Happiness is sometimes seen as a “soft” issue and not taken seriously. Here’s some reason to.
We’ve compiled key research findings on workplace happiness into this pdf document: THE BUSINESS CASE FOR HAPPINESS.
A Quick Look at The Business Benefits of Happiness
The cover of the January-February 2012 issue of Harvard Business Review was entitled “The Value of Happiness: How Employee Well-Being Drives Profits”. It carried nuggets such as the following:
- Researchers at Gallup found that retail stores that scored higher on employee life satisfaction generated $21 more in earnings per square foot of space than the other stores, adding $32 million in additional profits for the whole chain.
- In a study of service departments, Jennifer George and Kenneth Bettenhausen found that employees who score high in life satisfaction are significantly more likely to receive high ratings from customers.
By Jessica Pryce Jones, author of “Happiness at Work”
Compared with their least happy colleagues, the happiest employees:
- Spend 40% more time focused on task. (Increasing time on task alone can equate to an additional day of work per week per employee.)
- Spend 65% more time feeling energised.
- Have a 50% stronger sense of getting things done.
- Feel 56% more effective at their work.
- Feel 85% more efficient.
- Feel 116% more strongly they achieve their work goals.
- Take 6 fewer sick days per year, and stay twice as long in their jobs.
Thought Leaders
Businesses often forget about the culture, and ultimately, they suffer for it because you can’t deliver good service from unhappy employees. - Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos
“Service comes from the heart, and people who feel cared for will care more…Happiness in the workplace is key to providing superior service”. – Hal Rosenbluth, former CEO of Rosenbluth International, said:
Articles
Happy Employees are Critical for an Organisation’s Success, Study Shows
“Positive Intelligence” in Harvard Business Review
Why a Happy Brain Performs Better
Why You Need to be a Happier Manager