Economists Andrew Oswald, Eugenio Proto, and Daniel Sgroi from the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick recently researched how happiness affects employees and their productivity. The findings, to be published in the Journal of Labor Economics, reveal that happiness made people about 12 percent more productive.
“Companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result. For Google, it rose by 37 percent; they know what they are talking about. Under scientifically controlled conditions, making workers happier really pays off,” says Oswald.
“The driving force seems to be that happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality,” adds Sgroi.
Don’t worry about trying to get a job at Google, though. There are plenty of simple ways you can invest in your own happiness on the job and boost your career at the same time.