Many companies understand that, in order to thrive and achieve success, it is essential to fully engage employees so that they are satisfied and happy. In general, business leaders are aware that a lack of fulfilment at work creates numerous difficulties that can lead to negative consequences for results, both for their teams and for the company itself. With this in mind, it is clear that employees must be happy, and to achieve that, sound management practices that promote well-being at work are unquestionably required.
A preliminary clarification is needed when addressing the issue of performance. Indeed, for companies, taking into account performance criteria in their entirety, particularly the financial dimension, such as margins, earnings before interest, revenue, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, etc., is essential.
Added to these are other performance criteria that are closely linked, namely customer satisfaction itself, without overlooking human resources indicators such as the staff absenteeism rate or employee turnover. It is also necessary to define clearly what is meant by happiness at work. It must take into account employees’ professional satisfaction, but cannot be reduced to that alone.
Generally speaking, the full range of positive feelings employees experience toward their company forms part of this notion of happiness at work. Organisational behaviour and human resources management specialist Cynthia D. Fisher explains in an article published in the International Journal of Management Reviews in 2010 that there are three personal factors that define the space of happiness at work.
The first concerns engagement, meaning the pleasure the employee derives from the work assigned to them, as well as their emotional and cognitive investment. The second relates to job satisfaction and refers, on the one hand, to salary and, on the other, to the work environment, immediate line managers and colleagues. The third concerns affective commitment to the company, that is, the feelings an employee may have, such as a sense of belonging, attachment to the company, or shared values with it.
If we refer to the various surveys conducted on this subject, it appears that fulfilment at work is clearly determined by a number of criteria that have a direct influence on employee behaviour at work. These criteria include the tasks to be carried out, potential progression, possible continuing training, direct line managers as well as colleagues, senior management of course, working conditions and pay, the durability of employment and actual working hours, and the employee’s own place within the company.
According to the Dalai Lama, happiness stems from the satisfaction we derive from life. It means being able to live in line with one’s own values, feeling respected while maintaining stability in all areas of life in order to live in a better world. It also means being an active participant in one’s own happiness, but also in that of others, as a reason for being, and thus being more effective. Companies and their leaders are part of the evolution of the world of work through their contribution, something that is inevitably reflected in society as a whole. The finest barometer of success is unquestionably happiness!
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