Inspiring Workplaces: Do You Need a Chief Happiness Officer?

Published: Wed, 10/21/20

Humor at Work

ISSUE 845- Oct. 21, 2020


		Do You Need a Chief Happiness Officer?

	According to a recent survey I stumbled upon (I almost sprained my ankle!), 81% of employees said they faked being happy at work from time to time. It's tragic that so many employees feel they need to fake being happy! As I write about in my book The Jerk-Free Workplace, studies reveal that genuinely happy employees are far more motivated, productive, and creative than unhappy employees. Which is perhaps why some companies, such as Drive Social Media Agency, have invested in a Chief Happiness Officer (CHO). The CHO at Drive Social Media is heavily involved in hiring employees and is trusted with an immense amount of freedom when it comes to solving issues that are making employees or clients unhappy. Within their first 6 months on the job, the CHO takes each new hire out for a one-on-one outing custom-suited to their interests, to help build trust and gain a better understanding of what inspires them at work. The CHO's job performance is based directly on employee and client retention. If you don't invest in a CHO in your workplace, at least take some lessons away from this example, such as truly investing in a happy workplace because it really does have an enormous impact on your bottom line. It's also a darn good idea to make sure your employees and your customers are happy and to fix any issues that's making them unhappy! If you can't invest in a full time CHO, try creating a rotating position where a different employee carries the happiness torch for your workplace for a 3-month stint. And as I write about in The Jerk-Free Workplace, never outsource your own happiness: You need to embrace the role of being your own Chief Happiness Officer!

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

Hold a theme week where everyone practices a rousing game of "appreciation tag" for the entire week. Using any method of communication one chooses, one employee must pass along a message of gratitude/appreciation to another colleague, who in turn must then pass it along to someone else until your entire team gets thanked by someone on the team. Include the previous message of thanks when tagging the next person so everyone knows who has already been tagged and what had been said about them.
		Quote of the Week

“Funny people say out loud what the rest of the world is thinking.” Andy Breckman
		It's a Wacky World

Humorous commemorative plaques have cropped up in a Calgary city park. One plaque marks the first-ever UFO landing in Calgary, while another commemorates the crossing of the Bow River by explorer David Thompson with his herd of 14 elephants. Although the City of Calgary is urging people not to replicate the jokes (there is a formal protocol in place for commemorative plaques) the city decided to allow the plaques to remain after being accused of lacking a sense of humor. (Hey, wouldn't that be fun if mysterious commemorative plaques started showing up in your workplace? Imagine the responsibilities!)

The Culture Leadership Academy is BACK! OK, truth be told, it never actually went away. It's still here packed with ideas on how to build a happier, more innovative, service-focused workplace culture that drives outrageous results for you, your team and your customers! Get the results you deserve, the results you need. With pandemic pricing still in place you can have access to all the great resources for a year for less than the price of a cup of a coffee a day per registrant. For team pricing and to see if it's right for your workplace, drop me a note, mike@mikekerr.com
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