Game plans to be happy at work by Annie Bahwani

There is no perfect company or organization and definitely, there is no perfect employee. I came from different industries and I can attest to this popular phrase. Well, the organization or company is composed of people and those people are the employees who are just trying to work and expecting to be compensated because of the work but being passionate about your work is a different thing in which is the result of the satisfaction or happiness of this individual towards work.

From Forbes.com “There is no such thing as a perfect company or a perfect leader. Different situations require different forms of leadership, and we need to remember that we’re all imperfect people trying to figure out what’s best for ourselves and others. Brave leaders inspire greatness in others. “Conquer yourself; not to the point of perfection, but to the point of compassion.”

So, the question will be is "Why employees left the Company?"

There might be a lot of factors. One conference that I encountered is focus on the team member’s happiness.

The 4^th Happy at Work Conference:  Team PLAY Gameplans for Holistic Engagement Strategies was attended by mostly Human Resources practitioners and those who have employee’s engagements with different experts who shared their experience on how to achieve a positive employee’s mindset towards work which can result to more productivity and lower turnover rate.

Below is with the help of Anna Liza Valdez who collected what she learned from the event.

According to Stephen Misa of CISCO, Management Transparency is the top factor when determining employee happiness

·         There is a strong relationship and correlation between and employee’s self-reported happiness level and the transparency of management (Source: Tiny Pulse)

·         11.3% higher profit from most transparent companies (Warren Bennis)

2-Step Process to Start the Journey to Management Transparency

A.                 Diagnose the Organization (based on the book “Winning through Innovation”) using Congruence Model: Assessment of the Organization based on 4 Areas

1.    Critical Tasks

2.    People

3.    Culture

4.    Formal Organization

I Priority focus must be on People and Culture in order to arrive at a desired Congruence Model.  Behavioral issue is what makes it harder.

B.                  Craft a VSEM & Execute

VSEM (Vision, Strategy, Execution, Measurement Plan)

·         Make it Strong

·         Craft it Well

·         Execute:  Worst thing that can happen is when the organization doesn’t execute the VSEM.

« Vision and Strategy must be crafted by the Leader

« Execution plan must be built by People to get their buy-in

« Measure Results Rigorously

I  Many companies can assess and diagnose an organization and craft a good VSEM.  There are varying results.  Some succeed, some fails.  Where lies the difference?

Differentiator 1:  Pick a Fight

·         Convince yourself that something has to change.  Paint the picture.

·         People engage more and unite as one when there is a good battle to fight.

Differentiator 2:  Communicate the Right Behavior and Measure Them Well

·         Consistent and Predictable

·         In Meetings , Gatherings, Town halls

·         Both numeric and non-numeric

·         Performance and Behavior

·         Employ both 9-Block and C-LEAD models.

·         Don’t focus only on numbers

·         When hiring, get the best.  Use the 3E’s as a guide

« Always let people know where they stand.  What doesn’t get measured won’t get done.

Differentiator 3:  Make the Tough Decisions

·         Adherence to Code of Business Conduct

·         When letting people go, no chess game (do not transfer non-performing individual, let them go out of the organization

·         People gravitate towards authentic and courageous leaders who do what is right.

·         Warning:  be ready to handle the consequences

Differentiator #4: Live a Culture of Appreciation

·         Say “Thank you” More

·         Verbally and visually

·         Formal and Informal

·         Do it Often

·         Involve all employees to “Safeguard” the new way of life (new culture)

Key:  People stay longer when they feel valued and appreciated no matter how hard the challenges may be.

Differentiator # 5:  Celebrate Success and Inject Fun

·         Nothing beats great results Especially when done the right way

·         Do it often.  Once in a while, very special

·         Fuel the momentum

Key:   Momentum is your best friend.  When you get into a cycle of winning battles, achieving great results, and celebrating successes, fuel the momentum and you will see longer, lasting positive results.

Word on Leadership

·         Build the best leadership bench

·         Put a thoughtful succession plan

·         Practice Diversity and Portability – do not hire people like you.

·         Spend 80% of your time with your leaders

·         Inspire. Mentor. Coach

·         Get out of the way.

Key:  True leaders do not shy away from making tough decisions.  This why practicing leadership reserved for a few.  It is a not a walk in the park.

Result (Cisco) of Management Transparency

·         Tripled the business in 5 years

·         Top 2 Best Performing Country in Asia

·         People reaping awards and rewards

·         Best in teamwork, camaraderie, esprit de corps

·         Influx of Expats

·         Influx of CVs

·         Best practices adapted in other countries

·         High Partners and Customer Satisfaction

·         Highest level of trust and Employee engagement

·         Admiration of regional leaders and other countries

·         People are happy to go to the office.

Major Learning: 

·         Do the right things and the numbers will follow.

·         Transparency is the number one factor that determines workplace happiness

·         Be a Model of Transparency

Session 2:            Do the Drills: Because Corporate Well Being Programs Lead to Employee Happiness

Speaker:              Gerry Plana

I  Happiness is between the distance where you are and where you want to be.

History of Concern  for the Human Side of the Business  

A.      Quality of Work / Working Conditions (Circa 1970)

·         People are expenses, therefore, unnecessary.

·         Sweatshop – poor lighting, unsafe, poor working condition – result to union

·         There was economic and physical pressure to make life better.

·         Wellness at Work: Physical Work Environment – focused on safety

B.      Quality of Work Life (Circa 1980)

·         Participation and Involvement

·         People are allowed to use their mind.

·         Social Well being in terms of relationship.

C.      Work –Life Balance (Circa 1990)

·         Work-Family Conflicts

·         Demand of family, especially for women

·         Balance is based on personal definition

D.      Employee Engagement (Circa 2000)

·         Job Fulfillment

·         Opportunity

·         Relationships

·         Reward

·         Work-life Balance

·         Purpose

E.       Wellness (Circa 2005)

·         Proactive

·         Physical

·         Wellness

F.       Wellbeing  (Circa 2010)

·         Quality of Life

·         Community well-being

·         Totality of the worker is taken cared of.

10 Reasons Why We Should

1.       Strong Link between people and business results

·         Profit is like oxygen; Essential for our survival but not the reason for our existence”

·         Managing only for profit is like playing tennis, with your eye on the scorecard and not on the ball” – Ichak Adizes

2.       Growing importance of “Service”

·         Global economy is shifting from smokeshack industries to knowledge-based industries.

·         With internet, Global trade is expected to shift towards services

·         Service cannot be generic, must be branded/uniquely yours.

3.       Growing importance of “Intangibles”

·         Strategic Unity

·         Talent

·         Speed

·         Shared Mindset

·         Learning

·         Leadership

·         Innovation

·         Customer connection

·         Knowledge

·         Teamwork

·         What is the measurement?  How to measure?

4.       Hidden costs of “People Issues”

·         Cost of Turnover

·         Cost of Absenteeism

·         Cost of Tardiness

·         Cost of Low Employee Engagement

·         Cost of Organization not an “Employer of Choice”

·         Cost of Complaints/Grievances

·         Cost of Low Skills

·         Cost of Low Trust

·         Cost of Resistance to Change

·         Cost of Conflict

·         Opportunity Lost

·         Operational cost

5.       Growing Value of “Execution”

·         Machinery and technology make it possible.  People make it happen.

6.       Rise of the “Knowledge Worker”

·         Information (“Know What”: What is) vs. Knowledge (“Know-How”: What Works)

·         People want to be lead and not managed

·         Leaders must have people skill and vision

7.       Talent War

·         Talent will be the resource of scarcity today and the future

·         Organizations with better talent will be more successful

·         If you can’t get the best talent, get the best out of the talent you already have.

8.       Growing importance of “Employee Engagement”

·         Job Fulfillment

·         Rewards

·         Purpose

·         Work-Life Balance

·         Relationship

·         Opportunity

·         ALL are Centered in LEADERSHIP

9.       Growing importance of “Innovation”

·         INSANITY:  Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

·         Innovation is not necessarily doing different things.  It can also be about doing the same things differently

10.   Downward spiral of “performance”

Performance Problem	Management Response	Result :Performance Problem
High Costs	Reduce Training	Decreased motivation & Effort
Louse Customer Service	Lay-off	More turnover
Low Profits	Salary Free or reduction	Reduced job focus
Low Stock Price	Hiring & Promotion's freeze	More accidents / mistakes

Implications of the Concept of Wellbeing on HR Practice

Financial Wellbeing         -              Compensation/hiring within their means

Social Wellbeing               -              Employee Relations/not concern on labor relation

                                                                Outside the work relation with the family

Community Wellbeing   -              must have a budget for CSR

                Adopt any CSR to employee liking and meaningful to them

                                                                Vehicle to give meaning to life

Career Wellbeing             -              Succession Management

Training Career Planning

Career management

Physical Wellbeing           -              Sports / Medical Service/Canteen/Company Facilities

Session 3:            Working for the Greater Good:  Tapping on Emotional Intelligence (EQ)in Building TeamPLAY

Speaker:              Dr. Dups delos Reyes

The Leader’s Enthusiasm

·         Your first job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then help orchestrate the energy of those around you (Peter Drucker)

·         The top characteristic of acquiring and holding great power in organizations is energy, endurance, and stamina (Jeffrey Pfeffer

I EQ (Emotional Quotient) Emotional Intelligence = SUCCESS to both Individual and Organizational

EQ Bottom Lines

·         90% of leadership success was due to a high EQ (research in 15 global firms), top 10% of software programmers exceed average performers in production by 1,272%

·         EQ can be learned.

« Emotions, not the intellect, make us human.

«Emotions connect and influence people

The EQ Triad

1.       YOU (understand, manage)

2.       OTHERS (understand)

3.       RELATIONSHIP (manage)

The EQ Keystones

1.       Self-Awareness

2.       Relationship

3.       Resilience & Depth

4.       Self-Actualization & Optimization

High IQ People with a Low EQ

·         Awkward socially, introverted

·         Not open about themselves

·         Don’t assert, don’t volunteer at meetings

·         Stick to their comfort zones, risk-averse

·         Attack (sarcasm), blame, complain

·         Can’t deal with displacements (inis)

·         Full of negatives in conflict/crisis/change

·         Can’t forgive others, blames others/things

·         Don’t know how to say I’m sorry

« 90% of our adult behavior is due to our 1^st 5 years of existence.

Life Stages (Dr. Erik Erikson)

1.       Trust – Mistrust

2.       Autonomy – Shame/Doubt

3.       Initiative – Guilt

4.       Industry – Inferiority

5.       Identity – Role Confusion

6.       Intimacy – Isolation

7.       Generativity – Stagnation

8.       Integrity – Despair

Starting Point:  Communicate with Yourself

·         A life unexamined is not worth living (Socrates)

·         For a better society, begin with your inner self (Carl Jung)

·         We are the change we want to have in the world (Mahatma Gandhi)

Fallow Time:

·         Time for the soil to be left unseeded to recover natural fertility

·         Time for nourishment, reenergizing, revitalizing

Listening to Oneself

·         Silence: feeling /spirit/soul

·         Concerns become clear

·         Solutions emerge

·         Better results

A Challenge for Work Relationships

1.       How do you deal with difficult people?

2.       Can there be positive interacting with difficult people?

Negative Self Esteem (“I am a Victim” Mindset)

·         Attack

·         Blame

·         Complain

Positive Self Esteem (“I Make Things happen” mindset0

·         Adapt

·         Balance

·         Care

WORK

·         Work is LOVE made visible (Kahlil Gibran)

·         Love your work and the people you work with

Work Strategies

·         O h so FUN

·         P reparedness

·         Q uality

·         R esourcefulness

·         S peed

·         T eamwork

« in Biology 101, all the cells in our body live in harmony, so it is not our nature to be in in conflict with anyone.

Relationship EQ

·         Emphatic

·         Non-Judgmental

·         Authentic

Conflict & Crisis

·         What you resist, persists

·         Sometimes – and only sometimes – give up your right to always be right

·         Two people cannot quarrel if one will not

Resilience and Depth EQ (How to cope with Crisis)

·         Perspective  - be thankful and embrace life

·         Adapt – face it: be resourceful

·         Learn – crisis is test of character

Self-Actualization and Optimism EQ

·         Passion and Purpose

·         Practice and Persistence

·         Prayer

EQ Keystone Action Steps

1.       Self-Awareness:  Be constructively authentic

2.       Relationships: Be humble and open minded

3.       Resilience and Depth: Re resourceful and adapt.

4.       Self-Actualization & Optimism: Be the best and trust the future

Major Learning:

·         Stop looking for the right person,  be the right person and the right person will come along.

·         Work is not just tasks, work can be fun

Session 4:            Happiness is…Going to Work?!  Time Out: Rethinking Your Team’s Role in Creating Social Change

Speaker:              Ma. Teresa L. Pacis

Case in Point:    GMA Network

Happiness @ Work

1.       Engaged employee:

a.       Fully-involved in and enthusiastic about work

b.      Will act in a way which furthers the organization’s interests

c.       Says good things about the organization

d.      Stays at the organization

e.      Goes beyond set expectations.

2.       Benefits of happy employees to a company

a.       Happy employees are more profitable, more customer-oriented and more productive

b.      Happy employees drive business objectives

c.       Lower attrition rate

« Happiness at work is a way of doing business

Personal Perspective

Having a job = happiness

Evolution of Happiness @ Work

1.       Job with good pay = happiness

2.       Job with career growth – happiness

3.       Job that you LOVE = happiness

Industry Perspective

Evolution of Happiness @ Work

·         CSR leads to increased employee motivation and loyalty

·         Emerging Trend:  Companies are re-evaluating their roles as change agents as engagement with societal problems is becoming more accepted as an aspect of business leadership

Happy employees = profitable company

GMA Best Practices:

1.       Individual personal meetings

2.       Goal setting & career planning

3.       Team social calendar

4.       Gratitude games and activities

5.       Special weekday (ex. Casual Friday)

6.       Office pet

7.       Paid volunteering Time

8.       Social Responsibility activities

9.       Sporting Events

10.   Appreciations and celebrations

More CSR Tips:

1.       Embed CSR in corporate DNA

2.       CSR  projects must be aligned with business objectives

3.       CSR is not just about the good side

4.       CSR project must bring out the best of the employees

5.       It is not really about creating social change, per se, rather, it is helping one change, too.

Session 5:            Capturing the Young and the Restless:  How to Make the Edgy Gen Y Commit?

Speaker:              David Bonifacio

Philippines is a People Mine:  There is a value waiting to be unearthed, shaped, polished, set and displayed.

Facts:

·         USD 11 Billion lost every year due to employee turnover

·         Reasons of Employee Turnover

o   29% Career Opportunities

o   20% Pay/Benefit

o   18% Lack of Career Opportunities

o   16% Management/Work Environment

o   15% Flexibility/ Scheduling

o   2% Job Security

Most of the reasons employees cited for their turnover are things that  managers can influence

Problem 1:  We have disengaged workforces

·         88% not engaged (in South East Asia), this translates to a Php 33,000 monthly lost in an organization of 50 employees.

·         This also translates to a lost potential value of Php 220,000 per month.

·         The lost productivity of disengaged employees costs the US economy USD 370 billion annually (NBRI)

Solution: 

Engage

Ask yourself:  What does an engaged workforce look like for my company?

o   Innovates and grows

o   Comes to work early

o   Achieves objectives

o   Communicates effectively with each other

o   Attracts other excellent people to the company

o   Generates amazing value for the company

To Engage Means

1.        Occupy

2.       Attract

3.       Involve

4.       Capture

5.       Catch

6.       Participate

7.       Take Part

Engage: means “To Pledge”  Similar to two individuals planning to get married.

Ask Yourself:  What “Pledge” Am I making to My People?

Problem # 2:  We Don’t Know How to Engage this Generation (What will bridge the gap between Generation A and Generation B

How to Engage this Exciting Generation

Pledge #1 - Be Purpose Driven: Meaning is what Leads to happiness

·         Define your company purpose.  What are you driving towards?

·          Define the purpose of each person in your organization.  Answer the question, “Why am I here?

·         Constantly communicate the group purpose and each individual’s purpose

« Freedom + Ambiguity = Failure and Frustration

« Purpose (meaning) + Clarity = Success and Fulfillment

Pledge # 2:  Be Performance Oriented

·         Define the performance expected.  Define how this performance is connected to the company purpose and the individual’s purpose.  People should know how they’re judged.

·         Measure and Develop: Measure and Develop Performance.  Don’t just expect it.

·         Carrots and Sticks: Reward what you want more of.  Punish what you want less of.

                « Undefined expectations = Unmet expectations

« Unmet expectations = Dissatisfaction

Notes on Measuring

o   You can’t manage what you don’t measure (“I have a feeling” or “I think” don’t count)

o   Measuring the wrong thing leads to wrong decisions.  (Measure things that contribute to achieving the purpose.)

o   Interpreting measurement  wrong leads to wrong decisions.  (Validate with date.  Validate the data itself).

o   Use new tools to measure.  Ask others how they measure.  (Tools like Asana and PayrollHero)

Notes on Developing

o   Start with expectations (Company and Client Expectations)

o   Define what skills are required to meet expectations (Ask yourself:  What do we have to be good at?)

o   Develop people to excel in these skills. (Training programs, exposure, books, mentors, etc.)

o   Expand responsible people.  Remove irresponsible people. (If they are good, invest more.  If they are no, don’t waste anymore)

Pledge # 4 Be Principles-Led

·         Define your values.  What are non-negotiably important to you?  How should everyone aspire to behave?

·         Defend your values.  Especially from yourself

·         Demo your values.  People follow the leader.

Speaker Note:   Nothing is Original.  As I continue preparations for my talk on worker happiness, I keep on seeing the need to stress the importance of executors (Actual people) who will push (Sometimes fight) for actual change and the need to adopt new methods (Actual processes, strategies, and policies), and to embrace and learn new tools (Actual technologies) that all come together to provide an engaged workforce that is both productively achieving company goals and is happy and committed.  Someone has to do it.  That someone has to do new things.  That something doing new things needs innovative tools.

Session 6:            Achieving Peak Performance at Work and in Life

Speaker:              BJ Manalo

I  Big Idea:  The Secret to a being a Peak Performer is in the proper use of Energy

Fact:  Percentage of Employee Engagement (Gallup)

30% Fully Engaged

55% are not engaged

19% are actively Disengaged

After 6 months, 38% remain engaged

After 3 years, it drops to 22%

Kinds of Energy

1.       Physical Energy (Quantity)

a.       Energy Drainers: 

                                                               i.      Unbalanced Diet, Lack of Exercise, Tiredness

b.      Energy Filler:  Proper Nutrition, Regular Exercise, Catnaps

2.       Emotional Energy (Quality)

a.       Energy Drainers:  Conflict with Boss, Marital Problems, Increasing family needs, Lost of loved one

b.      Negative Emotions:  Anger, Bitterness, Anxiety, Grief, Overwhelm2

3.       Mental Energy (Focus)

a.       Energy Drainers:  Too many commitments, Multitasking, Thinking too much

                                                               i.      To improve focus: Mental preparation, Visualization, Effective Time-Managing, Creativity

** Thinking consumes much energy

** Brain is just 2% of the total Body weight

b.      Energy Fillers: Efficient Filing System, Journaling, Plan for the day

Survey: Where are you when you get your best ideas?

1.       In the Shower

2.       Driving alone in the car

3.       Resting in Bed

4.       Having Coffee

5.       During Exercise

IThe greatest geniuses sometimes accomplishes more when they work less (Leonardo da Vinci)

       

4.       Spiritual Energy (Purpose)

a.       Energy Fillers:

                                                               i.      Realize that the solution is bigger that ourselves

                                                             ii.      Commit to live according to our deepest values

Results of Efficient Energy Management

1.             Less stress

2.             Deeper Relationships

3.             More Productive

4.             Balance life

5.             More time

From the learning we have from the speakers, I can conclude that everything needs effort. It’s a two way street. Since the management is composed of people and that people is the backbone of all organizations, both needs to have a clear expectation and open communication. As part of the management, we like to be in the organization forever but there are so many factors to achieve it, same thing as any other employees who likes to keep the job as possible for more benefits because of the tenure.

Happiness is a mindset and from all the speakers, the common denominator is always about trust and transparency. Team efforts are nothing without trust, to the company and to the employees. First thing also is to have a positive energy and all starts at home.