The Happy/Productive Worker Thesis: More Of A Myth Than A Reality (Human resource management) - Essay Example

The Happy/Productive worker thesis: More of a myth than a reality? Introduction: Man is the only social animal that has the power to think rationally, reason logically and decide finally. This unique ability causes every human being to form strong opinions and to have their own personal belief system. This causes different views to be formed, ideas to be challenged, opinions to be confronted and debates to be discussed. Whatever be the age, whatever be the place or whatever be the topic, anything in this world is debatable. Does the happiness experienced by an individual at work determine the level of his productivity? Does the comfort, luxury and benefits given to an employee effect the way he performs on the job. The subject has been up for debate for many decades, and this paper will attempt to show how the state of a person’s mind determines the quality of his productivity. Body: Harter, J. K, Schmidt, F. L, & Keyes, C. L. (2002) devote a chapter to the re-emergence of interest in the happy-productive worker hypothesis. This hypothesis positions organisations to capitalise on changing trends in a workforce that is increasingly seeking greater purpose and growth through their work, and, as well, has increasing choice in where to work. The Corporate trend today is Globalisation. The world we live in today has the highest labour force, the most advanced technology and the greatest demand for products, goods and services ever. The practice of outsourcing has resulted in employees spending more than 8 hours a day working different shifts to handle the different time zones around the world and providing the now ever available 24/7-customer service. Simply stated, today an employee spends more time at his work place than before. The Corporate world has recognised this fact and has taken efforts to go the distance and ensure that their employees are given the most luxuries, comfort and benefits that one can enjoy at work, to enable them to experience comfort, freedom from stress and most of all keep them happy at work. Theoretical Evaluation: Harter, J. K, Schmidt, F. L, & Keyes, C. L. (2002) go on to say in their chapter, that the well being of employees is in the best interest of communities and organisations. The workplace is a significant part of an individual’s life that affects his or her life and the well being of the community. The average adult spends much of his or her life working, as much as a quarter or perhaps a third of his waking life in work. As much as a fifth to a quarter of the variation in adult life satisfaction can be accounted for by satisfaction with work (Campbell, Converse, & Rogers, 1976). Measures of job satisfaction tend to correlate in the range of .50 to .60 with measures of life satisfaction (Judge & Watanabe, 1993;Spector, 1997). The nature of work, such as its routinisation, supervision and complexity, has been linked casually to an individual’s sense of control and depression (Kohn & Schooler, 1982). It is now recognised that depression is second only to ischemic heart disease in contributing to reductions in productive and healthy years of life (Murray & Lopez, 1996). The ability of the workplace to prevent mental illness and to promote well being is compatible with the mission of public’s health, as outlined by the surgeon general (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). T A Wright and R Cropanzano (2004) take a scientific look into the psychological well being and happiness of an employee and use an executive illustration in their article, which says, “ When work is considered as a Job, the employee focuses on the material benefits derived from working. Work is simply the necessary means to a financial end. The fulfilment of personal happiness and contentment are sought during one’s time off the job. On the other hand those with a career orientation work for the rewards that accompany their advancement, either organisational or professional in nature”. However, whether the individual has a career inclination or considers work as his job, the end result is that unless he is happy and derives satisfaction from his work, will he be willing to go the extra mile and give more of his ability. The work place is an environment in which the potential of an employee is developed, nurtured and eventually absorbed. If the environment is negative and disturbing, then the potential of the employee will definitely not be used to its fullest extent. The Right Attitude: The corporate world has numerous laws and principles, which are not officially recorded in its mission or vision statement nor mentioned within its corridors but nevertheless well known. It is common knowledge that within the corporate world your attitude will determine your altitude. What this means is if an employee is walking around the office and performs his work with a chip on his shoulder, or burdened by ever increasing stress, the vibes he generates to his superiors or his colleagues will be negative and will not help him with his annual appraisal. Now on the other hand an employee who walks around flashing a smile, is open to correction and has a wont quit attitude is immediately noticed and will stand head and shoulders above the rest for promotion. However maintaining the right attitude is put down to the psychological well being and happiness of the individual. An employee having personal problems, work related stress and frequent misunderstanding with colleagues will find it extremely difficult to maintain a right, positive and upbeat attitude through out the day. This for certain does affect the quality of his productivity along with the volume he does because his mindset and attitude will struggle to concentrate on work related issues, as subconsciously there are other issues beside the job at hand, which the mind needs to sort out. Any individual that’s not happy with his life or work will sport a not so positive attitude, which will be characterised by the words he speaks, which often produces friction between colleagues and friends at work. This is inevitable and once this happens, the environment faced by the employee at work and outside becomes a little less friendly and often breeds animosity that increases the negative state of mind. Business As Usual: Organisations today, are very aware of these facts and often take surveys and have special portions in their appraisal forms, to find out the problems faced by their employees, areas where the company can improve and more ways of how they can be of assistance to their employees. Most Corporates today make it a must to have on their premises, basketball and tennis courts, a gymnasium, and a number of beds and showers so that their employees can get the feel of another home away from home. There is no doubt that the Corporates are fully aware of how essential it is to ensure that their employees are kept happy, so that they are able to use their full potential and give their best productivity to the overall operations and also for them to retain their employees and cause them to remain with the organisation, since every organisation seeks ways to reduce it’s level of attrition. One has to just visit the corporate offices around the world, whether it is Beijing, Mumbai, or London, to really experience the effort and detail into which a corporate firm would go to make their offices posh and comfortable and to provide the highest level of comfort to their employees. A man will embrace what he is comfortable with and return to the place where he has found happiness and comfort, for man is a creature of habit. The happiness of an employee at work does play a major role in the performance generated by the employee. Analysis: Studies now clearly suggest that the well being of employees may be in the best interest of the employer. In particular, researchers have studied the level of individual-level job satisfaction to individual-level performance (Iaffaldano & Muchinsky, 1985; Judge, Thoresen, Bono & Pattton, 2001). Meta-analysis reveal positive relationships between job satisfaction and individual performance, particularly facets such as satisfaction with one’s supervisor and satisfaction with one’s work. Still, questions of the direction and the causality of these relationships have not been resolved completely. Spector’s (1997) review suggested that more satisfied employees are more cooperative, more helpful to their colleagues, more punctual and time efficient, show up for more days of work, and stay with the company longer than dissatisfied employees. Investigation of the happy-productive worker clearly links emotional well being with work performance. Employees who report experiencing a greater balance of positive emotional symptoms over negative emotional symptoms received higher performance ratings from supervisors than employees who report feeling more negative than positive symptoms of emotion (Wright & Bonnet, 1997; Wright & Cropanzano, 2000; Wright & Staw 1999). Facts not Fiction: Any individual, who is not happy with his life, who is still searching for direction and purpose, who is facing trying circumstances and challenges in his personal life will find it hard to live up to his full potential and not bring his problems to his work place. When this is done focus is broken in the workplace and often results in an employee generating errors and carrying a negative vibe of emotions which is observed by the management and taken into consideration towards the end of the year when it comes down to the annual appraisals and promotions. Someone who lives on a diet of fast-food, french-fries and soda pop should not be surprised to find a rapid increase in weight and that they become prone to heart disease and take on the risk of becoming obese if they persist with a diet that is not healthy. In the same way when an employee approaches his work with an unhappy psychological mindset and a negative outlook it is inevitable for him not to live up to his ability and soon have his performance rating drop. Summary: In sum, work is a pervasive and influential part of the individual and the community’s well being. It affects the quality of an individual’s life and his or her mental health, and thereby can affect the productivity of entire communities. This ability to promote well being rather than engender strains and mental illness is of considerable benefit not only to employees in the community but also to the employer’s bottom line. The emotional well being of employees and their satisfaction with their work and workplace affect citizenship at work, turnover rates, and performance ratings. In considering workplace attitudes that relate most highly to business outcomes, among the four positive emotions highlighted by Fredrickson (1998) – joy (happiness, amusement, elation), interest (curiosity, intrigue, excitement, or wonder), contentment (tranquillity or serenity) and love (emotions felt towards specific individuals) – it seems joy, interest, and love or (caring) come closest to describing employee’s emotions in high-performing business units. The positive emotions that result when basic needs are met in the workplace serve to broaden the employees’ attention, cognition, and action in areas related to the welfare of the business. Conclusion: To conclude this thesis on the happy/productive worker, if we were to look at an employee who is not happy with the management in his company or the tangible benefits they provide, or the role he is playing in the organisation, then his attitude will not be filled with enthusiasm and confidence. He makes an effort to get out of bed each morning and arrive at his work spot and counts the hours for him to leave. In contrast if we look at an employee who has a good relationship with the management and is content with the tangible benefits the company is providing him his attitude will be one where he is looking for every possible opportunity to excel and to prove his worth, so that he stands first for the promotion at hand. I will end by saying that the happy/productive worker thesis is definitely not a myth but a fact. Any employee who is happy with his job, his work environment and the package of benefits he receives will rarely think about quitting and leaving his job. His main goal is to excel and prove his worth to the company so that he stands head and shoulders above the rest for promotion. A happy employee is one who speaks proudly of his company and thinks highly of himself, gives his best to the company knowing his efforts will be rewarded, he is ready to go the extra mile because he is passionate about what he does at work, and when he goes back home at the end of the day he knows he has given his best and can now go back home to relax and enjoy the tangible as well as the intangible fruits of his labour. A productive worker is indeed a happy worker and a happy worker will always be a productive worker, for they walk hand in hand! Works Cited: Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., & Rodgers, W. L. (1976). The quality of American life: Perceptions, evaluations, and satisfactions. New York: Russell Sage. Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 3,300-319. Iaffaldano, M. T., & Muchinsky, P. M. (1985). 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