Cultivating a Happy Culture

Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, states that he likes to place focus on work/life integration rather than work/life separation. The idea is that we really don't (nor can we truly) separate our work lives entirely from our personal lives - maybe a solution to an issue at work comes to you in the shower or you find you need to interrupt your workday to attend an event at your child's school - either way each part of your life is integrated into the other.

The key to making this work is to cultivate a culture of fun and creativity. This doesn't have to mean a business where it's all play and no work. Hsieh recognizes the value in making work a place you actually look forward to coming to each day - imagine that! Of course there must be boundaries, but boundaries can ensure the safety and protection of both the employees' rights and the company's mission while allowing for a little fun. Take a look below at the Time.com interview with Hsieh to catch a glimpse of what a happy culture looks like.

Keep 'Em Happy And The Rest Will Follow

Employee perks - two words that you don't often hear together when corporate coffers are tightly locked. While it is true that the first benefits to be placed on the chopping block when the economy heads for the deep end are tertiary benefits, making the effort to offer low-cost perks can reap considerable rewards for a company. Certainly, the retention of talented employees can offer a competitive advantage in any economic climate. Lower turnover relates to less spent on new-hire training. Employees in a company that offers perks are more apt to stay loyal to the company once the economy gets above water. The 9th Annual Study of Employee Benefit Trends puts it best:

This year’s findings reveal a workforce that has grown more dissatisfied and disloyal, to the point where one in three employees hopes to be working elsewhere in the next twelve months. Yet employers do not appear to be tuned in to this potential flight risk. Focused on the challenging business environment, employers remain confident of strong levels of employee job satisfaction and loyalty. A loyal and satisfied workforce is part of the foundation of business growth. Widening cracks in this foundation may force employers to pay a price in reduced retention and productivity when the job market improves.

Perks can be lofty, such as those offered by Clif Bar: generous merchandise discounts, on-site gym, concierge service, reimbursement for "going green" via up to $500 in reimbursement for purchasing a commuter bicycle, and an on-site restaurant. Perks can also run toward the frugal end such as those that are low to no-cost; a sampling includes:

• relaxing the dress code (e,g, allowing business casual everyday)
• free snacks
• allowing employees to bring a pet to work (designated "dog days")
• job sharing/flexible scheduling
• a wellness program
• education plan (lower cost professional development courses, integrated with a succession plan) 

For additional ideas take a look at articles from HR World: Building Company Loyalty With Unusual Benefits or 25 Ways to Reward Employees (Without Spending a Dime).

A Tech-Connected Employee is a Happy Employee

You begin the day by checking your iPad for emails and respond while sipping your morning brew. You then take a call from one of your staff while on your way into work (after pulling off the road, of course). Once you get to work you jump onto your computer, update yourself on what's going on in the organization, and spend the rest of the morning pulling and analyzing some reports. You then grab your laptop and head into an afternoon meeting. On the way home for the day you might make a call to a work associate before arriving home. While watching television you jump onto your iPad and decide to check email one last time. Sound like a few days in your life? Today's issue of The Wall Street Journal contained a point/counterpoint article regarding the use of personal electronic devices for completing work-related tasks. The article, entitled Should Employees Be Allowed to Use Their Own Devices for Work?, takes the opposing positions of inevitability versus legality. 

Often, employees' personal devices are newer, faster, and easier to use than the technology available at the office. As John Parkinson, managing director of ParkWood Advisors, states: "They're being asked to do more work outside the office; why should they be saddled with the office technology at home?" Erik Sherman, blogger for CBS Moneywatch, does not feel this is a compelling enough reason to allow usage of personal devices for work. Sherman asks "Has anyone undertaken a study that actually showed employees to be more productive because they choose the type of computer, smartphone or tablet they used?"

What about cost savings? When a company leaves it up to the employee to purchase their own devices (by reimbursing a set amount or a percentage based on usage) the company is freeing up capital it can then use in other areas. Or at least that's the general idea. When employees are allowed to use their personal devices for both work and recreation, the potential for unwanted viruses or glitches increases. This can tap the IT department even more and negate any cost savings. 

How about the privacy issue? Loosening up restrictions on personal devices also makes an organization more vulnerable to violations of privacy laws, leaks of proprietary information, and a host of related legal issues. So, what to do?

Go proactive (no, not the skin clearing regimen, the actual practice) and ensure your organization addresses these concerns in policy. Clearly outline what is acceptable usage and let employees know that the organization has the right to monitor "anyone who connects to your business network, regardless of whose device they are using" as Parkinson outlines. 

I leave you with one final quote, this one from John Zappe, blogger for the recruiting community ere.net who noted results from a CareerXroads survey: The "survey found only 20 percent of policies were written by HR, but 100 percent of them will sooner or later involve HR."

Shhh! Your My Favorite

A number of articles have been appearing recently surrounding the claim that many parents have a fondness for one of their children over another. Time magazine ran the topic as a cover piece in their October 3rd issue with the ego-inflating title of "Why Mom Liked You Best". A study cited in the Time article found that "65% of mothers and 70% of fathers exhibited a preference for one child". With all the interest surrounding the topic I began to think about how a study of that nature might translate a bit toward the relationship between manager's and the employees they manage. I would venture to take a little leap here and state that playing favorites with employees can wreak havoc on employee morale, productivity, and attrition - never mind the increase in employee relations cases it may generate. Replace the word in brackets with the one in red in this excerpt from the Time article:

"My [mom] manager didn't like my [older sister] co-worker and did like me," says Roseann Henry, an editor and the married mother of two girls. "Everyone assumed I had it great, except that my [sister] co-worker tortured me pretty much all the time — and really, what affects daily life more for [a kid] an employee, the approval of a [parent] manager or the day-to-day torment of [an older sister] another employee?"

In "Playing favorites with your employees" Eric P. Bloom, blogger for Gatehouse News Service, states that managers must put aside a very human and normal tendency to like some employees more than others and, instead, focus on treating all employees with fairness and respect. Bloom states: "As a final point, when senior executives are looking across their management team in search of future senior executives, they tend to look for people with strong leadership skills, company-compatible management styles, and respected internal reputations. Managers that blatantly pick favorites and ignore other staff members don't generally fit into this category." 

Bottom Up Leadership

It seems the cry of any human resource professional organization in recent years has been for human resource professionals' to stake their place at the strategic planning table. One of the best ways to ensure a place at that table is to show what human resources does to support the profitability of the organization. Employee development = facilitation of new ideas = increased profits. Yes, there is a connection between it all. 

Employee development is not about a staid development program. You know, the one that is executed in a perfunctory manner and no one remembers when it was developed? It is about an adaptable and open conduit for the flow (in both directions) of development. As you will hear in the interview below of Brad Anderson, former CEO of Best Buy, this can be referred to as "bottom up leadership". Anderson supports the "collapse of distance between the person who can see the customer need" and those at the top.