There is no question of disagreement here. We are in the process of a meaningful discussion. We were discussing about how we can touch upon the minds of our subordinates through 'positive strokes' if I may borrow a term from TA. I am given to understand that endorphins released into the bloodstream create what is sensed as our feeling of 'well being'. I am also given to understand that the release of endorphins is triggered by ordinary life situations such as laughing at a joke, meeting someone dear, reading the message of someone close, being with friends and so on.
So we are talking of the same output, but you may perhaps be more concerned about the physiological processes involved in the same due to the fact that you are a doctor. I was only generating a discussion as an HR professional, and hence confined my views to the managerial, organisational output, that is all.
From India
26So we are talking of the same output, but you may perhaps be more concerned about the physiological processes involved in the same due to the fact that you are a doctor. I was only generating a discussion as an HR professional, and hence confined my views to the managerial, organisational output, that is all.
From India
Rajeev and Jogeshwar Ji,
I agree that happy employee means higher productivity. But there is other side of the coin too which is 'Professional Ethics and Code of Conduct'.
For making the employees happy, we as HR team or our Managers have to see that we are not crossing the boundaries.
Some time getting too close to the subordinates sets undue expectations and creates difficult situations.
What I am taking of is the 'BALANCE'.
I agree that happy employee means higher productivity. But there is other side of the coin too which is 'Professional Ethics and Code of Conduct'.
For making the employees happy, we as HR team or our Managers have to see that we are not crossing the boundaries.
Some time getting too close to the subordinates sets undue expectations and creates difficult situations.
What I am taking of is the 'BALANCE'.
Dear Rajeev,
I am happy that you at least know something about endorphin. Otherwise, here people talk of empowerment but when I talk about constructive empowerment they become jittery. Similarly they talk about performance and when I talk about peak performance they become jittery and so on. As I find cocoonization is very basis of discussion here.
You have missed to comment on the other extreme, that is "social order" in relation to happiness.
regards
From India, Delhi
I am happy that you at least know something about endorphin. Otherwise, here people talk of empowerment but when I talk about constructive empowerment they become jittery. Similarly they talk about performance and when I talk about peak performance they become jittery and so on. As I find cocoonization is very basis of discussion here.
You have missed to comment on the other extreme, that is "social order" in relation to happiness.
regards
From India, Delhi
Thank you Dr Jogeswar. Social order can define certain parameters of happiness. For instance, there is no 'buddy culture' in India unlike the Western organisations where it is rampantly prevalent. The dyadic relation in India is more patronising, feudal and hierarchy restricted. I,m talking about general conditions, there could be exceptions in the private sector of the industry. Studies have revealed that the 'power-distance index(PDI)' in Indian organisations is comparitively higher as compared to our western, or japanese counterparts. There is another side to this situation. Since the supervisor is percieved at a larger level, any condescending, patronising, sympathising act has a greater impact. A reason why a smile or a wish from your boss in the morning can make your day.
From India
From India
Dear Rajeev,
It is good that more and more things are coming up. What you are talking is social net work. A reliable and dependable social net work is a great contributor to mental health and happiness. This, of course ,is a micro-phenomenon
But social order is a macro- phenomenon.
regards
From India, Delhi
It is good that more and more things are coming up. What you are talking is social net work. A reliable and dependable social net work is a great contributor to mental health and happiness. This, of course ,is a micro-phenomenon
But social order is a macro- phenomenon.
regards
From India, Delhi
Hi Rajeev
I appreciate your effort to start such a beautiful POSITIVE topic. I agree with your comment on satisfaction. The job satisfaction is an emotional bond between employee and the company, which allows an individual to continue with the present job. Money stands next to it.
Thanks
Ronak
I appreciate your effort to start such a beautiful POSITIVE topic. I agree with your comment on satisfaction. The job satisfaction is an emotional bond between employee and the company, which allows an individual to continue with the present job. Money stands next to it.
Thanks
Ronak
It is fine that you are appreciating Rajeev. I am very much with you. Rajeev initially might have thought that I am straining him unnecessarily but now I think, he might be thinking that I strained him fruitfully.
But what is your contribution to micro or macro-contrubutors to happiness and produtctivity Ronak? Please do.
regards
From India, Delhi
But what is your contribution to micro or macro-contrubutors to happiness and produtctivity Ronak? Please do.
regards
From India, Delhi
Rajeev and Jogeshwar Ji,
its really good, keep posting like this.
have you read this
Is job happiness a myth?
Few people claim to be happy workers, or satisfied with their company or job. Sudipta Dev wonders whether job happiness is a myth
Why do some people find their jobs gratifying while others are constantly nagged by dissatisfaction at their workplace? Since most of our waking hours are spent at work, it is imperative to find out the factors that determine job happiness. Evidently, it is all about the gap between reality and expectations, but the issue is much more complicated than it appears. While job satisfaction is found to be low wherever expectations are very high, most people also believe that they can do better in other organisations. They are haunted by the grass-is-greener syndrome, and find their own work a grind. The key to job happiness is finding the right equation between one's mindset and external factors. This is of particular significance for the Indian IT/ITeS industry where job-hopping is common, notwithstanding the salary hikes and a fairly evolved HR system.
How one gets along with one's boss is an essential factor for job happiness, according to a survey conducted by Accountemps, a US-based staffing service. The survey, carried across the thousand largest companies in that country, revealed that as many as 43 percent of people rated their relationship with their manager as an important determinant of job happiness. The other factors included workload and responsibilities (24 percent), compensation and/or benefits (19 percent), relationship with co-workers (6 percent), and company performance (5 percent). According to Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees for Dummies, employees are most productive when they feel that their contributions are valued and their feedback is welcomed by the management. Stronger relationship with the staff is essential to keep them happy.
Another survey conducted by Prof Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick concluded that an individual's position is a major cause of job happiness. The rank of a staff member compared with others increases his/her happiness and is a pointer to pride associated with the position.
In their celebrated book The Art of Happiness at Work, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and psychiatrist Dr Howard Cutler have stated that there are three categories of workers: those for whom the job is just a means of getting a pay cheque; those who see it as an advancement or social status; and those who view it as a calling. The third category of people love their work for its own sake, and are the most motivated.
Combination of factors
Most experts agree that job happiness is a culmination of both external factors and the individual's mindset. Says HR expert Ullhas Pagey, 'During the initial stages of a career, work satisfaction gets governed more by the external set of factors such as the workplace environment, benefits, facilities, opportunities to work overseas, compensation, etc, but as one moves along intrinsic factors become more important.' But he concedes that it is more contingent on one's socio-economic background, and the motivation profile which varies from individual to individual.
'A person's state of mind and external factors cannot be separated. In fact, external factors affect/alter an individual's state of mind to a great extent. Companies need to monitor both, and can use individual mindsets as a barometer of external factors, and act accordingly,' says Ajay Oberoi, senior vice-president, HR and administration, Aptech.
The pay factor
It is obvious that the pay packet is a key to job happiness, particularly in the early stages of one's career when money is the sole motivator. As one climbs the career graph, other factors start gaining equal significance.
Oberoi believes that to a large extent satisfaction/happiness is directly related to the salary. 'If we build a hierarchy of factors for employee satisfaction/happiness, in today's era of consumerism and materialism, salary will form the base of the pyramid.' He asserts that the pay packet continues to be relevant even at later stages as it is considered a yardstick of appreciation.
Employee satisfaction surveys
Is it possible for employee satisfaction surveys to accurately reflect this satisfaction level? Answers Oberoi, ' Such surveys do give trends and indications. However, for better understanding of real feelings, surveys need to be supported/followed by focused group discussions (FGD) and skip level discussions (SLD). At Aptech we follow the sequence of environment survey and FGD/SLD.'
What makes employee satisfaction surveys a much-awaited event is the fact that it is an opportunity for employees to air their views and grievances. The organisation in turn makes these surveys a basis for chalking out plans for the betterment of its employees and its own health. The surveys have to be a top-management initiative, but it is typically the HR people who have to build the right kind of environment to conduct it.
What can HR do?
HR departments in most IT organisations are faced with similar challenges:
curbing attrition, increasing employee morale and productivity, finding the right job fit, etc. All these factors are directly related to the happiness levels of employees.
'The HR department is the custodian of employee satisfaction. It conducts the satisfaction survey and communicates the results to a select/broad population of the company. In companies where HR processes are matured, the department suggests remedies for satisfaction improvement and drives various initiatives for it,' says Oberoi. He adds that real success in improving employee satisfaction will be achieved when the HR department can successfully involve middle and top management to implement employee engagement processes and build a transparent, retribution-free culture. HR managers need to be seen as role models for the values professed by the company, and ensure that the leadership walks the talk.
Pagey notes that though HR can play a very important role in ensuring employee empowerment, in most organisations HR people are more occupied with carrying out routine activities than engaging themselves in value-adding activities. 'Also, mid-sized organisations have low expectations from HR, and often the CEOs themselves are not much aware of the proactive role which HR can play.'
It is a tough task for today's HR department to ensure job satisfaction among staff. Employees are not just happy with a fat pay cheque, a good position and perks; they also want a constant feeling of well-being, demand better work/life balance, and look to the organisation for fulfilling even their community needs. These heightened expectations result in dissatisfaction, and finding true job happiness remains an unfulfilled dream'all the job-hopping notwithstanding.
regards
arun k mishra
From India, Bahadurgarh
its really good, keep posting like this.
have you read this
Is job happiness a myth?
Few people claim to be happy workers, or satisfied with their company or job. Sudipta Dev wonders whether job happiness is a myth
Why do some people find their jobs gratifying while others are constantly nagged by dissatisfaction at their workplace? Since most of our waking hours are spent at work, it is imperative to find out the factors that determine job happiness. Evidently, it is all about the gap between reality and expectations, but the issue is much more complicated than it appears. While job satisfaction is found to be low wherever expectations are very high, most people also believe that they can do better in other organisations. They are haunted by the grass-is-greener syndrome, and find their own work a grind. The key to job happiness is finding the right equation between one's mindset and external factors. This is of particular significance for the Indian IT/ITeS industry where job-hopping is common, notwithstanding the salary hikes and a fairly evolved HR system.
How one gets along with one's boss is an essential factor for job happiness, according to a survey conducted by Accountemps, a US-based staffing service. The survey, carried across the thousand largest companies in that country, revealed that as many as 43 percent of people rated their relationship with their manager as an important determinant of job happiness. The other factors included workload and responsibilities (24 percent), compensation and/or benefits (19 percent), relationship with co-workers (6 percent), and company performance (5 percent). According to Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees for Dummies, employees are most productive when they feel that their contributions are valued and their feedback is welcomed by the management. Stronger relationship with the staff is essential to keep them happy.
Another survey conducted by Prof Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick concluded that an individual's position is a major cause of job happiness. The rank of a staff member compared with others increases his/her happiness and is a pointer to pride associated with the position.
In their celebrated book The Art of Happiness at Work, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and psychiatrist Dr Howard Cutler have stated that there are three categories of workers: those for whom the job is just a means of getting a pay cheque; those who see it as an advancement or social status; and those who view it as a calling. The third category of people love their work for its own sake, and are the most motivated.
Combination of factors
Most experts agree that job happiness is a culmination of both external factors and the individual's mindset. Says HR expert Ullhas Pagey, 'During the initial stages of a career, work satisfaction gets governed more by the external set of factors such as the workplace environment, benefits, facilities, opportunities to work overseas, compensation, etc, but as one moves along intrinsic factors become more important.' But he concedes that it is more contingent on one's socio-economic background, and the motivation profile which varies from individual to individual.
'A person's state of mind and external factors cannot be separated. In fact, external factors affect/alter an individual's state of mind to a great extent. Companies need to monitor both, and can use individual mindsets as a barometer of external factors, and act accordingly,' says Ajay Oberoi, senior vice-president, HR and administration, Aptech.
The pay factor
It is obvious that the pay packet is a key to job happiness, particularly in the early stages of one's career when money is the sole motivator. As one climbs the career graph, other factors start gaining equal significance.
Oberoi believes that to a large extent satisfaction/happiness is directly related to the salary. 'If we build a hierarchy of factors for employee satisfaction/happiness, in today's era of consumerism and materialism, salary will form the base of the pyramid.' He asserts that the pay packet continues to be relevant even at later stages as it is considered a yardstick of appreciation.
Employee satisfaction surveys
Is it possible for employee satisfaction surveys to accurately reflect this satisfaction level? Answers Oberoi, ' Such surveys do give trends and indications. However, for better understanding of real feelings, surveys need to be supported/followed by focused group discussions (FGD) and skip level discussions (SLD). At Aptech we follow the sequence of environment survey and FGD/SLD.'
What makes employee satisfaction surveys a much-awaited event is the fact that it is an opportunity for employees to air their views and grievances. The organisation in turn makes these surveys a basis for chalking out plans for the betterment of its employees and its own health. The surveys have to be a top-management initiative, but it is typically the HR people who have to build the right kind of environment to conduct it.
What can HR do?
HR departments in most IT organisations are faced with similar challenges:
curbing attrition, increasing employee morale and productivity, finding the right job fit, etc. All these factors are directly related to the happiness levels of employees.
'The HR department is the custodian of employee satisfaction. It conducts the satisfaction survey and communicates the results to a select/broad population of the company. In companies where HR processes are matured, the department suggests remedies for satisfaction improvement and drives various initiatives for it,' says Oberoi. He adds that real success in improving employee satisfaction will be achieved when the HR department can successfully involve middle and top management to implement employee engagement processes and build a transparent, retribution-free culture. HR managers need to be seen as role models for the values professed by the company, and ensure that the leadership walks the talk.
Pagey notes that though HR can play a very important role in ensuring employee empowerment, in most organisations HR people are more occupied with carrying out routine activities than engaging themselves in value-adding activities. 'Also, mid-sized organisations have low expectations from HR, and often the CEOs themselves are not much aware of the proactive role which HR can play.'
It is a tough task for today's HR department to ensure job satisfaction among staff. Employees are not just happy with a fat pay cheque, a good position and perks; they also want a constant feeling of well-being, demand better work/life balance, and look to the organisation for fulfilling even their community needs. These heightened expectations result in dissatisfaction, and finding true job happiness remains an unfulfilled dream'all the job-hopping notwithstanding.
regards
arun k mishra
From India, Bahadurgarh
You might look at the following strategy and think "Oh No! Not more of this simplistic - quick fix - nonsense". Please don't discard this powerful concept just because it is so SIMPLE. Simple doesn't always mean EASY. You have to apply yourself - consistentlly - with a genuine desire to improve your emotional wellbeing, THEN you will get powerful results.
Go on - Try this straightforward self help exercise – answer the questions and notice how you feel when you think about the answers……
“What am I most enjoying in my life right now?”
(as Tony says, don’t say “nothing!” Instead ask yourself “If I could be enjoying something in my life right now, what would that be?”)
Then ask yourself:
“What about that do I enjoy?”
Then ask yourself:
“How does that make me feel?”
Then next ask yourself:
“What am I most happy about in my life right now?”
Then ask yourself:
“What about that makes me feel happy?”
Notice how your emotions react to the experience of dwelling or thinking about the good and sweet things in your life. If you like the feeling and want more of it, just keep asking yourself the right questions.
Any self help tool, no matter how powerful, only works when you work it.
Also sometimes the “essence” of certain events or tangible things can be more important to how we feel than actually having more of exactly the same thing.
You don’t need to own a horse to ride one. You especially don’t need 6 horses to ride for the same experience that riding one can give you. You don’t have to own a countryside retreat to have a picnic in the countryside. You don’t even have to own a Ferrari to drive one.
There are many ways available to get the essence of what you want, that makes you feel happy. More self help on that later….
When you start each day asking yourself questions that generate a feeling of pleasure, excitement, enthusiasm, just by the act of answering them, your day gets off on the right path.
Try designing self help questions that suit your life or interests, maybe straightforward ones like
What am I excited about in my life now?
What am I grateful about in my life now?
What am I most looking forward to in my life today?
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to apply this self help strategy, do you? All you need is the DESIRE to improve your day and then make the commitment to actually APPLY it every morning for at least 30 days. It will work.
More self help strategies are outlined in the general categories on the navbar. We have had to break up the sheer volume of self help resources into some general self help categories to simplify the search for resources relevant to your self help needs and to save you time when you download the pages to view.
You will no doubt “fit the bill” for at least 3 categories, so dip into all or as many of the categories as suits you at any given time. You might be a stressed out single person, who is also a parent or prime caregiver, who has a career or enterprise to manage – but today your question is how to be happier in your role as a Parent.
Tomorrow it might be checking out self help strategies as a single person with issues relating to the fact you are “flying solo” in life. And so on….
From India, Bahadurgarh
Go on - Try this straightforward self help exercise – answer the questions and notice how you feel when you think about the answers……
“What am I most enjoying in my life right now?”
(as Tony says, don’t say “nothing!” Instead ask yourself “If I could be enjoying something in my life right now, what would that be?”)
Then ask yourself:
“What about that do I enjoy?”
Then ask yourself:
“How does that make me feel?”
Then next ask yourself:
“What am I most happy about in my life right now?”
Then ask yourself:
“What about that makes me feel happy?”
Notice how your emotions react to the experience of dwelling or thinking about the good and sweet things in your life. If you like the feeling and want more of it, just keep asking yourself the right questions.
Any self help tool, no matter how powerful, only works when you work it.
Also sometimes the “essence” of certain events or tangible things can be more important to how we feel than actually having more of exactly the same thing.
You don’t need to own a horse to ride one. You especially don’t need 6 horses to ride for the same experience that riding one can give you. You don’t have to own a countryside retreat to have a picnic in the countryside. You don’t even have to own a Ferrari to drive one.
There are many ways available to get the essence of what you want, that makes you feel happy. More self help on that later….
When you start each day asking yourself questions that generate a feeling of pleasure, excitement, enthusiasm, just by the act of answering them, your day gets off on the right path.
Try designing self help questions that suit your life or interests, maybe straightforward ones like
What am I excited about in my life now?
What am I grateful about in my life now?
What am I most looking forward to in my life today?
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to apply this self help strategy, do you? All you need is the DESIRE to improve your day and then make the commitment to actually APPLY it every morning for at least 30 days. It will work.
More self help strategies are outlined in the general categories on the navbar. We have had to break up the sheer volume of self help resources into some general self help categories to simplify the search for resources relevant to your self help needs and to save you time when you download the pages to view.
You will no doubt “fit the bill” for at least 3 categories, so dip into all or as many of the categories as suits you at any given time. You might be a stressed out single person, who is also a parent or prime caregiver, who has a career or enterprise to manage – but today your question is how to be happier in your role as a Parent.
Tomorrow it might be checking out self help strategies as a single person with issues relating to the fact you are “flying solo” in life. And so on….
From India, Bahadurgarh
Inspirational self help Happiness articles and resources for your happiness.
Motivate, educate and empower yourself with some of the free personal development self help articles and downloads packed onto this site.
Lifelong happiness – starting right now.
If it feels like the world is beating you up and there is not enough happiness in your life – or you are just too exhausted to feel happy - read on.
This may be hard to believe, and you most likely won’t want to believe it but…..You ARE HAPPY – right now, you just don’t know it or simply don’t know how to tap into that deep down undercurrent of pure Joy and Pleasure that is flowing through you right now. Maybe even a chuckle is just waiting to bubble to the surface if you want to let it – who knows? By nature we are actually happy all the time – if we don’t let life get in the way.
Your level of happiness and contentment all depends on what you define as “being happy” and what it “takes” to make you feel happy in your world. If you let life’s events totally distract you from your "natural" state of happiness, or you have created so many criteria to fill that narrows down your chances to let happiness surface to your emotional attention you are doomed to a state of dissatisfaction.
The self help strategies are here, based in your power to think and create a powerful desire for change in your life for the better…as long as you really desire the change for the better.
Especially when you are in a genuine slump, or seduced by the emotion of depression, you need to draw on every self help resource you have available to pull your attention away from what is “wrong” in your life and magnetically pull your emotional attention toward what is already “right” in your life. Develop appreciation of the good you desire and already have.
The choice to take action or not to take action is up to you.
From India, Bahadurgarh
Motivate, educate and empower yourself with some of the free personal development self help articles and downloads packed onto this site.
Lifelong happiness – starting right now.
If it feels like the world is beating you up and there is not enough happiness in your life – or you are just too exhausted to feel happy - read on.
This may be hard to believe, and you most likely won’t want to believe it but…..You ARE HAPPY – right now, you just don’t know it or simply don’t know how to tap into that deep down undercurrent of pure Joy and Pleasure that is flowing through you right now. Maybe even a chuckle is just waiting to bubble to the surface if you want to let it – who knows? By nature we are actually happy all the time – if we don’t let life get in the way.
Your level of happiness and contentment all depends on what you define as “being happy” and what it “takes” to make you feel happy in your world. If you let life’s events totally distract you from your "natural" state of happiness, or you have created so many criteria to fill that narrows down your chances to let happiness surface to your emotional attention you are doomed to a state of dissatisfaction.
The self help strategies are here, based in your power to think and create a powerful desire for change in your life for the better…as long as you really desire the change for the better.
Especially when you are in a genuine slump, or seduced by the emotion of depression, you need to draw on every self help resource you have available to pull your attention away from what is “wrong” in your life and magnetically pull your emotional attention toward what is already “right” in your life. Develop appreciation of the good you desire and already have.
The choice to take action or not to take action is up to you.
From India, Bahadurgarh
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.
Is there a relationship between employees satisfaction and their performance, the case of teache.pdf
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