You might think the next pay rise will make you feel happier at work, but happiness has more to do with the attitude and competency of your boss, says Alexander Kjerulf, a leading expert on workplace contentment.
Mr Kjerulf, from Denmark, is the chief happiness officer at the training academy Woohoo Inc, and the author of the 2014 book Happy Hour is 9 to 5 – How to Love Your Job, Love Your Life and Kick Butt at Work.
“The No 1 thing that makes people unhappy at work is bosses who are incompetent, disrespectful or dictatorial tyrants,” says Mr Kjerulf. “Bad bosses cause stress, poor health and massive frustration at work.” He estimates that 10 to 20 per cent of bosses are “really bad”.
Mr Kjerulf says he is “hugely impressed” with the UAE’s vision to create happier workplaces. He spoke on the topic in October at the Global Women in Leadership Economic Forum and in May he met the UAE’s Happiness Minister, Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, in Copenhagen.
His advice to Ms Al Roumi was to ensure workplaces give employees “result and relationships”.
“This is the feeling that they’re achieving their goals, and doing something meaningful,” he says. “Help your employees do a good job, tell them they do a good job and show them that you value them as human beings.”
Mr Kjerulf claims a common mistake is measuring success using an annual job satisfaction survey. “It measures the wrong thing. Job satisfaction is what you think about your job and happiness is how you feel about your job – do you actually feel happy while you’re at work? You should measure that not once a year but once a week, and use a much simpler method. Just talk to employees to find out if there’s something that could be done better.”
Mr Kjerulf says one of his favourite companies is the online shoe and clothing store Zappos, which has a number of initiatives to keep staff motivated. His favourite is paying new employees to quit one month into the job. “They say ‘if you decide to quit right now, we’ll pay you US$3,000’. They want to make sure only the people who really want to work at Zappos are there.”
q&a your wish is our command
Zappos’ Culture Maestro Ryo Zsun talks about the perks it offers its employees to boost happiness levels:
What types of benefits do you offer?
We offer doggy day care and a concierge service of contracted vendors who bring their services to our campus, to make our personal lives easier while we work hard. For example, getting our oil changed or our car washed and detailed, doing our taxes, shoe shines, dental check-ups and a Weight Watchers programme to learn to eat healthier. We also have mothers’ rooms for comfort and privacy, a nap room with a nap pod and a goals coaching programme.
And you offer free healthy snacks?
Yes, they are provided in all our break areas, and we also have a subsidised cafe and bistro on campus. In the cafe, drinks are no more than US$2 and in the bistro, no more than $5.
What’s your favourite of your peer-to-peer recognition programmes?
The Wishes Programme. We’ve created an internal tool where anyone in the organisation can post a wish, and then anyone in the company can log in and peruse the listings. If they’re able to grant the wish, they can do so.
And how does your Hero of the Month initiative work?
Employees can nominate and then vote for their Zappos Hero. It’s that person who goes above and beyond”‘wowing” others in the company. They receive a Hero’s cape and mask, parking privileges, and $250 to spend on our website.
And you host regular parties and picnics?
We host many engaging events or activities to engage Zapponians. Family picnics are hosted once a year; Zapponians can bring their families and enjoy time together.
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