Unless you’re a creative
genius suffering for your art, Ghandi, or Dr. Gregory House, it would
seem that people expect you to be happy all the time.
What is this obsession
human beings have with happiness? I don’t get it. Happiness is not the end all/be
all, as far as I’m concerned. There are other things besides feeling good with
which to concern oneself, and sometimes feeling bad is downright necessary to
deal with what needs dealing with, rather than “putting on a happy face” and
“faking it till you make it.” Damn it, you fake it. I’m pondering a problem
here.
And guess what? It turns
out that at least one learned professional sees things my way (sort of).
In "4
Dark Sides to the Pursuit of Happiness," readers are introduced to the
work of Yale professor Dr.
June Gruber who says that the search for happiness can go wrong when we
chase too much happiness of the wrong type, in the wrong way, and at the wrong
time. Yup, that’s what her research indicates.
So here’s another
thought.
Forget about Employee Happiness
Let’s eighty-six our
preoccupation with employee happiness, hmmm?
"Randi reporting for duty, Sir! Man, I'm so happy to be here!" |
Now don’t get me wrong.
I’m all for functional workplaces. In fact, I’ve practically rendered myself
unemployable ranting about jacked-up workplaces here on my blog. And I’m all for
treating employees like actual human beings with thoughts, feelings,
motivations, and agendas that are (gasp!) separate from their employers,’ even while
advocating that said employees be held accountable for performing to standard.
Perhaps I’m too stuck on
semantics. I get the gist of the articles, after all. Miserable employees are
not a good thing. But I, for one, have no desire to be responsible for someone
else’s happiness. Happiness is
subjective. Who can even define it?
And here’s the bottom
line. A happy employee does not always equal a productive employee. Hell no.
I’ve worked with employees so darn happy they practically floated across the
room, but their work product was …. well, let’s just say it was wanting, okay?
Happiness Is a State of Mind
See, happiness is a
state of mind that an employer can’t really control. So I say, phooey on that
and instead let the HR pros and other leaders focus on creating the best darn
environment we can—one that is respectful, safe, and facilitates communication,
collaboration, learning, and innovation. Of course, people need fair
compensation, so let’s get our wage policies and programs in order, too. But as
for whether employees are happy? That’s for employees to decide.
Maybe I’m just wrong, but
I firmly believe that my happiness is my problem. You, employer, need to pay
me, not violate my rights, and treat me like an actual person. After that, the
rest is on me.
This really hits home with me Crystal, love you input and ideas about this. It is hard to figure out now a days what is proper in the workplace. You might just have a lot on your mind and then all of a sudden you are perceived to have a Bad Attitude when in reality it has nothing to do with it. We are humans and each day is different but perception plays such a big role in today's marketplace. Thank you for sharing this. Bruce Corkhill
ReplyDeleteI understand, Bruce. Being a more serious-minded person, there were times (back in the old days, when I worked in a regular office) that I definitely felt the disapproval of those who expected me to be outwardly "happy," or THEY couldn't feel good. How ridiculous is that? Walking around with a perpetual scowl and being so grumpy nobody wants to approach you is one thing--not being in a position to entertain you 24/7 is something else. Goodness gracious.
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