Holland author says you, too, can be happy in the workplace

HOLLAND — At a time when employee turnover and job dissatisfaction numbers are at an all time high, PhD level sociologist Tracy Brower has made it her mission to help people find work-life fulfillment and happiness.

Born and raised in Holland, Brower attended Holland Public Schools and established her own family here.

She's vice president of workplace insights for Steelcase and senior contributor to Forbes and Fast Company, as well as a published author, with "Bring Work to Life" and her latest "The Secrets to Happiness at Work."

Her goal? To help readers find work/life balance and satisfaction in all areas of life.

“We have such a negative narrative about work,” Brower said. “We think of work as a grind, work is a terrible thing, and the less work, the better. I actually think we deserve more than that. Work really can be a source of joy.”

Brower released "The Secrets to Happiness" in 2021 but is re-releasing the title in May with nearly double the amount of content.

“Mindset is fundamental,” Brower said. “A myth of happiness is that you can (only) be happy when everything falls into place and you get through the hard situations. In reality, you are giving away power when you do that. You can empower yourself to really choose joy and create the conditions for happiness.”

It boils down to finding purpose, she said.

“We don’t have to be solving world peace, we don’t have to be solving world hunger, it’s just the things we do uniquely that people count on us for,” she said.

“Another big thing is connection with other people. Even if we are introverted, when we can feel connected to our coworkers and feel seen and we respect the people around us and build relationships, that’s a huge element of happiness at work.”

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Brower’s books are available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. The new edition of her second book will be out Thursday, May 2.

tracybrower.com.

— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.