Happiness at Work

Surely this is a pie in the sky? And surely this has no place in an accountant's newsletter?

Apparently not. Setting aside whether concern for one's fellow human being has a place in an accountant's ordered mind, research shows that a happy work force is is a productive one. A recent book 'Practice what you Preach' by David Maister surveyed 139 different work forces and found that the most productive also were the most fulfilled. In fact his data showed that just a 10% increase in the happiness of a workforce could produce a 40% increase in productivity. But surely, we hear you cry, this is because success produces happiness. Again, this is apparently not so. The research shows that the success follows the fulfilment.

Further confirmation comes from Dr Paddi Lund's writing. After suffering a near mental breakdown, dentist Dr Paddi Lund embarked on a journey to be happy at work. As a side product he discovered that his dental practice took off.

When you think about it though there is a powerful logic to this perspective. We like spending time with people who are happy, we like giving money to people we like. Those who are unhappy find ways to express this to the people around them and they don't tend to be productive ones.

I believe this message is equally relevant for the self-employed and small business owners as for large corporations. Running a small business can be as stressful as running a large one. The more enlightened corporate managers understand the importance of managing their workforce's happiness, making work a genuinely fulfilling place to be. As small business owners do we always take the same trouble? Most importantly do we take care of our own well-being and happiness? One thing is certain if we the business owner are unhappy, we have no hope of passing on happiness to our team or customers.

This is why we have made our motto at Co- :  Grow, Be Free, Have Fun