Happiness Works Harder, in a Good Way

By Maegan Carrasquillo, Staff Writer

This week marks International Week of Happiness at Work and it got us thinking, why haven’t we heard of this quasi holiday before?  

The concept was started by two Dutch women, Fennande van der Meulen and Maartje Wolff, co-founders of Happy Office, a company that offers a happiness training program with a main goal of making employees happier. The idea for the week long event was conceived towards the end of 2017 and celebrated in the Netherlands in 2018. 

At EXIT Realty, we’ve built our company on human potential and couldn’t agree more with Wolff’s findings indicating that, “Science shows that happy coworkers have a huge advantage over unhappy ones. They’re more productive, flexible and creative; they provide better services to customers and work better with their colleagues. When people are happy at work, they are better parents, friends, and neighbors. The benefits of happiness at work that start in your business, have the potential to ripple out into the wider world.”

EXIT’s unique Formula allows agents the ability to supplement their income, spend more time with family, retire, and build a financial legacy for their loved ones, making for a more present and understanding agent. When you buy or sell with EXIT, you’re also helping to pay it forward through the Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Program, where a portion of each transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to the company’s charitable fund, from which philanthropic EXIT offices and agents can apply to match community fundraising initiatives they participate in with registered charitable organizations. We take a well-rounded approach to our people, and we Focus on Good Health through a holistic, and beyond real estate website featuring wellbeing tips, health resources, and practices like affirmations to build the person behind the agent.

How can you take it a step further to increase happiness at work?

• Offer support or services like childcare, flex schedules, and apps or incentives for physical and financial wellness
• Loosen the reins and give employees more creative freedom and control, which gives them greater satisfaction in accomplishing tasks and promotes a sense of responsibility. Providing choices is the right choice.
• Recognizing contributions is paramount and can be as simple as quarterly check-ins with an email, call, or note to let people know the value they bring to the business. Award ceremonies aren’t the only way to show appreciation and improve performance.

We’re all for the idea of more joy at work, but it’s also important to realize that everyone, not just business leaders, must put in the work, and that no one can be happy all the time. This idea has grown into an international celebration that understands, though it may mean different things to different people, we can all do our part to choose happiness.

Sign the Happiness at Work Manifesto and join this encouraging movement today.