Yuvaraj Srivastava, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, MakeMyTrip, GoIbibo, and RedBus on Happiness at Workplace
Responding to the query, How to be happy at the workplace, Yuvaraj said, Over a period of more than 20 years of Corporate career and last almost 15 years as HR lead of some fabulous organizations, I figured out 08 key mantras for being happy at the workplace. While I may not have adhered to some or most of them but I did see many people being happier than many since they followed these in one or the other way…….
You are at the workplace with competitors around and not family members
At the workplace everyone comes to work, earn, do well, and grow. In the process, people can be competitive and in certain cases even hyper-competitive. You can be at peace with other’s behavior if you learn to understand everyone’s drivers and motives.
Compliment your bosses too…they also look for positive stroke
You expect superiors to motivate you by praising and giving positive strokes. However, while you consider it as your birthright to be’ praised in public and admonished in private’, ensure you don’t miss on to complimenting and giving positive stroke to your superiors and peers. Yes, please be genuine while you do so and don’t get swayed.
Don’t over evaluate your work and performance
Evaluating your delivery and work creates mental unrest, while you should be tracking your KRAs and KPIs don’t get into overestimating yourself, unless you can do an objective job of it. If at all you want to assess do it with a critical lens. This is a formula for being pleasantly surprised with whatever ratings you get.
Smile and smile when someone gets aggressive
Overaggressive people in the team and at the peer level, love to argue and prove a point. Even if they are cornered in an argument, they consider it as their victory since they justify it as one of the “Healthy debates” that resulted in a well thought out decision. “Silence” and “Smile” are the best ways to handle such delinquents, avoid joining the issue and let them reflect when they at all spend time in reflection.
Dress up well and with purpose
A workplace is a formal place that can have an informal culture however that does not mean you enter the office in your night pants or joggers. While the recommendation is not to wear formals all the time but it is to wear something smart, well fitted that makes you feel good and confident.
Show respect to everyone and not only to those who matter
Make it a habit to show respect to everyone, right from pantry boy to the CEO. Return good mornings, hellos and pleasantries with all. Using the right verbiage and phrases while addressing people shows how much respect you give to people.
Create your Ambassadors in the system
It is important that you win the hearts of people you interact with. Ensure that when you speak to a group of people on induction meetings or normal occasions, people go back having a positive impression. For this, if you need to prepare a bit, please do so.
Speak your mind but be mindful of what you say and how you say
Many people get carried away by the poster value of “Speak your mind”, keep in mind that even if you are saying something relevant and pertinent,….. how you say…… is important. You can not be blunt, brash, and rude in the garb of saying the truth or making a relevant point. Heard about Org Savviness?
