Written By: Mahmoud Mansi
Employee Happiness between Scam & Science
I have heard a lot about “Work Happiness” as a trend through reading and attending many HR conferences. Mostly it was about “motivation”, helping employees “recover” from work stress by doing yoga, and organizing more “fun” initiatives and games across the organization. Many people have the perception that the Happiness Director or the Chief Happiness Officer is a fun person whose main job is to walk around the office spreading positive vibes, saying compliments and smiling at everyone! But reality is, this role is very different than that and it is very complex.
I have learnt best about Happiness at the Workplace immediately after I got enrolled in the Chief Happiness Officer (CHO) Certification Program offered by Happiest Places to Work, which consists of 16 online modules. In the very first module the instructor who is also the founder of this course – Silvia Garcia has shared a study on the impact of work happiness initiatives in some organizations and their effect on their financial state in the stock market. It was clear that employee happiness is something that is tangible and impactful and it is surely not just another buzz word or trend that ignites only for a while.
What is Employee Happiness & What is the Role of Happiness Leaders at Work?
Simply speaking, employees are happy when they are treated with respect, their ideas are valued, they feel they are not abused and taken for granted, they feel the impact of their work on the organization and community, they feel secure and confident in their workplace and with their colleagues and managers, they get feedback and are in continuous development, they are not feeling frustrated and they are given opportunities to face new challenges at work while being equipped with proper tools and preparations, and finally they are strategic partners to the business no matter what their roles is.
Professionally speaking, in order for this to happen the role of the CHO goes beyond “stress management”, “teambuilding” and “motivation” activities. It is more about analyzing the employee satisfaction rate and conducting root cause analysis in order to realize and fill in the gaps through adjusting the policies and procedures, work process, management style, learning and development plans, work culture and environment, performance management system, rewards and compensation, employee engagement activities, and tailoring HR initiatives to empower the new structure.
The CHO course shares practical techniques on conducting surveys, audits and analyzing the root cause analysis, in addition to leading the journey of employee happiness and productivity across the organization.
Measuring Employee Happiness
There are several measurement tools and different happiness survey templates shared during the CHO course, with the strengths and weaknesses of each, in addition to a comprehensive tool that is copyrighted and designed by Happiest Places to Work.
Mainly measurements are made on three different intervals, one at the beginning to analyze the current work environment, and another measurement is done after applying the new changes and happiness initiatives, and a different measurement to know the impact of happiness on productivity, retention and the overall workplace.
Competencies of a Chief Happiness Officer
As a CHO or Happiness Director, you are considered a partner with all the other HR functions, the employees and the organization as an entity, therefore the person in this role needs a special set of competencies in addition to the complete understanding of what Employee Happiness is and how it works.
Competencies & Skills of CHO: data analysis, change management, research, audit, quality management, psychology, segmentation, strategic thinking, project management, facilitation, corporate wellness, measuring ROI, executive coaching, design thinking and innovation.
More about the CHO Certification Program
The program consists of 16 modules. Each module consists of a lecture (video), a set of multiple choice questions, a survey and extra study and development materials to download, read or watch.
The style of Silvia Garcia – the instructor & founder of the course – is very transparent and professional. As she is the founder, the course is given much attention and her passion shows in the results and learnings after each module. Real life examples are provided with each new concept. The information and tools shared are all scientific based and validated.
After finishing the 16 modules the learner will schedule a one to one coaching session with Silvia, and hence will be granted the certification title.
Besides the lucrative content, delivery style, and the learning process of the CHO Certification Program, the sequence or let me say the “storyline” of the course is very interesting and it takes the learner through a journey to see “employee happiness” from different perspectives, once seeing its impact in the stock market, another is purely related to biology, the brain and the hormones, another related to phycology, and once again another view based on how employees are getting rewarded and are these rewards assigned to teams or individuals. The CHO course will open a lot of different perspectives inside the mind of any learner and professional working in the field and seeking to make a unique “tangible” difference.
To Know More About The Course: https://www.happiestplacestowork.org/training
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