Happiness at Work is a Reflection of a Happy Family Life

Genaro Suárez Becerra

Since forever, work has been the sustenance of families; in recent times, the

work has changed a lot towards the comfort of workers; Governments through

laws promote the well-being of the economically active population, because in this way

better results are obtained for employees and employers, as well as for development

societies; for the worker, well-being at work is key, in the same way in the

interior of families. This essay proposes the thesis that happiness at work is the

reflection of a happy family life. We will start by defining happiness in general, then we

It will address happiness at work and the factors that influence it, and the work environment will be reviewed.

and personal influence, will explore family happiness and its factors, as well as

the relationship between spirituality and job happiness will show the connection between values and

happiness at work and it will finally conclude regarding the proposed thesis.

Happiness can be a relative concept for each human being, for this reason it is necessary

define it according to philosophical conceptions so that it is transversal to people;

Aristotle argued that human happiness arises from activities in accordance with virtue.

higher, pure acts, perfections; a very objective state based on truths (Savater,

2002; Alesso, 2008). Happiness can be understood as a state of emotional mind and

rational in conscious fullness, of positive valuation, sustained through the

difficulties, the highest level of which is spirituality; thus, companies must consider

with the main objective of the happiness of its workers, to enhance their qualities

primordial and contribute better to work (Hernández & Serravalle, 2014). Happiness

as a state of mind, it is expressed through positive emotions, that is to say that

they make the person feel good and are based on personal ethics, on truths, on values, on
 2

principles of the individual; practicing good consistently can provide happiness

constant to successfully face all kinds of situations in personal and work life.

In the workplace, sources of happiness depend on two perspectives: the

work environment, whose characteristics that influence happiness are, besides a salary

suitable, opportunity for control, clarity of the environment, career development, equity; and the

thoughts and feelings of the individual both in the short term, concern about the

personal relevance and long-term job satisfaction (Warr, 2013). In order to improve the

Job satisfaction, the important factors are; challenging functions and tasks with challenges

pleasant, fair rewards, appropriate working conditions, effective work team

suitable people for the positions; considering that there are two things we cannot

changing: with vocation and circumstances, accepting and valuing them, one can achieve the

happiness (Gamero, 2013). The worker complements their own internal world with the world

external or work environment, there the balance of factors that ultimately leads to

molding happiness, if one finds satisfaction in the execution of the tasks related to their work

and aligns with their future expectations, work represents a source of happiness.

The work environment determines the behavior of employees, in settings

highly motivating, organizations can achieve high levels of efficiency, for this reason

Those in charge of management must consider that workers are, by their nature

Human resources are complex and must be assimilated as the most important assets of the business.

(Quintero, Africano & Faría, 2008). There are components and determinants that are perceived

for the workers such as the physical space, the characteristics of the organization, the environment

social, the personal characteristics and organizational behavior; this climate

resultant guides people to show certain behaviors, if they are positive, they

reinforces the sense of belonging and personal job satisfaction (Salazar, Guerrero,

Machado & Cañedo, 2009). Collaborators are influenced by the work environment to
 3

adopt certain positive or negative behavior and also from the individual it is projected

an influence on the work environment, moods and feelings are part of

these influences, therefore, a work environment inclined to foster happiness in its

workers effectively achieve their effects, in the same way the worker can

manifest towards the organization.

From a psychological point of view, happiness originates from relationships.

interpersonal relationships with others, hence the relationship with partners and children forms intimate networks.

where an emotional equilibrium is produced; if basic needs are met,

support needs and recreational needs result in well-being and happiness

In the family setting is where intense experiences are lived.

feelings, family satisfaction or happiness in the family is reflected in the perception that

It is experienced when facing a problem, in such moments emotional support is received.

and collaboration for making difficult decisions, it is the sum of positive interactions in

family (Jiménez & Moyano, 2008). Within the family, bonds of love are established and

friendship among its members, communication and trust play a fundamental role for

achieve the emotional balance that brings well-being; the perception of is also necessary

constant emotional support, understanding, mutual help; to achieve happiness, these

interactions should be based on principles and family values.

Any human being has a spiritual life, regardless of belief or

religion, expressing itself in personality through motivations, behaviors, interests; in the

work is associated with positive values such as integrity, responsibility, commitment,

leading to high levels of performance and job satisfaction; workers have

propensity to have an environment that fosters spiritual growth (Estenós, 2013).

When a worker explores their spirituality, they obtain a feeling of fulfillment in it.

professional, enjoys when performing tasks, does it with enthusiasm and joy, giving it
 4

possibility of exploring new very sublime personal goals as a human; this

allows to reconcile daily work with internal work or personal fulfillment (Otero,

Currently, there is a trend to incorporate some talks or workshops for exploration.

spiritual for workers of companies who consider their collaborators as

key elements of the business; take a break from work and reflect by connecting with

our inner world makes us more productive; workers who emphasize their

spirituality makes them happier.

At work, sometimes there are group aggressions against a person, in a way

systematic, without necessarily resorting to physical violence, but rather using language

verbal and non-verbal, causing the aggrieved person to isolate; this workplace harassment is

known as mobbing, this type of aggression endangers physical and mental integrity

(Peña, 2018). Interpersonal relationships can break, negatively impacting the

work environment; the leading collaborator within an organization, who is not necessarily the

The manager or chief must ensure the physical and psychological integrity of the workers to prevent

all types of workplace violence; their leadership style emerges from their inner well-being and is seen

in the need to contribute to the team (Román, 2017). A collaborator who has been a

balance between their inner and outer world, based on well-being and happiness, will always have

the initiative to lead within a group of workers, preventing harassment situations

labor, including eradicating them in case they have been incorporated into a workplace

where workplace harassment already exists.

Family and work are two interdependent spheres that cannot be isolated.

evaluate the level of well-being of individuals, people consider what are the two

fundamental aspects that explain their overall satisfaction, variables such as self-esteem,

lifestyle, type of partner, among others are transversal to both domains, influencing

directly (Sánchez & Quiroga, 1995). In other recent research it has been recognized
 5

that subjective perceptions of quality of life, well-being, and happiness of the

workers find themselves in the coherence of the relationship between the family and work environment,

since they interact and influence each other reciprocally, if the person perceives well-being

personal at work will do the same at home (Jiménez & Moyano, 2008). In the workshops

carried out by companies to strengthen teams, introspection sessions are held

where workers must acknowledge their personal motivations and purposes in life,

Almost everyone agrees that their family is the reason for being, as long as they have a family life.

satisfactory, it will be reflected in the same proportion in the workplace.

In different cultural contexts, life satisfaction and the attributes of

happiness is associated with values; for individualistic cultures, where people have

greater control over their life and advocate social equality, the level of happiness is

determined by psychological factors that allow for a social network and self-esteem

positive, good mental and physical health (Barrientos, 2005). Individual values contribute to

subjective well-being or happiness because they are beliefs connected to emotions and determine

individual goals that guide people by ordering their behavior, according to the evaluation of

environment; they act as motivational types depending on the particular culture and beliefs,

Materializing individual values in personal life determines the degree of happiness.

(Bilbao, Techio & Páez, 2007). Individual values are exclusive to each person.

within a culture, putting such values into practice to some degree will correspond to

provide the level of happiness achieved, because they are the voice of our conscience and being in

tuning in with it allows us to achieve inner peace or happiness.

In conclusion, the happiness that an employee has at work is the reflection of the

happiness in their family environment and they are two interdependent spaces that correlate and

interact with each other, a worker who does not find motivation at work and is unhappy,

so there are difficulties at home. Personal satisfaction originates in the family, there
 6

bonds of love, trust, collaboration, respect, mutual help are built on

principles and positive values, achieving a level of sustainable self-actualization for

to confront all kinds of situations at work, such as positively influencing

to deal with workplace harassment. At work, the employee is influenced by the atmosphere

work, the leaders of the organization must provide a motivating and conducive environment for

that workers achieve job satisfaction, even so, in diverse circumstances, the

employee evokes their degree of family happiness in the work environment.

References

Alesso, M. (2008). What is happiness according to Philon. Circe, 12, 11-27

Barrientos, J. (2005). Quality of life. Subjective well-being. A psychosocial perspective.

Santiago, Chile: Diego Portales University

Bilbao, M. A., Techio, E. M., & Páez, D. (2007). Happiness, culture, and personal values:

state of the question and meta-analytic synthesis. Journal of Psychology, 25(2), 233-276

Estenós, A. (2013). Spirituality in the workplace and its relation to happiness

worker.Research Journal, 3, 2309-6691

Gamero, H. (2013). Job Satisfaction as a Dimension of Happiness. Science &

Work, 15(47), 94-102

Hernández R. & Serravalle, C. (2014). Happiness at Work. Retrieved from:

Unable to access the content from the provided URL.

nce=1

Jiménez, A., & Moyano, E. (2008). Labor factors of balance between work and family.

Universe, 23(1), 116-133

Otero, J. M. (n.d.). Spirituality in the workplace. Retrieved from:

Spirituality in the Workplace

the

Peña, M. F. (2018). Mobbing or group bullying: what is it and how to identify it? Perinatol

Reprod Hum. Doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.rprh.2018.06.007

Happiness Scale in Couples

Development and Validation. Act of Psychological Research, 3(3), 1280-1297

Quintero, N., Africano, N., & Faría, E. (2008). Organizational climate and job performance of

personal associated guards Costa Oriental del Lago. Negotium Magazine,

3(9), 33-51
 8

Román, O. H. (2017). Microviolence at work, a daily practice of exercise of

the power of management in organizations - an urgent reflection in times of

Reconciliation. Society and Economy, 33, 237-262

Climate and Culture

Organizational: the essential components of labor productivity. Acimed,

20(4), 67-75

Sánchez, P., & Quiroga, A. (1995). Relationships between family and job satisfaction: Variables

modulators. Annals of Psychology, 11(1), 63-75

The Content of Happiness

Warr, P. (2013). Sources of happiness and unhappiness at work: a combined perspective.

Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29, 99-106. Doi:

Unable to translate a URL. Please provide text for translation.