Singapore - Why are employees such as nurses and teachers in "caring professions" a lot happier than highly-paid commercial lawyers?

Arun Abey, executive director of ipac financial planning, says there are three sources of happiness for people. While the first source of happiness is derived from consuming and buying material items, this is not a long-lasting source of happiness, he says. 

Another source of happiness is in partaking in engaging activities that require the use of skills. The third source of happiness is having a positive effect on others, which from a HR standpoint, is the real source of highly engaged workforce, Abey says. And this does not require for a person to be working at a senior level as well, Abey says.

This is why people in "caring professions" such as teachers and nurses who while not highly paid, have a greater sense of well-being than commercial lawyers whose work is of an adversarial nature.

Abey cites an incident where he was in a Sri Lakan hospital where the hospital orderly had taken upon himself to make helicopters out of used plastic IV drips for the children in the ward. When the orderly was asked why he was doing this, he said he was helping in the recovery of the patients.

"He had taken a lowly activity and had re-crafted it into a higher calling. From his viewpoint, he was part of the medical care team, he didn't have the professional qualifications, but he played a role in patient care and recovery," says Abey.

So how can employees derive a greater sense of well-being from their jobs? The trick is to  recognise how a job can become a greater calling. "In whatever your job, you should take a step back and say, 'How can I think of it as a calling?'"

Abey adds that great companies constantly reinforce to their employees on how the product or service has an impact on the lives of people. When Toyota was looking to compete against General Motors and Ford after the Second World War, the company first had to raise the quality standards of their cars.

So Toyota created a fictional customer called Mrs Jones who was introduced to everyone on the factory floor, says Abey. Employees were encouraged to think of Mrs Jones and how the reliability of their car would affect her life in chauffering her family around to school and work.  "[The scenario] gave their jobs a context and it made their jobs more meaningful," Abey says.