Happiness at Work: A University Case

Yıl 2024, , 1669 - 1694, 28.08.2024

Ayşegül Atalay

https://doi.org/10.51460/baebd.1498642

Öz

Although there is considerable diversity in the definitions of happiness, it is generally understood to be a state of positive emotion and life satisfaction. The concept of happiness at work is explored through the lenses of job satisfaction, well-being, psychological health, and emotional organisational commitment. Past research has tended to undervalue the significance of happiness at work. However, contemporary evidence suggests that happiness at all levels of life has profound implications for both individuals and organisations. Consequently, a plethora of measurement tools have been developed in recent times, with studies conducted to ascertain the levels of happiness at work. However, the limited studies conducted at the higher education level have necessitated an investigation into the happiness status of academicians at work. In line with this fundamental objective, the happiness status of academicians working at a university in Turkey was analysed by applying the case study technique from qualitative research methods. In order to ensure diversity of views in the research and to describe the data obtained in detail, a total of 12 participants were included in the research. These comprised three academics (professor, associate professor, assistant professor and research assistant) from each staff title. The findings of the research indicate that the sources of happiness for academics are primarily developed individually. It is understood that they strive to maintain their state of happiness through their own efforts, apart from their institutions. When the sources of happiness at work are examined, it is evident that issues such as positive beliefs about their work and relationships with other stakeholders, being in an inclusive organisational culture, striving for personal development, establishing a work-life balance and having suitable working conditions are of significant importance. In addition, it has been observed that academics tend to view issues such as publishing or producing publications and receiving positive feedback from students as important sources of happiness. Consequently, it is deemed crucial to prioritize effective leadership that is inclusive of all members of the university community, to foster a positive corporate culture, and to create an environment where employees feel supported, valued, and motivated by enhancing employee engagement.

Anahtar Kelimeler

happiness, universty, workplace, casestudy

İş’te Mutluluk: Bir Üniversite Örneği

Öz

Mutluluğun birçok farklı tanımı olsa da genellikle içinde pozitif duyguları barındıran ve yaşam doyumu ile ifade edilen bir kavram olarak göze çarpmaktadır. “ İş”te mutluluk ise iş tatmini, iyi oluş, psikolojik sağlık, duygusal örgütsel bağlılık gibi kavramlarla açıklanmaya çalışılmaktadır. Geçmişteki araştırmalar işte yaşanan mutluluğun önemini hafife alma eğilimde seyretmiştir ancak günümüzde hayatın her düzeyindeki mutluluğun hem bireyler hem de örgütler için önemli sonuçları olduğuna dair kanıtlar vardır. Bu sebeple son dönemde konuyla ilgili pek çok ölçme aracı geliştirildiği ve işte mutluluk düzeylerinin ortaya konulduğu çalışmalar yapılmıştır. Ancak yükseköğretim düzeyinde yapılan sınırlı çalışmalar akademisyenlerin iş yaşamındaki mutluluk durumlarının araştırılması gerekliliğini doğurmuştur. Bu temel amaç doğrultusunda Türkiye’de yer alan bir üniversitede görev yapan akademisyenlerin mutluluk durumları nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması tekniğine başvurularak incelenmiştir. Araştırmada görüş çeşitliğini sağlamak ve elde edilen verileri detaylı bir şekilde betimlemek için her kadro unvanından üç akademisyen (profesör, doçent, dr. öğretim üyesi ve araştırma görevlisi) olmak üzere toplamda 12 katılımcı araştırmaya dâhil edilmiştir. Araştırma bulgularına göre akademisyenlerin mutluluk kaynakları daha çok bireysel şekilde gelişmekte; kurumlarından ayrı olarak kendi çabalarıyla mutlu olma halini sürdürme yönünde gayret gösterdikleri anlaşılmaktadır. Genel olarak işyerinde mutlu olma kaynaklarına bakıldığında yaptıkları işe dair geliştirilen pozitif inançlar ve diğer paydaşlarla olan ilişkiler, kapsayıcı bir örgüt kültürünün içinde olma, kişisel gelişim çabası, iş-yaşam dengesi kurma ve uygun çalışma koşullarına sahip olma gibi konuların öne çıktığı görülmektedir. Bunun dışında akademisyenlerin yayın yapma veya üretme, öğrencilerden pozitif geribildirim alma gibi konuları önemli mutluluk kaynakları olarak görme eğilimde olduğu gözlenmektedir. Sonuç olarak üniversitede herkesi kapsayıcı etkili bir liderliğe odaklanması, olumlu bir kurum kültürünün teşvik edilmesi ve çalışan bağlılığını artırarak, çalışanların desteklendiklerini, değer gördüklerini ve motive olduklarını hissettikleri bir ortam yaratılması önemli görülmüştür.

Anahtar Kelimeler

mutluluk, üniversite, işyeri, örnek olay

Kaynakça

• Abdullah, M. I., Huang, D., Sarfraz, M., Ivascu, L., & Riaz, A. (2021). Effects of internal service quality on nurses’ job satisfaction, commitment and performance: Mediating role of employee well‐being. Nursing Open, 8(2), 607-619. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.665
• Acoba, E. F. (2024). Social support and mental health: the mediating role of perceived stress. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1330720. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1330720
• Altinoz, M., Cakiroglu, D., & Cop, S. (2012). The effect of job satisfaction of the talented employees on organizational commitment: A field research. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 58, 322-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.1007
• Applasamy, V., Gamboa, R. A., Al-Atabi, M., & Namasivayam, S. (2014). Measuring happiness in academic environment: A case study of the School of Engineering at Taylor's University (Malaysia). Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 123, 106-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1403
• Araújo, P. (2020). Organizational happiness new horizons: human's work future, employer-branding and cho's-chief happiness officers. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.15405/epiceepsy.20111.17
• Arora, R. G. (2020). Happiness among higher education academicians: a demographic analysis. Rajagiri Management Journal, 14(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/RAMJ-11-2019-0024
• Arora, R. G. (2020). Happiness among higher education academicians: a demographic analysis. Rajagiri Management Journal, 14(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/RAMJ-11-2019-0024
• Aslan, A. S., Shaukat, M. Z., Ahmed, I., Shah, I. M., & Mahfar, M. (2014). Job satisfactions of academics in Malaysian public universities. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 114, 154-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.676
• Badri, S. K. Z. (2019). Affective well-being in the higher education sector: connecting work-life balance with mental health, job satisfaction and turnover intention issues inside the academia setting. International Journal of Happiness and Development, 5(3), 225-241. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJHD.2019.103382
• Bellet, C. S., De Neve, J. E., & Ward, G. (2023). Does employee happiness have an impact on productivity?. Management science. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3470734 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3470734
• Boehm, J. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Does happiness promote career success?. Journal of Career Assessment, 16(1), 101-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/106907270730814
• Converso, D., Loera, B., Molinengo, G., Viotti, S., & Guidetti, G. (2018). Not all academics are alike: First validation of the academics' quality of life at work scale (AQoLW). Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 417893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02408
• Díaz Pincheira, F. J., & Carrasco Garcés, M. E. (2018). Effects of organizational climate and psychosocial risks on happiness at work. Contaduría y administración, 63(4), 0-0. https://doi.org/10.22201/fca.24488410e.2018.1142
• Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.34
• Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Scollon, C. N. (2009). Beyond the hedonic treadmill: Revising the adaptation theory of well-being. The science of well-being: The collected works of Ed Diener, Diener (ed.), 103-118. Social Indicators Research Series 37, DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6-5.
• Elbashir, K. H., & Adam, A. A. The Impact of Faculty Job Satisfaction on Applying Quality Systems in Najran University: An Applied Study on College of Administrative Sciences. Journal of Public Administration and Governance 6(4). 74-97. https://doi.org/10.5296/jpag.v6i4.10433
• Fairlie, P. (2017). Work engagement and employee well-being. In Research handbook on work and well-being (pp. 292-313). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781785363269.00022
• Fapohunda, T. M. (2014). An exploration of the effects of work life balance on productivity. Journal of Human Resources Management and Labor Studies, 2(2), 71-89.
• Fisher, C. D. (2010). Happiness at work. International journal of management reviews, 12(4), 384-412. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00270.x
• George, J. M., & Brief, A. P. (1992). Feeling good-doing good: A conceptual analysis of the mood at work-organizational spontaneity relationship. Psychological bulletin, 112(2), 310. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.2.310
• Guan, X., & Frenkel, S. (2020). Organizational support and employee thriving at work: exploring the underlying mechanisms. Personnel Review, 50(3), 935-953. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2019-0569
• Jaharuddin, N. S., & Zainol, L. N. (2019). The impact of work-life balance on job engagement and turnover intention. The South East Asian Journal of Management, 13(1), 7. DOI: 10.21002/seam.v13i1.10912
• Joo, B.-K. & Lee, I. (2017), "Workplace happiness: work engagement, career satisfaction, and subjective well-being", Evidence-based HRM, 5(2), 206-221. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-04-2015-0011
• Kar, S., & Misra, K. C. (2013). Nexus between work life balance practices and employee retention-The mediating effect of a supportive culture. Asian social science, 9(11), 63. DOI:10.5539/ass.v9n11P63
• Kosec, Z., Sekulic, S., Wilson-Gahan, S., Rostohar, K., Tusak, M., & Bon, M. (2022). Correlation between employee performance, well-being, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction in sedentary jobs in slovenian enterprises. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(16), 10427. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610427
• Kumar, S. P. (2022). Influence of University teachers' job satisfaction on subjective well-being and job performance. Journal of Engineering Education Transformations, 35. eISSN 2394-1707
• Küskü, F. (2003). Employee satisfaction in higher education: the case of academic and administrative staff in Turkey. Career Development International, 8(7), 347-356. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430310505304 McKee, A. (2017). How to be happy at work. Leader to Leader, 2017(86), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20321
• Merriam, S.B. (2013). Nitel Araştırma: Desen ve Uygulama Için Bir Rehber (S. Turan, çev.). Nobel Yayıncılık.
• Nawi, N. C., Ismail, M., Ibrahim, M. A. H., Raston, N. A., Zamzamin, Z. Z., & Jaini, A. (2016). Job satisfaction among academic and non-academic staff in public universities in Malaysia: A review. International Journal of Business and Management, 11(9), 148-153. DOI:10.5539/ijbm.v11n9p148
• Oades, L. G., Robinson, P., Green, S., & Spence, G. B. (2014). Towards a positive university. In Positive psychology in higher education (pp. 5-12). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2011.634828
• Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice. Sage publications.
• Polat, M. (2019). Eğitim Örgütlerinde Örgütsel Mutluluk Mümkün Mü? Al -Farabi 4. Uluslararası Sosyal Bilimler Kongresi: Erzurum
• Posluns, K., & Gall, T. L. (2020). Dear mental health practitioners, take care of yourselves: A literature review on self-care. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 42(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-019-09382-w
• Rathi, N., & Lee, K. (2017). Understanding the role of supervisor support in retaining employees and enhancing their satisfaction with life. Personnel Review, 46(8), 1605-1619. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2015-0287
• Raziq, A., & Maulabakhsh, R. (2015). Impact of working environment on job satisfaction. Procedia Economics and finance, 23, 717-725. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00524-9
• Salas-Vallina, A., Pozo-Hidalgo, M., & Gil-Monte, P. R. (2020). Are happy workers more productive? The mediating role of service-skill use. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 492352. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00456
• Shin, S. Y., & Lee, S. G. (2016). Effects of hospital workers’ friendship networks on job stress. PLoS One, 11(2), e0149428. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149428
• Sousa, J. M. D., & Porto, J. B. (2015). Happiness at work: Organizational values and person-organization fit impact. Paidéia (ribeirão preto), 25, 211-220. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-43272561201509
• Staw, B. M., Sutton, R. I., & Pelled, L. H. (1994). Employee positive emotion and favorable outcomes at the workplace. Organization Science, 5(1), 51-71. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.5.1.51
• Vallett, C. M. (2010). Exploring the relationship between organizational virtuousness and culture in continuing higher education. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 58(3), 130-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2010.491772
• Weziak-Bialowolska, D., Bialowolski, P., Sacco, P. L., VanderWeele, T. J., & McNeely, E. (2020). Well-being in life and well-being at work: Which comes first? Evidence from a longitudinal study. Frontiers in public health, 8, 103. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00103
• Wright, T. A., Cropanzano, R., & Bonett, D. G. (2007). The moderating role of employee positive well being on the relation between job satisfaction and job performance. Journal of occupational health psychology, 12(2), 93. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.2.93
• Wu, C. H., Chen, I. S., & Chen, J. C. (2017). A study into the impact of employee wellness and job satisfaction on job performance. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 10(2).
• Yu, L., Shek, D. T., & Zhu, X. (2018). The influence of personal well-being on learning achievement in university students over time: Mediating or moderating effects of internal and external university engagement. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 2287. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02287
• Zakaria, N. H., Alias, M., & Rani, N. (2020). Employee’s Productivity: The Most Dominant Factors. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Management Practices, 3 (9), 01-13. DOI: 10.35631/IJEMP.39001