Keeping them happy and well

How do you keep your employees happy and well?

Some old-school employers or hard-nosed ma-nagers would probably think, “And why do I have to make my employees happy? I paid them to work. I do not pay them to be happy.” While there is a semblance of truth, such statements reveal two possibilities:

1. The owners or managers have not been informed, trained or educated to the fact that happier people in the work place produce more positive results, spread the good news to others that increase the goodwill and brand equity of the company, and attrition rates are reduced, which is good for the entire organization.

2. The owners or the managers of the business may consciously or subconsciously say: “When I started work here, I was not happy. In fact, being happy is equated to being lazy and wasting company time.

Here is the challenge.

Work volume continues to increase. Technology has made business extremely competitive and businesses need to step up and do better every day for fear of disruption, or fear of being conquered by competitors.

This takes a toll on the employees.

Burnout is the new malady of the century. I know of people who would just quit without even knowing why. A lot of people ask me for advice or offer an opinion on whether they should quit their jobs or slug on. This is the power of social media. People can communicate with me and likewise. There have been times I would suggest that the person should not quit, and that he or she just need to rest and recharge. Burnout  is exacerbated when employees have to report to leaders who make life difficult for them. An important share of that suffering can be attributed to another double bind. Wage earners are told: “Be autonomous, take the initiative,” even while, through the use of software, the procedures preventing any real autonomy multiply. 

Freud said that neurotics are in search of protection against the externalities of the world. According to the sociologist Alain Ehrenberg, “The mental illness of our time is no longer neurosis, but depression which occurs when individuals are anxious about having to “live up” to the demands of the world.” 

It has been said that the “economic problem” with depression is that it makes people less productive. Many studies have shown that those who suffer from depression have difficulty solving complex problems and even planning their days. Conversely, people in good spirits are better friends, colleagues, neighbors, and citizens. Indeed, happiness encourages cooperation and creativity. Perhaps, this is the reason why more and more business organizations have launched programs. I have had the privilege to be invited to address the people in matters of principles for wellness living.

Listening to publisher Arianna Huffington, the publisher of The Huffington Post, two weeks ago in New York said, “Stress and burnout is epidemic and well-being is no longer a soft cheesy benefit that a benevolent HR department provides. It has to be an intentional initiative of business organizations to take care of the well-being of their people not only to increase their productivity or reduce attrition, but essentially because it is the right thing to do to take good care of them.”

Another item I would like to address is the fact that leaders should be trained in enhancing their leadership skills. All the free messages, the fun gamifications, the wellness activities would achieve nothing, if leaders unnecessarily stress their people and make life hell for them because of their lack of leadership skills. Perhaps, it is worth considering that after all the wellness activities and facilities available in many organizations, the two top reasons why good people leave companies are:

1. They cannot get along with their leaders.

2. The feeling that they are unappreciated.

Times are tough. Doing business today is a challenge. But even in a society at a standstill in terms of global growth, there are ways to motivate wage earners other than through fear. They can be offered careers with ever-increasing responsibility, autonomy, and freedom to act, and a conscious concern for their wellness.

I have never given talks on how to make people happy. It does not even make sense. Happiness is always a by-product, and as an entrepreneur myself, happy people in the work place are incompetent and low in productivity. Hence, happiness is not a practical business strategy. Being the owner of the business, they would certainly make me unhappy.

I need to be concerned with their wellness. To lead them properly and allow them to exercise their creativity and release their untapped potential. In the process, they have fun and experience the “happiness” that leads them to do work that is fulfilling, and the organization that attains meaningful profit.

Your people’s well-being is your responsibility as a leader. This would not only enable your people to solve complex problems, but allow them to carve their own path towards self-fulfillment. This is no longer an option. It is essential.

(Mark your calendars on Jan. 25, 2019 for the much-awaited event “Power Up for Peak Performance”! It will be happening at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura, BGC. This whole-day event featuring a power-packed cast of fantastic speakers will take place from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For further inquiries or advanced reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.powerup.ph))