In the October issue of Chief Learning Officer, Jay Cross wrote an article titled The Happy Bottom Line. I wasn’t going to read the article until the thesis, in large purple font, caught my eye, “Asking workers to leave their emotions at home is a denial of humanity.” This quote rang true for me, and I instantly recalled numerous bosses and colleagues telling me, “Work is work. The office is no place for emotions.”
That logic couldn’t be more wrong. What better way to engage employees than to connect on an emotional level, and use that connection to increase employee happiness and improve employee productivity. Studies have shown that employee happiness and productivity go hand in hand. Jay Cross references a study on the effect of happiness in the workplace that determined, “happy employees are 31% more productive, sell 37% more, and are three times more creative as their run-of-the-mill peers.” Those percentages clearly affect an organizations bottom line. Therefore, happiness is a bottom-line issue. HR professionals, managers, and supervisors would be wise to evaluate how they engage employees. Instead of stifling emotions, encourage and embrace them. To read the full article click here.
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