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Employee happiness and business success are linked

economist.com

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Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#61

Post by adrianmonk »

Matticus_Rex wrote: post #19
umvi wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a lot of engineers that work for Amazon that are happy. Warehouse workers on the other hand...

Warehouse work sucks. Amazon's warehouse work is above average for warehouse work.

This is an important question when deciding whether it's a good idea to boycott Amazon over warehouse conditions.

If true, and if you still buy the same stuff from other retailers (because you still need a coffee maker, for example), the effect is to force warehouse workers into worse jobs.

Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#62

Post by nine_k »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #45
nine_k wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why, this makes sense. In every industry, there are employees whose influence on the company success is outsized, and who are hard to hire or train. In software industry, they are experienced engineers and product managers. In a fashionable restaurant, they are experienced cooks. In an airforce, they are experienced pilots and repairmen. Etc. When these people are happy with their work, they achieve great results. Wh…

Another hypothesis that equally well explains the data: employees at successful companies tend to be happy because the rising tide lifts (almost) all boats. Companies that are doing poorly will tend to look to cut staff, wages, and benefits, which could be a source of unhappiness. Etc. I don't really think the evidence presented here gives much reason to believe that seeking the well-being of your employees will do a…

My point is that you have to keep your key people content, else they will leave. During a downturn, you especially want your key engineers, best sales reps, most well-connected customer liaisons to stay around. If they leave, this will hit the bottom line, and getting a replacement will be expensive, or often impossible. This is a known way into oblivion [1].

There are booming industries where the boom mostly floats top executive boats, though. Ask an Uber driver, or an Amazon warehouse worker.

[1]: https://steveblank.com/2009/12/21/the-elves-leave-middle-ear...

Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#64

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

klyrs wrote: post #51
ben_jones wrote: post #33

People are joking in this thread but I think the REALLY BIG problem is that a lot of American workers are increasingly internalizing their compensation needs above other needs like health, happiness, or social well being. When we should be concentrating on a lot of our personal issues, we kick the ball down the road saying "oh when I have more money" or "oh when my career progresses" when we would be much better serv…

It's not just workers. I've repeatedly asked for reduced hours, or more vacation, in lieu of a raise. Every time, my employer's response has been some form of "we can't do that for unspecified technical reasons" or "if you get that, everybody would want it." Honestly I don't get it. The big irony is that several people in the upper strata who are ostensibly making these decisions only work part-time and have at least…

I think their answers are pretty representative. Your requests wouldn't hurt the business per se but if they would bend over to accommodate everyone's small requests, the company would loose the illusion of control they have over their slav... err ...workforce and they can't have that.

Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#65

Post by rightbyte »

ergothus wrote: post #56
asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another hypothesis that equally well explains the data: employees at successful companies tend to be happy because the rising tide lifts (almost) all boats. Companies that are doing poorly will tend to look to cut staff, wages, and benefits, which could be a source of unhappiness. Etc. I don't really think the evidence presented here gives much reason to believe that seeking the well-being of your employees will do a…

> Another hypothesis that equally well explains the data As noted in other comments, this DID check for causation and found employee happiness led the benefits, not the other way around.

You can't check for causation unless you manipulate a subsample of the companies randomly.

Article: "However, the authors cite studies of changes within individual firms and organisations which seem to show that improvements in employee morale precede gains in productivity, rather than the other way round."

A theory could be that employers see the improvement in productivity before they are measureble by the methods employed and therefore are happier. E.g. bad processes are replaced which gives happier employees before the gains are evident.

Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#66

Post by RhodesianHunter »

rhizome wrote: post #39
ben_jones wrote: post #33

People are joking in this thread but I think the REALLY BIG problem is that a lot of American workers are increasingly internalizing their compensation needs above other needs like health, happiness, or social well being. When we should be concentrating on a lot of our personal issues, we kick the ball down the road saying "oh when I have more money" or "oh when my career progresses" when we would be much better serv…

It is a LONG standing dominant philosophy in US business that "morale" is pretty much the last thing to be concerned with. Someone not working well? Get rid of them and replace them with someone better. This has been going on for generations, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's taught all day long, every day, in every business school in the nation.

It's not.

Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#67

Post by RhodesianHunter »

klyrs wrote: post #51
ben_jones wrote: post #33

People are joking in this thread but I think the REALLY BIG problem is that a lot of American workers are increasingly internalizing their compensation needs above other needs like health, happiness, or social well being. When we should be concentrating on a lot of our personal issues, we kick the ball down the road saying "oh when I have more money" or "oh when my career progresses" when we would be much better serv…

It's not just workers. I've repeatedly asked for reduced hours, or more vacation, in lieu of a raise. Every time, my employer's response has been some form of "we can't do that for unspecified technical reasons" or "if you get that, everybody would want it." Honestly I don't get it. The big irony is that several people in the upper strata who are ostensibly making these decisions only work part-time and have at least…

Who has two C-Suite jobs? The people at that level are frequently the ones working the longest hours.

Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#68

Post by rightbyte »

JJMcJ wrote: post #52
ergothus wrote: post #29

I've seen these arguments repeatedly, yet I only see this mattering to those companies where employees have a relative level of power and choice (e.g. non-game industry programmers, etc). Elsewhere, the attitude appears to have remained: "use them as much as possible". Consider assistant managers at your local chain store. Pick a chain! Outside of a handful of companies that are well noted for their bucking of the tr…

Remember the analysis of Losers/Clueless/Sociopaths in corporate life. The Losers are low level people who know they have lost the battle to be a big shot. Clueless are the strivers, the first level or two of management, who think they have a chance to be a big shot. The Sociopaths actually do have a chance. Not all of them are evil but they all know 100 hour weeks won't do it for them. Lumbergh in Office Space is cl…

Sociopaths? The groups should be audience, losers, contenders and winners.

Re: Employee happiness and business success are linked

#70

Post by WheelsAtLarge »

I worked for a company where management tried hard to keep employees happy when it came to benefits and yet, for the most part, they/we were a miserable bunch. It seemed that it was never enough. I'm not saying that the benefits were extravagant but they were very good.

I agree that a happy employee helps a company be better but you can't buy their happiness thru benefits. The way to do it complicated and it starts by hiring the right type of employee and defining the right company culture.

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