Copyright Forbes
If you’re not happy at work, it might be costing you more than you think. Only half of U.S. workers are fully satisfied with their jobs, and employee engagement rates are even lower. Worse: research out today from Johns Hopkins shows employee well-being is at a record low. No wonder so many people feel like they’re barely surviving each week. In her new book Happiness Works, Jessica Weiss, author and keynote speaker, draws on years of advising Fortune 500 companies and tech startups on building thriving workplace cultures. Her takeaway? Happiness at work isn’t “nice to have.” It’s strategic—and crucial for employees to achieve success without burning out. This book offers practical strategies for creating sustainable happiness at work. Weiss doesn’t sugarcoat it: happiness takes effort, and advice like “just think positive” doesn’t work. Instead, her book is the antidote to toxic positivity. She shares actionable, research-backed ways to build a healthier, more fulfilling relationship with work through real stories and clear frameworks you can actually use. These efforts matter: workers are 13% more productive when happy. If you want to work smarter, use Weiss’s tips to make happiness part of your strategy. MORE FOR YOU Why This Book Stands Out Happiness Works blends research and real stories into actionable methods that make your well-being at work easier to prioritize. Here’s what makes this book special. Emphasis on realism. Weiss acknowledges the challenges of happiness and doesn’t gloss over the difficulties workers face. This matters. Most Americans spend about 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime—nearly a third of their lives. Weiss says, when you’re unhappy at work, it has outcomes far beyond the office. It shows up in your relationships, your health and your overall well-being. In fact, job stress doesn’t just cause headaches and restless nights. Over time, it can trigger cardiovascular disease and psychological strain, among other health outcomes. Through examples and studies, Weiss shows why the work of being happy is work worth doing. Storytelling that sticks. Weiss draws on years of experience working with hundreds of professionals who’ve wrestled with happiness at work. Their stories bring her strategies to life, showing how small mindset shifts or simple practices can transform teams, performance and purpose. These real-world examples show the impact of putting happiness first. Actionable strategies. Happiness Works isn’t just a book of theory—it’s a guide to strategies readers can implement immediately. Weiss reminds us that accepting anything less than happiness comes at a steep cost: “When we resign ourselves to workplace unhappiness, we’re making a devastating trade: sacrificing our present well-being for a future that may never arrive in the form we imagine.” Her approach is realistic. Happiness isn’t a switch you can flip, but a skill you can build. Through habit shifts and mindset resets, Weiss shows how to create lasting satisfaction—something that all workers can strive for. My Favorite Tips from the Book Weiss’s book is packed with easy-to-implement and valuable tips, but here are a few that stood out to me. Run a regular “Glitch Report” with your team. Borrowed from the Four Seasons hotel, this simple ritual turns everyday frustrations into learning moments. A “glitch” is any situation that didn’t go as planned—a missed deadline, a miscommunication or even a small annoyance. The goal isn’t to assign blame or complain, but to find solutions and improve together. Here’s how it works: each team member shares what went wrong during the previous day, week or month—depending on cadence—and the steps that have been taken to fix it. The result? Everyone’s aligned, informed and empowered to help address the glitch further. Weiss says this practice builds: Transparency A focus on learning and improvement Inclusive participation Collaboration, particularly when problems surface Timely and constructive feedback In short, the Glitch Report creates a culture of psychological safety, where team members can speak up, take risks and own mistakes without fear. This counts: when people feel psychologically safe, they’re far more resilient to burnout, even when their work environment isn’t perfect. Try this practice with your team to see how problems turn into solutions. Focus on progress, not perfection. Think about the last time you checked something off your to-do list. That feeling of satisfaction? It’s the power of progress. Whether you finished a task or got one step closer to a big goal, that forward motion is worth celebrating. Seventy-six percent of people’s best days depend on the feeling of making progress. As Weiss says, “Like a surfer catching a wave, each small win creates momentum.” One success leads to the next, and before long, you’ll see the impact of your efforts. The key? Keep moving forward, Weiss says, “even if it’s just baby steps.” To shift to a progress-oriented mindset: Make it visible. Set clear, trackable goals. Instead of “improve team communication,” aim to complete three meaningful one-on-ones. Follow what energizes you. Identify the tasks that excite you and do more of them. Celebrate the small stuff. Recognize wins along the way—and don’t just cheer at the finish line. Finishing a tough part of a project or surviving a back-to-back meeting day counts, so take a second to acknowledge those wins. This mindset shift rewires how you see your work. You’re not just answering emails and sitting in meetings—you’re steadily making progress towards your goals. Reconnect with your sense of purpose. Not sure what you’re striving for? Start by asking yourself: Who needs me? What am I doing for others that they couldn’t do without me? This reflection is important. People who see how their work benefits others report higher job satisfaction and performance. Weiss tells the story of a software developer who realized that the code she wrote “wasn’t just lines on a screen, it was helping small business owners sleep at night, knowing their financial data was secure and organized.” This shift changed how she saw her job—and herself. Now that you know the worth of your work, amplify it: Become an impact detective. Ask who relies on what you create—and what falls apart if you don’t show up. Your impact runs deeper than you think. Turn your wins into stories. Share praise you receive and success stories when they happen. As Weiss says, “Impact stories create a positive feedback loop that energizes entire teams.” Set objectives, not tasks. Replace “complete quarterly report,” with “equip leadership team to make confident decisions about our next market expansion.” You’ll start thinking beyond output to real-world outcomes. When you connect what you do to why it matters, work stops feeling like a never-ending series of tasks and starts feeling like impact. Embrace optimism. Optimism isn’t about ignoring challenges. It’s about facing them head-on and knowing that you’ll overcome them. It keeps you grounded in hard moments and focused on what’s possible. And it’s more than a mindset: it’s a predictor of positive health outcomes, demonstrating that optimism is essential for being happy at work. Weiss’s suggestions for maintaining optimism include: Spark enthusiasm. Find what energizes you at work and make time for more of it. Show gratitude. Acknowledge others, especially when they least expect it. Expressing gratitude is often an opportunity for authentic connection. Reframe obstacles into opportunities. Ask yourself, “How might this challenge actually be opening a door I couldn’t see before?” Focus your energy. Direct effort where you have control. Visualize your way through obstacles. Mentally rehearse success and areas of concern so when challenges come up, you’re ready. Build optimism into your team’s DNA. Celebrate problem-solving rather than perfect execution. This isn’t naive positivity. It’s strategic, resilient optimism that’ll power you through uncertainty. Happiness Works is actionable, intentional and refreshingly real. Weiss blends research and relatable stories to deliver real strategies you can use to feel better at work.
