What makes you happy at work?

There are 3 Billion working people in the world and only 40% are happy. That's almost 2 Billion unhappy employees!

What makes you happy at work? Is it all about the salary package? Or do perks like free lunches and ping-pong tables do the job? The answer is probably neither. Michael Bush's TED Talk shows that all occupations want the same thing, Trust and Respect.

We have all heard companies that bandy around words like Trust and Empowerment but when an employee wants a piece of software to do his job, there are many, many levels of approval for something that isn't that costly. The cost of approval is sometimes more expensive than the cost of the item. How does this convey trust? It doesn't.

Secondly, employees also want to be treated fairly compared to anyone else. This seems self-evident but when unfairness is obvious (and it usually is) it really rankles.

Thirdly, employees want to be listened to so they can make a positive impact. Discussing, debating, enhancing and implementing an employee's idea. That's listening.

It works to a company's advantage as well. Companies with happy employees make 3x the revenue than those that don't.

In South Africa, MyBroadband published research that showed that IT professionals valued "Growth potential and Professional Development" above all else.