Harvard Business Publishing

We still seem to be treating happiness as "icing on a cake". An employer cannot give us happiness. Happiness comes from a profound sense of "owning" our life, and that includes our job.

By definition, any employer who tries to deliver happiness as a bold-on, will deny happiness because they deny the essential ingredient of happiness, ownership,

To have a happy workplace, rather than a bullying workplace where you are required to do irrelevant emotional labor of smiling at the boss to make him or her feel like s/he has delivered happiness, we have to genuinely base the business of the hopes, dreams, and purpose of our employeees. Such a workplace includes what you have on your list, but in and of themselves, they will do little if people cannot pursue a deeply held sense of purpose.

Happiness is more than skin deep. It is going to require a revolution in management thinking, employment law, and even institutions that Brits hold dear, like the NHS. Are we up to it?

I had come across quite a few people who are happy in my organization and I think I can further bifurcate them into two categories:
A) People who are happy because they succeed in making their bosses happy each day. Eventually that becomes their "core competency" and they strive day in and day out just to impress their line managers because for them that means good feedback, good appraisal, pay hike, bonuses, incentives and perks! Work satisfaction doesn't matter to them. They are submissive, compliant and complacent. They take everything in their stride.

B) There are a second set of people who are happy because they truly enjoy the work they are doing. It doesn't matter which company they are working for or how much they are paying. They truly are passionate about what they are doing. They are not self-centric as category A people and work more efficiently in a team. They simply forge ahead and win and as a result remain happy.

Now I think the reason why Google has become "Michael Phelps" among the corporates is because it has recruited more number of category B people. Added to that, their work environment and task-oriented jobs (as opposed to time-oriented jobs) and friendly team leaders fueled and propelled their success rate.

I really love the fact that Happy's guiding principles center around freedom, attitude and managers being good people managers first. Creativity doesn't come out of the most employees because they have got no freedom and they are working with a sword hanging on the top of their head. They are too afraid to put a toe out of the line and think out of the box because their line managers haven't given that much freedom and privilege. Many people have got the top notch skills but not the right attitude towards work, which makes them whine more. And lastly it doesn't matter if the manager is an MBA out of an ivy league school, he has to be good with people, his most priced assets, and manage them better because they are the ones who will work on his decisions.

Thanks for pointing out the importance of corporate social responsibility in your article. Adaptable, humane and innovative approach concerning professionals will inevitably affect the larger society. Stay happy at work!

Gill, while I read with interest your 'Recommendations by Loomia', I begin to wonder if you truly are such a ' gentle and poetic soul', playing around with such vague and emptied of concrete contain
concepts as' being happy'. Did it never strike you that:"Life consists mainly of endless human psychosis, whose entire sum equals up to an ABSURD.", as K. Yaspers will tend to state? That from the moment of birth, when the stone age baby first confronts its 21'st century mother,this innocent human being is confronted with forces,mainly concerned with destroying it's potentials. Unfortunately this enterprise is on the whole successful. By the time the new human being is 15 or so, we are left with a being like ourselves, a half - crazed creature, more or less adjusted to a mad world. This is normality in our present age. Jo, in his comments tells you that 'happiness' can't be treated as"icing on a cake"; Happiness is more than skin deep. It "REQUIRES" a revolution in our management thinking, employment law and even institutions,like NHS, who use trivial proverbs as their label:'Tell me and I will forget; Show me and I will remember;Involve me and I will understand'!? At least to me it is obvious that without a radical change in our 'MINDSET' : developing the ability to 'Unlearn'
as well as flexible learning of new things is really needed, thinking out of the box,etc, we are going nowhere, just moving in vicious circles.To ignore the facts does not change the facts.
Being essentially such a fine, well bred and good intentioned person, definitely enjoying a high stand art of living and quality of work life, you are right in several points:"That love, not time, heals all wounds.";"You can always pray for someone when you don't have the strength to help him in some other way.";" That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.";" That everyone wants to live on the top of the mountain, but all the 'happiness and growth' occurs while you are climbing it."
I would like to finish my rather ' heavy deep thoughts' with the story about the conversation between
the TWINS(2), in the womb of their mother: One of them was an optimist and was happy to that his limbs were growing without having the idea for what purpose and where he was heading for -"The Outward World"!!? ;The other was pessimistic, because he was able to realize that he was feeding himself from the rope that tied him to his mom (without knowing it was his mother's) and
was beginning to worry what will eventually happen if the 'FOOD', that was diminishing ended?
He was afraid that he and his twin will starve! Both didn't know or had the slightest idea of what
was to ahead! So the lesson is that "Mother Nature" , seems to know - what we may never learn.
Take it easy! Even if we pass away, something inevitable, we may well end up in a better world, that may have nothing to do with the one we are part of. One thing is for sure that even in the
completely 'UNKNOWN', there are going to be 'Management GURUS ',that will readily explain to
us what we should be doing!

Great article. Great responses. I believe that people-friendly, competent managers, who are also great leaders contribute to the overall "happiness" of an organization.

I really agree with the importance of having an environment where people are allowed to make mistakes. For me that is when the best learning occurs. The role of the manager is critical for this to work as they have to provide ongoing coaching and support. In addition the leaders of the organisation need to set the example and learn from mistakes themselves - something that is rare in most organisations.

Chris
http://learn2develop.blogspot.com

Nikhil: Thanks so much for your insights into the two types of people who are happy in your company – fascinating, and I have seen this pattern myself over the years. Those who manage upwards, investing in their careers and promotions and those who just love their work. You are right, too, that Google, has spotted this and does all it can to attract people who enjoy their work.

Freedom is indeed a powerful motivator – it was Thucydides, the 5th century BC war historian who is credited with saying: “The secret to happiness is freedom”.

Finally, as you say, being a good manager, as Happy shows, is a combination of the right attitude to work, giving people freedom and supporting others – not just a top MBA.

Jo: Having hopes, dreams and purpose surely do lead to happiness – but can we expect to get them from work?

Michael: What are your suggestions for a revolution in management thinking? This sounds exciting!

Marisa and Tracey: Thanks for your comment – yes let’s stay happy at work!

Chris: you're right, leaders also need to show that they are learning/have learned from mistakes - but there are so few examples of leaders doing this today. An interesting idea for another post!

When doing research for my book, SHIFT to Professional Paradise, I found that work beliefs are a core foundational element for finding the "paradise mindset" aka "happiness" at work. We are all inundated with messages about work from our families, our schooling, friends, personal experiences, etc. These beliefs form the basis for our mindset about work, which drives our actions and ultimately our outcomes on any given day. (For more on my research, visit www.ProfessionalParadise.com and go to Free Paradise Tools for a Belief Brief white paper)

I've think that a lot of folks in the workplace are waiting for their boss, organization, coworkers or customers to change because they think when "they" get it right, then the individual will be happy. The fact of the matter is that we are the CPO (Chief Paradise Officer) of our own jobs. We have the ability to create the good life at work everyday through our beliefs, mindset, and actions.

I recommend using the SHIFT™ process for turning aggravations (POWs) at work into satisfactions (WOWs). Based on my consulting and research, I have defined 5 steps which facilitate this process. Please visit the website mentioned above for the specific steps. Hope this helps!

Great to see this article.

I first came across Happy when I went on one of their courses some years ago. As a customer I found the attitude and approach of their people quite astonishing. It was a truly rewarding experience. As I got to know more about them and their founder Henry Stewart I came to really appreciate the ethos behind the company - if you create a work environment in which people are genuinely free, you can achieve remarkable results.

Your piece has reminded me that as a manager I need to revise and update my understanding of Happy's principles, and those of similar companies.

How delightful to get further reinforcement of my passionate belief that "life is too short to be miserable at work"! The promised shorter working week has morphed, for many, into a 24/7 nightmare of connection from dawn to dark (and beyond!). To thrive, we all need to be operating in a work environment that makes us feel happy. It's wonderful to know that there is also a definite business advantage to creating a positive workplace - a profit boost!

Great article. I love that list from Happy - sounds like a great place to work. They are all brilliant ways of making work a pleasure. My 3 favourites are:

Recruit for attitude - attitude is the key to success.
Recruit/promote managers based on their skills with people
The importance of catching people doing things right.

Whilst I really like the one about celebrating mistakes, I think it's a hard one to get right. I am currently coaching someone who is perceived to have made a mistake. He is recognised to be a highly valued employee, so instead of punishing him, his organisation are investing in coaching to help him get better at what he is doing. What a great way to encourage and motivate people. If only more organisations worked like that...

I have only just come across your article Gill, not in the middle of Summer but in a freezing December, though it has not affected my happiness!

An interesting article. You asked Michael for his suggestions for management revolution. You need look no further than the writings of the late W .Edwards Deming. He consistantly advocated change, actually transformation, of the prevailing management approach through the adoption of what he called Management for Quality. One of his aims was not just happiness but JOY in work and learning. Something I hope you would agree with.

Many people have claimed that having tried Deming's approach they have now moved on. Actually few organisations have really internalised his ideas. Toyota being one which has shown consistent growth for sixty years and who, despite the current economic problems are in better shape than their competitors.

Gill, thank you for sharing your thoughts and for starting an interesting discussion. However, there is one very important element to this topic that has so far not been addressed: Why do people actually go to work? To make money.

Good management based on the principles you listed above is a fantastic way to maximize the output of a workforce - and frankly a nicer way to treat people. But in order to be truly happy at work I believe that people need to see a tangible reward for their efforts beyond base salary and benefits. As much as I enjoy what I do, the fact is that if I didn't need the money, I wouldn't be here. I believe that employees who see clearly that they will be rewarded either through a bonus program or profit sharing (or some other means) if the company exceeds expectations will themselves seek to exceed expectations and will ultimately be more satisfied with their jobs. I believe that this is as important a factor in retaining quality employees as creating a healthy, happy environment.