By Mary Ann Faremouth, CPC
As a seasoned recruiter in what I call the “New Work World,” I am constantly reminded of important needs I hear from both employers and employees on how they want to build a more healthy and productive work environment. However, in my myriad activities as a recruiter, writer, podcaster and even a mom and grandmom, I am always trying to research interesting information to impart on how I can make a valuable contribution to not only make the work I do more beneficial for the people I serve in the job market, but how we all can have a more fulfilling and meaningful life in our personal arenas during these changing times.
Recently, I learned about a relatively new course Harvard Medical School is offering as a noncredit class: “Building a Life of Wellness: The Science of Fostering Happiness and Health.” Similar classes have been offered from the university at large since the spring of 2020, and with enrollment in the classes expanding, I believe the college saw a need for additional courses. The overwhelming popularity of the class and others like it “reflects a demand for soft skills and students’ desire for a more balanced life,” according to Harvard Medical School, while their existence reflects “the intention of schools to develop better bosses” in touch with the needs of today’s workplace and the challenges we all as human beings may face in the New Work World and beyond.
According to Harvard Medical School, “A decline in social relationships and an increase in stress levels have been identified as notable causes for rising mental health issues, which are in turn impacting one’s overall happiness and health. This global mental health pandemic underscores the critical need for research based strategies and effective health and wellness solutions.” For over 35 years, I’ve seen how our internal compass, our mindset, our relationships, stress levels and more not only contribute to our success in the job market, but also have an overall effect on our quality of life — even more so these days.
My dad, who had not much formal education but probably was one of the smartest people I ever met, told me when I was sick or had a major challenge: “It’s all in your head, Mary Ann. You have to believe challenges make you stronger, and you have to look for how you can improve from what you are going through.”
And similar to my dad’s wise counsel, Harvard Medical School says: “Building resilience and coping mechanisms transforms challenges into opportunities for personal growth.”
The idea that relationships contribute to happiness is considered fundamental by Robert J. Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and current director of the Grant Study, one of the longest-running studies of adult life ever conducted. “Our relationships and how happy we are in [them] have a powerful influence on our health,” Waldinger said in a 2017 article in the Harvard Gazette. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too.”
The article goes on to discuss the Grant Study’s findings: “Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives … . Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.”
Additionally, to further substantiate these findings, an author I visited with recently, Chris Saye, who had learned of a National Geographic study about living a long and more meaningful life, wanted to investigate and visited the Blue Zones, places where people living to be 100 or older talked about a sense of community — relationships being one of the crucial three elements to a long and happy life.
We don’t have to be an explorer or a student of Harvard to benefit from these lessons on managing happiness. With the recent changes in the global economy and workforce, it’s important to consider how best to approach relationships in the New Work World to manifest better life balance and work experiences. See how the following might resonate with you:
1. Focus on the “We” More Than the “Me”
In an episode of my podcast, Career Can Do, I interviewed a prominent CEO and professor of engineering at Northwestern University, Dr. Donald McNeeley, who has worked with both students in the classroom as well as employees in his company. He stressed how having a sense of humility and contributing to others in the workplace can allow one to have more fulfillment in and out of work, and facilitates you being viewed as a valuable person on the team.
2. Purchase Experiences, Not Things
Before the pandemic, I took my family on a week-long cruise to the Caribbean as a Christmas gift, rather than buy things I would traditionally have driven myself crazy over purchasing. That cruise allowed my children and me to break away from the long hours and busy work schedules we normally adhered to so we could relax and have more time together. Such experiences can foster deeper relationships, something to consider in the workplace as much as your personal life.
3. Contribute to Others
In your workplace, grow your relationships with coworkers by helping them even when the actions might not offer you immediate rewards. Perhaps you could spend 30 minutes or an hour each week training a new employee in an area of their new position that you have mastered. Maybe you could offer someone cross-training in case they need to take over if another employee calls out for illness or family issues. I myself mentor students at various colleges, helping them streamline their choices of classes and internships that offer experiences and skills important for when they enter the workplace. This might take time I could use elsewhere in my recruiting practice, but when these students graduate, because of my recommendations, they might be more placeable and make a greater, more in-demand contribution to the New Work World.
4. Acknowledge Small Wins
An applicant told me recently that he had taken an online computer course that helped him increase the proficiency of inputting data in his department. It provided his managers with up-to-date information they could use to make better analyses that might affect the bottom line. He called it “no big deal,” but I insisted he acknowledge the accomplishment and not downplay his efforts. He might have considered it a small win, but learning it on his own time and applying it the way he had could improve his relationships with coworkers and might pay off in a different way when his performance review came around. Plus, mentioning such endeavors during interviews can help start a relationship with a potential new employer.
As Harvard Medical School’s class and other leaders suggest, we can all build resilience to navigate life transitions and reduce stress. Finding balance between our friends, family, faith or philosophy and meaningful work — the many relationships in our lives — can help us find happiness and may ultimately pay big dividends in our personal and professional lives.
Mary Ann Faremouth
Mary Ann holds a CPC (Certified Personnel Consultant) credential, was certified by the Board of Regents of the National Association of Personnel Consultants in Washington, D.C., and was awarded an Advanced Communicator Bronze, Advanced Leader Bronze Awards by Toastmasters. She cofounded Jobs: Houston magazine in 1997. Mary Ann maintains affiliations with professional organizations, including oil and gas, financial, construction, IT, and structural, mechanical, and civil engineering. (www.faremouth.com)
Mary Ann’s award-winning first book Revolutionary Recruiting has been listed by Book Authority as Number #1 Best 100 Recruiting Books; #1 Best Seller, Non-Fiction, Amazon (2019); Top 20 Recruiting books, Recruitics; Readers’ Choice finalist (2019), Houston Literary Awards; Best Non-Fiction (2018), Best Cover (2019), and Best Self-Help (2018), Authors Marketing Guild. Her books support individuals and corporations, tap into each candidate’s unrealized potential to find the right person for each job, maximizing both employee satisfaction and the employer’s bottom line. Mary Ann showcases her expertise of the recruiting world on a monthly podcast for The Price of Business and weekly articles for USA Business. Her new workbook, Revolutionary Reinvention, was recently released on Amazon. Mary Ann lives in Houston, Texas.
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