Are you happy with your work?

I was channel surfing one lazy weekend afternoon when I stumbled upon the Disney classic cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs during the scene the troop were singing “Whistle While You Work.”

It’s not my favorite animated film but the tune was just enchanting that I have to finish the scene before searching for another cable show to watch. It just gave good vibes and reminded me in a way that even in the most stressful times in the office, we should take time to whistle while we work, literally and figuratively.

Can fun and work co-exist? If you ask Confucius, he will probably throw at your face his classic line, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Well, if you’re not a fan of quotes from dead people, there is a weekly column in Inquirer Libre entitled “Happy@Work” featuring Boris Joaquin, who gives regular tips on how people in the workplace can find purpose and fulfillment in their jobs. If you always miss getting a copy at MRT stations, better grab the book “Practical Wisdom to be Happy at Work,” a compilation of the first 12 published articles from that column.

Are you happy with your work? We asked this question to working people from different industries and here are their responses:

Hana Abello, team leader for a creative process:  My work focuses more on the “people side of things”, including mentorship and training. I love my job because of the talented team I work with, and the creative freedom my company provides.

Josephine Bonsol, public school teacher: Despite the mediocre quality of work I have to struggle to cater to the needs of my learners, it’s that look of anticipation and smile that melts my heart every single day and the recognition plus gratitude paid forward by kids turned into professionals referring their own to me as a mentor. I did not realize that I love being a mom even to the abandoned and neglected in and out of school. I look forward to that smile everyday until now.

David D’Angelo, event organizer: I enjoy what I do especially if my events are related to KPop and cosplay because the fans are really appreciative. It makes you feel you accomplish a lot.

Dang Futalan, editorial assistant: What I love about work is it never felt like work because of my officemates–we have an amazing bond that helps us get through the day.

Gretchen Filart Dublin, freelance travel writer: My work allows me to merge two life-enchanting passions: traveling and writing. It affords me the ability to see moments unfold and live among strangers and stranger lands, and then share it with the rest of the world. How could one not fall in love with a job like that?

Florencio Jusay Jr., pollution control officer: Honestly, my job is actually something new to me but it’s a great opportunity with a lot of interesting things to discover. I am like Captain Planet in this kind of work.

Stephanie Lee, bank teller: My job is not that easy because you need to count a stack of bills while detecting counterfeit money. But do you know what makes me happy? It is the chance of building a strong relationship with the clients and treating them as my family just like how our company treats us. I feel like I’ll always be in good hands with my company.

Kathy Kenny Ngo, editor-in-chief: My job helped me be a better writer, leader, and person. I am able to use what I learned in college and apply it through my work.

Earth Rullan, blogger: I get to do what I love, work in my own terms and my own time and experience new things at the same time.

Ivan Stewart Baco Saldajeno, managing editor: I love my work because it’s my passion. And even though our brand is not yet as established like other news sites, as long as I am happy with what I am doing, everything is fine.

Catherine Sarmiento Santelices, restaurant supervisor: I love working with a challenging environment of a restaurant and a laid back but awesome meticulous team.

Willa Stock, shift manager: I am so happy with my work because of the people I work with. They make the job easy and doesn’t even feel like work at all. Coming to work everyday knowing that I got to spend time with them makes me excited to work every day.

Jinkee Umali, technical trainer: For more than a decade now, I got the opportunity to study for free, do training overseas and get certified. I have also met professionals from different countries who I mentored. It’s very fulfilling when they thank and tell me that they learned a lot from me and became more productive in their careers.

David Ricardo Valencia Ferro, System Admin: Surprisingly, I am not that happy with my IT job. There are a lot of issues that I will not go into details. Good thing I love my freelance work that involves doing media coverage that I feature in my blog and Youtube channel.

No matter how you feel about your job, the bottom line is having a job is something to be happy about. As the great Benjamin Franklin once said, “It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.”
Richard Mamuyac is the Communications Specialist of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), the premier organization of HR practitioners and people managers in the country. To contact PMAP, you may call 7261532, email [email protected], visit www.pmap.org.ph or like www.fb.com/PMAP1956.