While I’m attending a conference at the LEGO HQ in Billund, Denmark please enjoy these great (and happy) links.

The Proper Use for Post-its.
Frode Heimen finds a great use for post-its and a great way to praise people.

A few days ago I wrote one post-it note to all my employees, they all started with these words: “I appreciate you because…” and I tried to write what I genuine appreciate about each one, all notes ended up differently, as all of them are appreciated for different reasons.

I thought this was a fun thing to do at the office and I hoped it would make them smile for a while. This evening I was walking around at the office and noticed that several notes where hanging at their partition wall. And I started to realize that this really meant a lot for some of them.

Pay Peanuts, Get Monkeys
Rowan Manahan goes to work on the bail-out mentality. Hilarious!

“And now, you want us to prop up your business.”
“Well clearly we can’t let the savings and deposits of millions of investors …”
“But while we’re propping up your business for all those unfortunate millions of investors, you expect ‘business as usual’ when it comes to your remuneration?”
“Of course!”
“Of course? Why of course?”
“Well if salaries or bonuses drop, we won’t be able to hold onto the brightest and best minds in the industry!”

“I see. And these would be the brightest and best minds who devised and implemented the strategies that have led to the collapse of all these institutions?”
“Ah yes, but as I said, conditions became very hostile …”
“Mmmmm, very hostile. Because someone had the temerity to ask how much the houses behind the Triple-A paper were actually worth?”
“Well when you put it like that, it just sounds stupid …”

And finally the coolest thing I’ve ever seen on a plane: A flight attendant who raps.

That’s happiness at work right there!

My new book is coming out on May 14 and I just got to see the front cover design for the first time:

Unlike my first book which came out in English first and then Danish this one is coming out in Denmark first. The title means “Hooray, there’s a crisis – use it as a springboard for more happiness, progress and profits at work.”

It sounds a LOT better in Danish :o)

The theme of the book is happiness at work in a crisis (duh!). This is of course inspired by the current financial crisis but the book is directed at any workplace in trouble.

The book has three central claims:
1: Most of what companies traditionally do in a crisis doesn’t work.
The way many organizations typically handle crises is by cutting back on all expenses and doing mass layoffs. While this can be necessary, studies actually show companies who choose this approach recover more slowly.

2: It is possible to be happy at work even in a workplace in trouble.
Of course it’s easier to be happy when everything is going swimmingly, but people can still be happy at work in a crisis. It takes determination and focus, but it can be done. Surprisingly, a crisis can make people happy at work, provided that it becomes a reason for people to focus and pull together – rather than an excuse to give up.

3: Happy workplaces get out of a crisis faster.
Especially in a crisis, an organization needs to get the best out of its people – and when we’re happy at work we are more motivated, creative and productive.

I’ve got plenty of real-life stories and case stories of people and companies who refused to just give in to tough times and instead used them to create even more happiness. My favorite story from the book is the one about Xilinx, a computer chip company in Silicon Valley whose revenues fell to about half during the dotcom implosion. Their CEO Wim Roelandts refused to do what everyone else in the IT industry did (ie. mass layoffs) and instead found a more creative way that brought the organization out of the crisis stronger and faster than their competitors.

This is Karl of Work Happy Now. I had an amazing time guest posting on Alex’s blog. I hope to be back again soon. If you want to stay updated on my thoughts and ideas then follow me on Twitter and we’ll stay in touch.

When I first got out of college I worked for a small company. One of my co-workers was always coming up with new ideas. I was in awe. It seemed to come so easily to him, coming up with a new avenue for advertising or improving a process in the warehouse.

I sat back and just admired his skills.

He got the promotion.

Watch and Learn

It wasn’t until after I left that job that I realized that I needed to use his formula and emulate others like him. That’s when I began to watch other superstars within the companies I worked for – how they handled upper management, why their ideas were better than most, and their work ethic.

If they used PowerPoint in an effective way, I borrowed their techniques and made them my own. There is an old saying: you can tell a lot of a person by who they admire. But I believe you can tell even more of a person by who they emulate.

Career Superheroes

You have people around you who can teach you skills that will take your career to a new level if you are willing to try their techniques. That means copying their style then slowly changing it to fit your needs. Believe me, there are graduate classes inside every business. It’s up to you to pay attention and figure out who is the best teacher.

Who did you admire in your first job or career? Did you have a boss or co-worker with mad skills? Why did you admire them so much? It’s always nice to pass on a compliment to a person who has played an important role in your life.

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, How to Change Your Company’s Office Culture.

Image courtesy of billerickson

This is Karl of Work Happy Now, having a blast guest posting for Alex while he is snowboarding in Whistler. 

The Gen Yers are licking their chops as the old guard is losing their jobs. I know it’s not fair, but times are tough and companies need to make room for cheaper alternatives who have excellent education.

Many companies will do the usual and promote their young employees and increase their pay. If you read this blog on a semi-regular basis you know this isn’t good enough. You have to have a whole plan to retain the young superstars.

Create a Fun Environment

When was the last time you had a little party with some music and laughter? When was the last time you sent out a thank you to everyone in the company?

Creating a fun environment doesn’t take much time or money. All it takes is a little planning and effort. We often don’t feel we have time to do this. If you don’t take the time to celebrate, create a sharing environment and encourage people to let loose then fear will set in. Fear leads to bad decision making.

You need to let your superstars have fun and do great work. If they feel that they are free to create, laugh and share their ideas with one another, they will produce great results.

Pay Above Average and Include Perks

I know money isn’t everything, but companies who show that they care really make a difference. Sometimes a bonus or a little extra perk make an employee feel good. They feel like their hard work was noticed.

Your superstars are aware that their talents are valuable, so make sure you pay them what they’re worth. Co-workers talk to each other and research what other people are earning. If you pay too low they won’t stick around unless you’re some amazing non-profit that fills their souls with love.

You will also need to have some perks that keep them engaged in their work. If a young superstar is working harder than his peers then he wants managers and co-workers to notice. Compliments, when deserved, go a long way to showing a person that the company cares about the employee’s needs.

Provide Comprehensive Training

Now that a superstar is on board you have to train the employee using every tool at your disposal. The whole company should be involved. Most companies have trainers. They teach you the basics of how to do the job, but they often don’t have in-depth training. You need to teach your young employees how you would like them to interact with customers and clients. And keep teaching them on a consistent basis, so they know exactly what will make them successful.

They also need to be taught that it’s okay to fail. This may burn the company many times, but by giving them the freedom to learn on the job you’ll be supporting forward thinking productivity. The time put in at the beginning and throughout his/her career will help make the superstar successful and more confident.

Meet the Employee’s Needs

Some companies are so afraid of losing a superstar that they just pay way too much without really finding out what the employee’s other needs are. Many superstars just want to work one day from home. Other superstars want the freedom to try their own projects.

Ask them what they need and implement a system that helps both company and employee. If they want to work on their own projects then try it the Google way. Give them 10% of the work week to do whatever they want as long as they can prove that it will help the company.

Allow Anonymous Feedback

Dave Balter of Bzzagent asks employees what they want changed within the company. Employees submit anonymous requests through a little box. The coordinator organizes all the requests and every one is discussed at a regular meeting to air out the problems.

Dave Balter was surprised that it was usually the small things that bugged the employees. One employee wanted 4 prong forks in the kitchen instead of the 3 pronged forks that were presently there because it wasn’t easy to eat salads.

Make sure you give superstars the opportunity to air problems and solutions, so they make their work environment as enjoyable as possible.

All of these ideas should be applied to every employee, but I knew I could catch your attention if I made this article about superstars. Now that you know five great ways to retain employees, try implementing one of these each month for the next five months. Check back with us and tell us how successful your employee retention strategy was.

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, You Are Awesome.

Image courtesy of shindohd

This is Karl of Work Happy Now, having a blast guest posting for Alex while he is snowboarding in Whistler. 

I’ve researched high and low to see if any company gives their employees a paid day off to celebrate their company anniversary. I couldn’t find any. If my company did that I would most definitely appreciate it.

What a nice reward for helping the company complete another successful year.

I was hired at my present company on September 22^nd. If I could have that day off every single year it would be a nice little perk that I would tell my friends and family about.

Always Remember:

If a company treats its employees well, they will tell other people.

I know that I like to give my money to a company that treats my friends well.

A little perk like a day off on an employee’s company anniversary will ripple through the employee’s lives. They will tell their friends and family. Then those people will tell their friends and family. You get two degrees of marketing by making the employee happy.

It’s a gift that keeps giving.

I guarantee that they will come back on that next day with a refreshed mind, ready to do some great work.

Do you think your company would give you a paid day off on your company anniversary?

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, Forcing a Smile Can Make You Happy.

This is Karl of Work Happy Now, having a blast guest posting for Alex while he is snowboarding in Whistler. 

I recently watched a presentation by Alex the Chief Happiness Officer. He explained how employees at Pet Butler pick up dog poop in the Ohio area (USA) and they love their jobs.

Most of you probably scrunched up your faces, just at the thought of picking up dog poop for a living. This is understandable.

Your next thought was probably, “I could never do that!”

Maybe you couldn’t, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be enjoyable. The fact is that we need people to perform this service. Some people don’t have the time. Many people are disabled and they can’t do it themselves. This company allows them to keep their dogs. Without them, many people would have a bacteria infested backyard.

The people who work for this company have tied their emotional needs to this job. They know that their work is needed and appreciated. They also know that it helps the environment. Dog poop that runs off into streams and rivers can contaminate the water.

When trying to work happy, one of the most important factors is our feelings.

• Do we feel appreciated?
• Do we enjoy the work?

When we answer yes to both of these questions – most likely the job feels good. When a job feels good then that’s all that matters.

What can you do to align your feelings to your present job? What would it take to open up some new attachments to make your job more meaningful?

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, Forcing a Smile Can Make You Happy.

Image courtesy of mrobenalt

This is Karl of Work Happy Now guest posting for Alex while he is snowboarding in Whistler. We are going to have a blast so stay tuned for some really cool ideas.

Many of you probably already know I’m a big advocate of personal development in the work place. The more we can reflect on our lives and do more of what we know makes us happy, the easier it is to create the habits that support our goals.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how hard people are on themselves. It’s this inner bully that can wreck much of our happiness if we don’t learn to tame the beast. This article will give insight into loving your inner bully.

You expect to make more money, be a better parent or get better grades. Very few of us can actually exceed our own expectations because as soon as we meet them we want a little more. This is common, but can be very detrimental to our growth.

I understand that you have high expectations of yourself, but you can’t be good at everything. It’s best to pick a couple of skills, master them, then move on to improving new talents. This advice is easy for me to say, but actually hard for me to live.

My Inner Bully Can Be A Tyrant

I’ve put in many 8 hour days on a Saturday and Sunday to improve Work Happy Now, and at times I still feel disappointed in my accomplishments. I still get angry at myself, although not as often, because of my lack of productivity. I’m tough on myself because I expect great things.

A few months ago, I realized that my inner bully was too harsh. I had put in another 16 hour weekend of work and I couldn’t fall asleep because I was thinking about what I didn’t get accomplished.

I tried to just ignore him, but that didn’t work. It only made him angrier. I tried reasoning with him, nope, didn’t work. I tried many methods that all failed. The technique I should have tried which (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and every other major religion encourages) is compassion.

I needed to give my inner bully a big ol’ hug and thank him for all his caring, but also let him know that he needed to tone down his harsh ways. I wasn’t sure how to actually do this. I’m a progressive guy, but I feel weird about wrapping my arms around myself and giving a big hug while saying, “I understand your pain and I know why you push me so hard, but you need to take it easy. I can’t conquer the online world in a few months. These things take time.”

I decided to create a little visualization that has helped me bring more compassion and happiness to my life. I call it the “Bullies Need Hugs Too.”

Before you try this visualization, you must find a comfortable chair, sit in it and close your eyes.

Bullies Need Hugs Too – Visualization

Now imagine that you are sitting in a tranquil room all by yourself. You are feeling relaxed…Now in comes your inner bully. That mean bloke who is never satisfied. The only difference between the two of you is s/he has on a red shirt that says, “I’m sorry” in bright white letters with a sad face underneath. How can you stay mad?

First, you must thank him/her for all their hard work. You’ve cultivated this inner bully to get stuff done. Believe me, if you didn’t have this inner bully you probably wouldn’t have kept going into work. S/he does good work, but sometimes s/he gets out of control.

Second, admit that you are at fault. You allowed this inner bully to get more and more power because you thought it was helping you.

Third, explain that you are trying to cultivate a more encouraging attitude. You understand that s/he meant well, but you are able to do good work without your inner bully being a big tyrant. Let him/her know that you don’t want him/her to disappear.

When you’ve only been able to sleep 4 hours and you have an important meeting, you want your inner bully to kick his/her big bulliness into high gear. In cases such as when you work your butt off and things don’t all go according to plan - you need the inner bully to sit in the corner and cheer you on. Try to imagine your inner bully just smiling and giving you amazing compliments that make you smile too.

Fourth, Stand up (in your imagination) and give your inner bully a hug. Tell him/her that you both have a lot of work to do to realize your dreams, so s/he better be ready for even more encouragement and tough love, depending on the situation.

When we meet our inner bully half way, we can create a relationship that won’t wreck our confidence or our love of productive work. If your inner bully is strong, I would suggest using your break at work (10 minutes) sitting by yourself and practicing this visualization for 7 days in a row. After 7 days you’ll see a big improvement in your attitude. You’ll enjoy taking on new challenges and you’ll find it easier to appreciate your accomplishments.

I’ve been able to enjoy my hard work without worrying about what didn’t go quite right. It has taken many years, but I’ve finally formed a friendship with my inner bully. We are now partners in blogging crime. :)

Do you have a technique to calm your inner bully that you would like to share with us in the comments? I’ll see you there.

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, Your Company Should Do Annual Career Counseling.

Image courtesy of Eddie~S

This is Karl of Work Happy Now guest posting for Alex while he is snowboarding in Whistler. It’s going to be a fun couple of weeks so stay tuned for some really cool ideas.

My friend Stacy works for a technology company and she struggles to make friends. She’s in the customer service department, and is on the phone most of the day. When it’s time to go to lunch, no one from her department can go with her because they take lunches in shifts.

She feels awkward about going up to people and introducing herself. She’s not sure what to do because she likes the work, but not the job.

I’ve been in her position. I worked for a small leather manufacturing company that sold toy horse saddles, wallets and brief cases. I was stuck making sales calls all day long, and I disliked the job as a result of my lack of social interactions.

I highly value finding and making friends at work. It can make the difference between loving and hating a job.

Penelope Trunk of Brazen Careerist also believes a friendship can change your work experience.

“Here’s some advice for those of you who don’t like your job: Maybe your job is not your problem. Maybe it’s that you are not trying hard enough to make friends at work. People with one friend at work are much more likely to find their work interesting. And people with three friends at work are virtually guaranteed to be very satisfied with their life.”
- Penelope Trunk - You will like your job more if you make a friend at work

This post will not be about directing you to break out of your shell and be outgoing. This post is about helping various kinds of personalities figure out the best way to make friends at work.

Everyone is different and has individual needs.

Personality Types

Shy

If you are afraid of rejection then you probably have some instances in your past that hold you back from making new friendships. I’m not going to go all “Freud” on you and make you dive into your past. You don’t need to overcome these feelings to make new friends. You need to acknowledge that this plays a big role in your social interactions.

Let’s say Stacy is afraid of just going up to people and saying something as simple as, “Hi, I’m Stacy.”

Stacy has to play to her strengths. Instead of reaching out, she needs to figure out how to get people to reach out to her. I would suggest that she makes cookies for every department with whom she is in contact. Send them all an email explaining that she appreciates their help and these cookies are the best way she knows how to show them that she cares.

If someone made cookies for my department, I sure as heck would walk up to them and say thank you.

Instead of being the hunter, a person who is shy needs to figure out alternative methods that bring people to his/her world.

Grumpy

Some of my favorite people have been my grumpy co-workers. They are a pain because a lot of them like to complain, but my take on it is that they just feel every situation very deeply.

The only way they know how to deal with it is to be grumpy.

If you are a grumpy person 2 out of 5 days a week then you have to put yourself in the grump category. This isn’t a bad label, just one you have to work with.

You can do this by being a good empathizer. People love to complain. If people know that they can come to you for support and a “friendly ear,” it can make a job easier to handle.

We all need stress relief. Giving people stress relief will endear you to many of your co-workers. Be forewarned that you may be putting yourself in the empathizer role, which means people will keep coming to you to vent.

Outgoing

Everyone thinks that the outgoing person has the easiest time making friends. This isn’t necessarily true. They may talk to a lot of people, but still may not have any close friends upon whom they can rely.

Outgoing people usually aren’t very good listeners. I’m not here to tell you to develop your listening skills. I’m here to tell you to go with your strengths.

If you are outgoing, then get people laughing.

We all love a good joke to release some tension and create a fun experience. You may want to memorize a joke each morning for the next couple of weeks. What usually happens is people will want to laugh with you. They will want to tell jokes too. This is where you need to step back and let other people shine.

You get the laughing rolling then let other people join in.

Black Sheep (aka weird one)

I always considered myself the black sheep. I think many of us consider ourselves to be the black sheep in the family when we first start working a job.

Black sheep like to think of themselves as weird and special. We are all weird and special in our own way. I love to do push-ups in the park when I take a break. I have a co-worker who talks about her kid every single day and all day long.

We all have quirks. It’s up to you to find people’s quirks and accept them. If someone loves “The Simpsons” then talk to them about it. Make them share their lives with you. When they start sharing who they are they will consider you a friend – a friend who loves them for them, without any judgments.

Relaxed

If you are a laid back person who just goes with the flow, good for you. I wish I had that ability. I’m actually working on letting this become a larger part of my personality.

The problem is that people who are laid back and relaxed usually don’t ignite friendships. They are so liaise-fair that no one becomes attached to them.

When you are a “relaxer” at work, you need to show other people that you care. When someone talks about one task that they struggle with during the day, try to bring it up the next day to show them that you were listening.

Showing people that you care about them will allow them to care about you.

Methods Review:

- Bring them to you

- Empathizer

- Make them laugh

- Share experiences

- Relax and Enjoy

Bonus

Invite a co-worker to lunch.

If all else fails, just invite a co-worker to lunch and get to know someone better. As long as they don’t get the lobster bisque with salmon and rice, then offer to pay for their meal.

Do you feel that having friends at work is important factor for your work happiness? What do you do to make more friends at work? Do you have a best friend at work? Have you ever quit a job because you didn’t have any friends? Let’s discuss in the comment section.

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or read one of his most popular articles, How Does Google Create a Great Atmosphere?

Image courtesy of nelgallan

We have a new partner in crime! Or rather in happiness :o)

We’ve been emailing with Karl Staib for a while now, and we finally got a chance to meet him at the WorldBlu conference in New York in October ’08.

Here’s a short piece that Karl wrote to introduce himself. If you need a US-based speaker on happiness at work, Karl’s your man! Karl will also be guest blogging here over the next couple of weeks while I’m om vacation snowboarding in Whistler!!.

Karl of Work Happy Now

Alex asked me to introduce myself because I’ve been helping spread the work happiness message. I’ve learned a lot from talking to Alex and reading his book and blog. He introduced me to the concept of happiness at work and the importance of creating an atmosphere that encourages great work and fun at the same time.

My Working Woes

I’ve struggled with working happy at most of my jobs. It’s why I started Work Happy Now. I knew there was a better way to work instead of enduring the torture I had been through. I researched books, websites, and online video (before YouTube kicked in).

I found Alex’s site and was floored by the content. I literally fell back in my chair. There was a likeminded person who was actually making a difference within organizations! I got up out of my seat and did a little happy dance. I found my passion. I wanted to help people work happier. It wasn’t that quick and easy to find my passion, but just know that Alex lit the fuse.

Work Happy Now

So after years of research (business books, personal development books, interviews and my own internal discoveries) I created “Work Happy Now” over a year ago and have been going strong ever since.

I’ve committed to going out and helping people who struggle at work like I had done. Work happiness should be available to all of us. There are so many tools at our disposal. We are living in a golden age of work. Managers can’t just tell us to shut up and do our work. Well they can, but most managers take our feelings into account.

There are companies like Google, Southwest airlines, and Starbucks that are leading the employee revolution. They know that a happy employee will produce better results, stay at their job longer, and care about the success of the company.

According to Alex, and I agree, we need to focus on two main themes when trying to improve our working environment:

• Results

• Relationships

When we have a chance to accomplish great work and do it with people we like, our work becomes more enjoyable.

Alex has a brilliant quote in is his presentation:

“Each individual should work for himself. No one wants to sacrifice himself for the company. People come to work in the company to enjoy themselves.”

- Soichiro Honda

Companies can truly thrive when they can start caring about their employees’ emotional needs, and stop the faulty thinking that as long as they pay their employees they will work hard.

Giving Work Happiness Presentations

I will be giving work happiness presentations using Alex’s time tested techniques. I’ve made his presentation my own, changing a few things here and there, but never veering off from the core concepts.

If you are interested in hiring me to come to your company, please visit my “Hire Me” page and let me help your company improve its happiness and productivity.

Thanks to Alex

Alex has been a huge help in guiding me through the beginning phases of getting my speaking career off the ground. So if you want to hire me while I’m still a bargain, you should act now. My rates won’t stay low for very long.

For those of you who are not quite ready to bring me in to your organization, you can always check out Work Happy Now and sign up for email updates. That way you can stay updated on the latest ideas (my blog has a different twist than Alex’s blog) and improve your work happiness from additional angles.

Is there a better way out of a corporate crisis than layoffs? I’ve long felt that there has to be, and back in 2001 when my own IT company was deep in the hole, we fought hard to avoid laying off anyone (and succeeded).

I’m currently writing my second book which will be about keeping an organization happy during a crisis and one of the case stories I’ll be using is so good, that I just had to share it here.

The story is quite long, but it shows very clearly that there are better ways to handle a financial crisis than layoffs and panic. Enjoy!

The economy may be bad, but Wim Roelandts isn’t really bothered much by that because, as he told me, this is his 8th. recession so far.

Wim’s worst crisis as a leader came in 2000 when Xilinx, a computer chip manufacturer based in  Silicon Valley, got hit hard and fast by the dot-com crisis. In the December 2000 quarter their revenue was $450 million – 9 months later, their revenues for the September 2001 quarter was down to only $225 million.

Something had to be done, and fast, but what? Wim Roelandts, an affable Belgian who is usually seen with a smile on his face, was the CEO back then and was clearly facing some tough decisions. And while Xilinx’ closest competitors wasted little time in firing a large percentage of their staff to cut costs, Wim felt here had to be a better way.

He came up with a plan for his organization and the 2.800 people in it and called it “Share the pain”.

The plan had three simple components.

Read the rest of this entry »