Happiness in the workplace has a lot more to do with you than you may think, and less to do with the workplace itself. What makes you genuinely happy in your job surprisingly isn't about promotions or higher pay.  It's not the things that happen to us; instead, we all create our own personal experiences.  Srikumar Rao, the author of Happiness at Work states, "The knowledge that we are responsible for living the life we have is our most powerful tool."  

We have all experienced the frustration of ineffective communication. There are so many reasons why this happens, and I certainly could stand to challenge and improve my own communication skills. Limited vocabulary or the inability to convey what you are thinking plays into this. Think about a person in your life that you feel is a great communicator, what do they say or do that puts them in this category for you? Conversely, think of that person that is only interested in what they can get out of the conversation. Their self-serving intentions become manipulative and exhausting. Creating the form of communication called "win-win" you must take each other's goals into account and work towards mutual understanding. Everyone benefits in win-win communication.

Managing anything can certainly have its ups and downs and much depends upon the success of the manager.  Think about the best managers you have ever had (or have). What qualities made you think of them first?  Chances are it had a lot to do with how they made you feel.  Managers (including teachers, parents, spouses, even friends) have the ability to impact each and every interaction either positively or negatively. The result of that influence is powerful and can certainly affect relationships, productivity, and even health. 

Unfairness feels like injustice, and when customers face injustice they are motivated to seek justice.  When customers believe they have been treated unfairly, they are first surprised, then disappointed.  This feeling converts to anger and indignation, emotions that can be held onto for a long time.  Anger wrought from unfairness leads to a desire to punish and is probably the emotional justification for customers who go out of their way to punish an organization.  Trust and fairness are intimately related.  The basis for trust is perceived fairness.  Without trust, a shaky foundation exists for service exchanges.

-Janelle Barlow and Dianna Maul, Emotional Value

Make it easy.  As a part of any employee orientation there should be time spent on noticing and reacting to the opportunities on when and how to make purchasing easier for the consumer.  Executive retreats would benefit from spending a day (or more) on evaluating the ease for the consumer to do business with their company.  The world of consumer purchasing has changed, and some companies are more in tune to these changes than others.  Consumers today are web-educated, mobile app data explorers who react to the best deal that they can understand.  Marketing messaging has, in many cases, overwhelmed the consumer.  So what's the answer?  Keep it simple/easy.

What does it mean to show consideration?  According to Merriam-Webster, consideration is "thoughtfulness and sensitivity toward others."  It's concern, care, kindness, understanding, respect, sensitivity, and much more.  Consideration is synonymous with respect, so when we are showing consideration for our customers, we are also treating them with respect.  It's taking a genuine interest in your customers.  Do you regularly show your customers that you are considerate?  Do you do your best to take great care of them, their needs, and their unexpressed wishes?