Happy Workers Are Productive Workers

Most employers want their employees to feel positive.  Research shows happy employees are more creative and productive.  Happier employees miss less work and profits are higher for the company.

So, how are employers making their employees happy?  There are happiness coaches that use psychological research and religious traditions to promote inner contentment.  The goal is to develop a resiliency in the face of stress and disappointment.  Workers cannot control external situations, but they can control their reactions.  Many techniques are used: meditation, journaling, doing kind deeds for others, learning to focus on the process not the outcome and realizing that it is impossible to really know the long term result of any situation.

A skeptic could argue that this is so typical of business.  Instead of trying to make the workplace better, they are simply shifting the burden to the employee.  To counter, at some point people have to take responsiblity for their own happiness.  Maybe a business could tailor the workplace to cater to each employee's satisfaction.  However, this is unrealistic because there will always be situations outside the control of the employer.  Similarily, think of your own life and how much control you have over external events.  The happiness coaching is a skill that can benefit a worker's workplace and personal life.

Perhaps when an employer is providing happiness coaching, the employer is more in tune with the business playing a role in true employee satisfaction.  This means realizing that money and health insurance are not an employee's only motivation.  Yes, people need money for basic needs, but people want to feel a sense of purpose and that their work has meaning.  The happiness training benefits both employer and employee in many ways.  It is progressive and appreciates the mind body connection that exists in our lives.

Stay healthy & well,
Lisa