A Work Happy Manager? My company would never hire one. They have enough on their plate as it is. Some of you may be thinking this, but this is the time to be ahead of the curve. Every company wants to be the first to implement the next great product or service, giving themselves competitive advantage. We should think of managing a company with the same mindset.
Forward thinking companies separate themselves from the crowd and get all the best talent. You know what happens when a company has the best talent… They succeed.
Companies have highs and lows from year to year. This occurs because of a fluctuation in talent, the economy, and the company’s personality. If you’ve been at a company for an extended period of time I'm sure you’ve noticed that some years are better than others. In those “down years,” employees leave because morale is low. No one enjoys working for an organization that feels sorry for itself. That’s why hiring someone to keep the company morale high is as important as making record sales. If employees aren’t happy the money train won’t last.
The Best Talent Knows If Your Company Rocks
Seth Godin believes that thirty years ago a company could put out an average product and as long as they were on TV (in everybody's face) they made sales. This happened because the average consumer didn’t know better. They were fed their buying information. Now the Internet allows people to research. This creates more buying power.
Potential employees have this same information. They can go online and see what other present and past employees are saying about a company (check out reviews of Google from Glassdoor.com) they are interested in. If your company has bad employee PR, you won’t be getting the best talent.
Your company can change this by having a person or team of people on your staff who is proactively creating an enjoyable work environment. Most of you think Human Resources should be doing this. Let me ask you this…are they doing it at your company?
Be Proactive
I was talking to a friend who worked for a Bank. He told me that the HR staff was very good at reactive management. They took care of new health plans, internal problems, and hiring, but they were never given the freedom to create programs that would boost the employee work experience.
It’s usually not in the HR department’s goals to improve the company, so they bring in the occasional speaker to boost motivation which lasts a couple of days then everything goes back to normal. What if your company were given a person whose sole job was to improve communication, morale, and team work? That company would have a leg up on the competition.
Why do you think your company would or wouldn’t hire a work happy manager?
Articles that Aren't that Related, but Still Are Fun and Informative:
- 25 Lessons on Working Happy From My German Father
- Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time
- Mini Sabbaticals Should Be Mandatory
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Hi Karl,
Yes, in an ideal world every company would have a work happy manager, unfortunately most companies are so worried about their bottom line, they forget those that did/do the work. Happy employees are much more productive, and those companies who learn this "secret" will be miles ahead of the competition.
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Smart companies realize that Happy hits your bottom line. There are numerous statistics that indicate happy employees take fewer sick days, have higher productivity and offer better service. However, this can't be implemented as yet another program but happy must be a workplace culture from top down, and unfortunately this is where many companies fail.
Hey Barbara, that's the "secret" seperating yourself from the competition. The smarter we all become the better companies will become. The customer is constanly demanding better service and the employee is always demanding better working conditions. The companies that get it early and apply it often will be at the top of the business chain.
Hey Karen, the company culture from top to bottom must believe in the happiness concept. That takes hard work through workshops and constant improvement. The leaders that can rally the troups around the cause will be building a culture that pleases the customer.
Happy Employees = Happy Customers.
I was watching a show on the news about a coffee company (I think it was in one of the states in the northeast) that does something like you suggest here. They have someone in charge of making sure that the employees are happy and satisfied. The result has been less sick leave taken by the employees, heightened employee loyalty, and greater revenues since employees are more productive. I completely agree with you that this is the way to go.
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I'm still not sure if a work happy manager could do any miracle if company's management or ownership itself doesn't realize the importance of work happy concept!
Even if a company doesn't hire a position like a Work happy Manager, supervisors and managers could do their share to keep employee morale up. If they are happy themselves and realize being happy in the office is more than a big paycheck, then the workplace would be a much better place to be.
Hey Qurat, I agree that a Work Happy Manager wouldn't work well for a company that didn't fully support the position. The whole team must buy into it or it's just a waste of time and energy.
Hey Claudia, I agree with you as well. Not every company has resources to hire a Work Happy Manager. If the company could create a small team dedicated to making work life more fun and enjoyable then the company would have a better chance at consistency.
I've seen companies try to dedicate themselves to creating a better work environment. They talked a big game, but never stepped up and took action. I believe their needs to be a system in place that helps measure success.