* Work at The Telegraph * Work * Work The 5 reasons why you're unhappy at work and what you can do about it Happiness is within your reach Happiness is within your reach Credit: * Working from home * Happiness work every year due to anxiety and depression. More of us than ever now feel that our work life is actually affecting nearly a quarter of us reporting feeling deeply unhappy at work. More of us are saying work is making us feel unhappy and depressed More of us are saying work is making us feel unhappy and depressed book called ‘How to be Happy at Work.’ After years spent consulting in the public and private sectors, McKee was alarmed at how unhappiness “There have definitely been times when I have been unhappy at work,” company it was, so many workers said: I want to do well at work, I really want to enjoy my work,: but I’m miserable.” The ubiquitous alignment of misery with work is something that McKee unhappiness, beyond any particulars about our individual office cultures, is tied to three intrinsic work myths that we have blindly believed for years: work has to be gruelling, how we feel about work doesn’t matter, and we cannot ask for anything more from work. Ultimately, we believe we are not meant to be happy at work. Feeling over worked is making us feel anxious and unfulfilled Feeling over worked is making us feel anxious and unfulfilled Credit: Workers in the UK highlighted three key factors affecting their job your happiness at work can, and maybe should, lie with your workplace. the power that they have to either create good, happy work cultures, or people who get up and go to work every day, and to the companies as million freelance workers. A survey conducted to coincide with World Mental Health Day by The Hoxby Collective, a global network of freelancers, showed that over a third (33 per cent%) of workers working rigid hours. Of this, an overwhelming response (90 per cent%) However, as much as we may want it to be, our unhappiness at work is namely that we have more control over our work-based happiness than we argues that by understanding what you want from work you can better Freelance careers are soaring as people seek out ways to work hours Freelance careers are soaring as people seek out ways to work hours water it will jump right out. Work is like a pot of water that is the “‘happiness traps”’ that work creates: overwork, money, ambition, “Overwork is overvalued,” she pithily remarks., “People are lauded for getting into work at 8am and reading emails at midnight. Nobody can work like that, compromising sleep, health and family, without one day Prioritising money over health and happiness is, McKee notes, one of the primary reasons for this work burnout, misery and the huge damage constructed happiness trap that leads us to never view our own lives doing. All of this ultimately leads to happiness trap number five: women placed workplace happiness over salary, compared with 55 per cent Should we be worried about this? Is happiness a barricade to success? McKee vehemently disagrees. “Happiness and success go hand in hand,” she says, and then pointedly adds: “And happiness comes first.” The 5 'Happiness Traps' 1) OVERWORKED? SET BOUNDARIES Ask yourself why you are working so much. Is it really because you have to? Or is it a habit? Put in some boundaries –- when you want to work, how you want to work and then discipline yourself to stick to it. 2) CHASING A PAY RISE OVER HAPPINESS? CHECK YOUR INSECURITY We all work for money… but the decision to choose money over happiness outcome that follows our good work rather than a goal in itself. Make work work for you Make work work for you Credit: Igor Emmerich/Image Source guide us at work are outdated and destructive. One question to ask 5) FEELING HELPLESS AT WORK? FIND A FRIEND How to Be Happy At Work: The Power of Purpose, Hope and Friendship by * Working from home * Happiness 2. You must lay the groundwork for your sickie well in advance... The working mum's guide to getting through Christmas