Commentary: Can a chief happiness officer improve workplace morale?
[ad_1]
Workplace engagement is a favoured indicator. On the spectrum of happiness, almost eight in 10 (77 per cent) employees sit somewhere between disaffected and actively resentful, according to Gallup’s latest global study. The cost in lost productivity is estimated at US$8.8 trillion.
So, if the problem facing CHOs is obvious enough, what are their approaches to solving it?
WORKPLACE HAPPINESS IS NOT BEER ON A FRIDAY
Helen Lawrence, co-founder of UK-based advisory firm Happy Consultancy Group, says it is important to set some conceptual parameters. “Happiness is such a subjective topic, with so many different definitions,” she says. “That’s perhaps to be expected for such a broad theme, but it also feeds a degree of cynicism.”
She is clear on what happiness is not: “Drinking beer on a Friday” or “playing ping pong”. These may be important – providing moments of joy at work – but their impact, like their duration, is short-lived.
Instead, Lawrence points to deeper factors that drive psychological contentment, such as purpose, recognition, fulfilment and belonging. Notably, few if any relate directly to money, despite pay rises often being companies’ go-to option for pleasing employees.
Similarly, Friday Pulse, a management tool that measures well-being, cites five core pillars: Connection, challenge, fairness, empowerment and inspiration.
[ad_2]