Happy Employees equals Easier Marketing and Better Brands

Alexander Kjerulf over at Chief Happiness Officer writes a great article on the importance of happy people in the workplace. This is both a message for those of us to become happier in our workplace and for HR departments and corporate managers to take a closer look at. Happy employees mean happy, creative, efficient processes equaling happy brands. Happy brands mean happy customers and happy bottom line profits which create happy shareholders… ok you get the idea. Check out the Worksona case study post to see their model as well as previous posts on corporate cultures

There is a great image and an anecdotal case study so click on the link to get the whole post. Following is an excerpt of the “list of 10 reasons”…

Top 10 reasons why happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster

March 27, 2007 Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer

Here are the 10 most important reasons why happiness at work is the #1 productivity booster.

1: Happy people work better with others
Happy people are a lot more fun to be around and consequently have better relations at work. This translates into:

· Better teamwork with your colleagues

· Better employee relations if you’re a manager

· More satisfied customers if you’re in a service job

· Improved sales if you’re a sales person

2: Happy people are more creative
If your productivity depends on being able to come up with new ideas, you need to be happy at work. Check out the research of Teresa Amibile for proof. She says:

If people are in a good mood on a given day, they’re more likely to have creative ideas that day, as well as the next day, even if we take into account their mood that next day.

There seems to be a cognitive process that gets set up when people are feeling good that leads to more flexible, fluent, and original thinking, and there’s actually a carryover, an incubation effect, to the next day.

3: Happy people fix problems instead of complaining about them
When you don’t like your job, every molehill looks like a mountain. It becomes difficult to fix any problem without agonizing over it or complaining about it first. When you’re happy at work and you run into a snafu - you just fix it.

4: Happy people have more energy
Happy people have more energy and are therefore more efficient at everything they do.

5: Happy people are more optimistic
Happy people have a more positive, optimistic outlook, and as research shows (particularly Martin Seligman’s work in positive psychology), optimists are way more successful and productive. It’s the old saying “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right” all over again.

6: Happy people are way more motivated
Low motivation means low productivity, and the only sustainable, reliable way to be motivated at work is to be happy and like what you do. I wrote about this in a previous post called Why “motivation by pizza” doesn’t work.

7: Happy people get sick less often
Getting sick is a productivity killer and if you don’t like your job you’re more prone to contract a long list of diseases including ulcers, cancer and diabetes. You’re also more prone to workplace stress and burnout.

One study assessed the impact of job strain on the health of 21,290 female nurses in the US and found that the women most at risk of ill health were those who didn’t like their jobs. The impact on their health was a great as that associated with smoking and sedentary lifestyles (source).

8: Happy people learn faster
When you’re happy and relaxed, you’re much more open to learning new things at work and thereby increasing your productivity.

9: Happy people worry less about making mistakes - and consequently make fewer mistakes
When you’re happy at work the occasional mistake doesn’t bother you much. You pick yourself up, learn from it and move on. You also don’t mind admitting to others that you screwed up - you simply take responsibility, apologize and fix it. This relaxed attitude means that less mistakes are made, and that you’re more likely to learn from them.

10: Happy people make better decisions
Unhappy people operate in permanent crisis mode. Their focus narrows, they lose sight of the big picture, their survival instincts kick in and they’re more likely to make short-term, here-and-now choices. Conversely, happy people make better, more informed decisions and are better able to prioritize their work.

Read the rest of the post

Comments

[UpperRoomMKTSolutions]

Jennifer,So Many great Post, You really blessed everyone that has ears to hear, that's the kind of Compassion that builds the heart of a Champion.

We are all a better person by grace when
hearing this kind of encouragement. Thanks!

My cup runneth over ----- that's Abundance!

[Donna Cutting]

Jennifer,

What a great blog! I've bookmarked it and will be back often.

I also love CHO's list. Once I had the opportunity to chat with comedy writer, Gene Peret, who told me that Bob Hope was the best boss he ever had. When I asked why he said "When I was in his presence he made me feel important." To me, this is the crux of what creates happiness in the workplace. Alexander is right. Motivation by Pizza doesn't work. Do your people feel that you care about them? Do they feel challenged? Do they feel empowered and important? Do they feel their mission in the company is an important one? That's the key...and you are right one...it ties right back into the brand!