices conducted at Harvard Business School drew some surprising conclusions. It found that taking 15 minutes to reflect at the end of the day can improve your productivity by almost 23 percent. That in turn could lead to better job satisfaction.
The benefit is greatest when you write things down rather than just think about the day. Writing by hand got better results than typing into a computer.
Think of something you appreciate about your day and jot it down. People who do this regularly report feeling more optimistic and better about their lives overall.
Begin the process by creating a simple gratitude ritual at the end of your day that will be difficult to pass up. For example, think of something good that happened during the day before turning your key in the ignition as you head home.
If you can share something positive about your day with another person, so much the better. Discussing positive experiences with others reinforces how good we feel about them and prolongs their after-effects.
Help a Colleague
This can be difficult but not impossible for those working on the frontline in the homes of our clients. Helping others makes you happier.
Assisting colleagues can also make you happier at work. It appears to create a positive kind of cycle. For example, one study showed that happier employees help their coworkers around a third more than those who aren’t content.
You don’t need to do something massive or heroic to help a coworker. If you work in an office, you could grab a colleague’s favourite coffee when you get yours. Ask if they need help on a project.
The hard part is making this a regular part of your day instead of something you only do every now and again. A simple way to remember is to put a reminder on your calendar.
Take Control
It can be challenging to stay positive if things start to feel a little turbulent. Some issues at work will be beyond your control. However, you can take charge of other things.
Always start and finish your day in a positive way:
- Use your commute to listen to an uplifting podcast or learn a new language
- Create a playlist of uplifting music to listen to while you’re driving
- Work in at least half an hour of exercise 3 times a week
- Eat healthily and include mood-boosting foods in your diet
- Smile at a stranger and make sure you laugh every day
- Plan your holiday early so there’s more time to look forward to it
Home Care and Wellbeing
Keeping yourself fit and healthy in both mind and body will help maintain and even boost your happiness at work.
Comfort Keepers strives to keep its workforce feeling valued and joyful. We’ve plenty of other useful articles aimed at helping our staff. Read more of them here.
Connect with us
To begin starting care for your loved one, you can click here.
To join our incredible award-winning team, you can apply now by clicking here or emailing your CV to recruitment@comfortkeepers.ie
