Comments on: Yet another happy company: Pret A Manger

By: Testing job applicants… for sense of humor

Testing job applicants… for sense of humor — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:38:37 +0000

[...] British sandwich chain Pret a Manger put it like this: “You can’t hire someone who can make sandwiches and teach them to be happy,” says Jay, “So we hire happy people and teach them to make sandwiches”. [...]

By: The Tyranny of Positive Thinking

The Tyranny of Positive Thinking — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 10:43:52 +0000

[...] to Trait “You can’t hire someone who can make sandwiches and teach them to be happy,” says Jay, “So we hire happy people and teach them to make sandwiches.” “GET RID OF NEGATIVE PEOPLE IN [...]

By: Happiness on the field

Happiness on the field — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:04:59 +0000

[...] Airlines does when they “hire for attitude and train for skill.” British food chain Pret a Manger also emphasizes happiness. Jay Chapman, their head of communication says: You can’t hire someone who can make sandwiches [...]

By: Pro Information Center » Blog Archive » Hiring happy people

Pro Information Center » Blog Archive » Hiring happy people — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:53:51 +0000

[...] over at PositiveSharing.com always has great tips and info on being happy at work, but this article on hiring happy people at the British based company Pret A Manger particularly caught my [...]

By: Kiz

Kiz — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:01:05 +0000

Pret’s about to open up a shop just in front of the metro station I take to work every day. I wonder how they’ll turn out…

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:08:19 +0000

Trader Joe’s. Ok, thanks Maia, watch this space! If anyone has a contact at Trader Joe’s that wouldn’t mind me getting in touch with them – let me know!

Sam

By: Maia Berens

Maia Berens — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:04:51 +0000

Amazing that the notion to treat employees well and involve them in the decisions that affect their working life is revolutionary but with the rise of the corporation as a living, breathing entity beholden only to the shareholder this is not done almost anywhere. Another company you might want to take a look at is Trader Joe’s in the U.S. I love going in there and I’m sure the employees love working there. They always seem so happy.

By: Geoffry

Geoffry — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:11:16 +0000

Hire happy people…. I don’t know. In my experience happy people are more likely to be too gullible, so if you’ve got a company full of only happy people you’re less likely to spot problems before they happen…

You need sceptics too in a company, people who think of all the things that can go wrong, and who warn you about them…. Often happy people won’t do that, because they think things are just all good, when in reality they’re maybe not.

So, I don’t think your advice is sound, Kjerulf.

By: Ron Meledandri - Sentra Business Solutions

Ron Meledandri - Sentra Business Solutions — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:20:24 +0000

Hiring a happy person and teaching them to make sandwiches is DEFINITELY the right philosophy. In the eary 1970s I offered a programming job to a person who had never written a computer program. When he asked why I would hire him, I explained that I knew he was a hard working, dependable individual who always did his best. I could teach him how to program a lot easier than I could try to turn an experienced programmer into a hard working, dependable employee.

By: Duane Ford

Duane Ford — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:27:32 +0000

It’s something employees should note also. The best way to get your boss’s attention (and promotions) is to be happy and enthusiastic about what you’re doing. Nobody likes a grouch, esp. employers.