Is “happiness” an emerging social trend and business priority?
I’m seeing it more often these days, sometimes in surprising places. Why is that, and what does it mean?
In Bhutan, happiness is a national priority. The kingdom’s government measures gross national happiness because GNP, GDP and other economic metrics don’t capture and reflect national attitudes.
The current issue of the Harvard Business Review focuses on “The Value of Happiness – How Employee Well-Being Drives Profits.” It’s a must-read series.
I recently finished Today We Are Rich, a Tim Sanders book that promotes gratitude as a daily habit for increased happiness. I’m now reading The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky’s manual for a happier, more fulfilling life.
Why all the happy talk?
The Great Recession, for one. The last few years have been brutal – and we’re not out of the woods yet. Employees feel that they are working harder than ever, often for lower pay and benefits. Resources are scarce, and “do more with less” has become a management mantra.
But the recession only magnified several trends that were already underway. One of those was declining trust in business, government and other large institutions, courtesy of Enron, WorldCom and Arthur Andersen, with a more recent refresh from Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, Verizon, Netflix, Olympus and the US Congress.
So will CEOs and other leaders start making happiness a plank in the corporate strategy? Will corporate boards establish happiness committees?
I don’t think so – but perhaps some should give it a closer look. Many leaders already embrace “employee engagement.” But engagement is more abstract and indirect than happiness. Some of the most admired companies have a high percentage of employees – up to two-thirds – who say they are not engaged or slightly engaged. And even engaged employees can be unsatisfied at work.
Perhaps it’s time for companies to strive for happiness instead of mere engagement. How? Here are a few suggestions:
- Declare happiness a management priority and imperative
- Involve people at all levels in a process to define happiness in concrete terms
- Build happiness targets and measures into performance management systems
- Tweak hiring processes to favor candidates with a reputation for civility
- Make team happiness one of the requirements for promotion
- Recognize, reward and promote happiness creators.
- Design work environments to be more social, a contributing factor to happiness.
- Use ongoing research to track happiness – and actively discuss results.
One of the articles in the HBR series suggests four steps managers can take now to help employees thrive:
- Provide decision-making discretion
- Share information on the business
- Minimize incivility in the workplace
- Offer performance feedback
The same article makes a strong business case for the pursuit of happiness: people who thrive at work demonstrate 16% better overall performance and 125% less burnout. They are 32% more committed to their organizations and 46% more satisfied with their jobs.
