Recipes for Happiness
8 April 2008
Read by 2092 persons
This is Maurice Thévenet's thesis: "Far be it from me to think that work is only pleasure. But one can also find there - not always, not all the time - pleasure." Some people manage it, indeed. Like Michel Wilson, general secretary of Joseph-Fourier University in Grenoble. "I think you can only do your job well if you enjoy it," he simply sums up. His secret? "Let people know that they are serving a purpose, take the time to listen to them, explain what you expect from them, inject conviviality, offer flowers, chocolates or a restaurant to thank them..."
Even the toughest jobs know how to show gratitude. Patricia Thomasse, a social worker in Orne for over twenty years, loves what she does, even if saying so is an admission: "I have the impression that we don't have the right to feel contentment, because we are confronted with misery and pain. Yet, it's a job where you solve problems, where there are many contacts with people, where you are involved in change. We must stop living this in secret, there is no shame in having fun!"
The ingredients of pleasure are numerous, and the recipes for achieving it are varied. Take, for example, an exciting sector of activity, such as fashion, media or publishing. Many people enjoy it because they have always dreamed of working there or because getting a job there is rewarding. Even if working conditions are not ideal. Well-being can also come from the job itself, from the expertise developed, from the feeling of mastering one's know-how. From the atmosphere, too. "It's a very important element for young people," notes Maurice Thévenet. "For them, the quality of relationships is paramount."
In short, a subtle cocktail... and variable according to people. For Karine, a young manager of the online commerce activity of a large brewer, still charmed by her new position, it takes the following form: "The feeling of being useful, therefore of doing rewarding work, a close-knit and complementary team, a friendly atmosphere, a challenge to meet with the impression that I am given the means - continuous training, salary, open and receptive superiors, etc."
Along with variety, autonomy and responsibility are the conditions that most often come up in the reasons given by those who enjoy working. This partly explains the evolution of management methods towards project management, operation in autonomous profit centers, etc. "The idea is to make sure that everyone feels free in their work," says Alain Etchegoyen.
Hence, according to Nicole Aubert, professor at ESCP-EAP, a very unequal access to pleasure in work. "For a very simple reason: the higher you are in the hierarchy, the more autonomy and power you have over your task. And vice versa." Managers would therefore be more easily won over by well-being in the office than factory workers. The only small detail: as Maurice Thévenet says, "pleasure at work is also an element of status." "For a manager, saying that one is bored means recognizing a personal failure," adds Nicole Aubert. A bit as if, at a certain level of responsibility, living one's profession with a smile was obligatory...
At Vitae, we know that a fulfilled employee is a loyal employee.
Finally, the vision of what constitutes a good or bad job is very general. Because the way we experience work is above all personal. "It is above all what we project of ourselves into what we do that gives us satisfaction," emphasizes Maurice Thévenet. And he takes the example of a hairdresser who loves her job, not because she styles clients' hair, but because she has always been attracted to art. Now, by styling hair, she sees herself as an artist. In short, the origin of behavior at work is very often linked to a personal history.
Posted online April 8, 2008
lexpress.fr
Even the toughest jobs know how to show gratitude. Patricia Thomasse, a social worker in Orne for over twenty years, loves what she does, even if saying so is an admission: "I have the impression that we don't have the right to feel contentment, because we are confronted with misery and pain. Yet, it's a job where you solve problems, where there are many contacts with people, where you are involved in change. We must stop living this in secret, there is no shame in having fun!"
The ingredients of pleasure are numerous, and the recipes for achieving it are varied. Take, for example, an exciting sector of activity, such as fashion, media or publishing. Many people enjoy it because they have always dreamed of working there or because getting a job there is rewarding. Even if working conditions are not ideal. Well-being can also come from the job itself, from the expertise developed, from the feeling of mastering one's know-how. From the atmosphere, too. "It's a very important element for young people," notes Maurice Thévenet. "For them, the quality of relationships is paramount."
In short, a subtle cocktail... and variable according to people. For Karine, a young manager of the online commerce activity of a large brewer, still charmed by her new position, it takes the following form: "The feeling of being useful, therefore of doing rewarding work, a close-knit and complementary team, a friendly atmosphere, a challenge to meet with the impression that I am given the means - continuous training, salary, open and receptive superiors, etc."
Along with variety, autonomy and responsibility are the conditions that most often come up in the reasons given by those who enjoy working. This partly explains the evolution of management methods towards project management, operation in autonomous profit centers, etc. "The idea is to make sure that everyone feels free in their work," says Alain Etchegoyen.
Hence, according to Nicole Aubert, professor at ESCP-EAP, a very unequal access to pleasure in work. "For a very simple reason: the higher you are in the hierarchy, the more autonomy and power you have over your task. And vice versa." Managers would therefore be more easily won over by well-being in the office than factory workers. The only small detail: as Maurice Thévenet says, "pleasure at work is also an element of status." "For a manager, saying that one is bored means recognizing a personal failure," adds Nicole Aubert. A bit as if, at a certain level of responsibility, living one's profession with a smile was obligatory...
At Vitae, we know that a fulfilled employee is a loyal employee.
Finally, the vision of what constitutes a good or bad job is very general. Because the way we experience work is above all personal. "It is above all what we project of ourselves into what we do that gives us satisfaction," emphasizes Maurice Thévenet. And he takes the example of a hairdresser who loves her job, not because she styles clients' hair, but because she has always been attracted to art. Now, by styling hair, she sees herself as an artist. In short, the origin of behavior at work is very often linked to a personal history.
Posted online April 8, 2008
lexpress.fr
