Happiness at work at Zappos
I’ve been inspired by Zappos for quite a while now. Not only are they insanely successful, it’s also a genuinely happy workplace, judging from all I’ve read about them.
Here’s a nice little piece from abc news that shows just how happy this company is:
MAN, that’s good to see :o)
Here are my top three reasons to love zappos.
1: They have a culture that promotes happiness at work
Zappos is committed to defining and living a positive, happy culture. Their values are:
1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble
That’s your recipe for happiness right there.
2: They pay new employees to quit
At the end of your training as a new Zappos employee, the company offers you $2000 if you quit right away. This means that the people who stay are committed to the company and the culture.
Here’s an interview where Bill Taylor (formerly of Fast Company) talks about it.
3: They behave like human beings. Great human beings
The fact that people are happy at work (yes, even the ones answering the phone) means that they give incredibly good customer service.
And often that service goes above and beyond. I dare you to read this story and not shed a tear.
The upshot
Zappos gets it, as do more and more companies. When a business puts its people first (not the customer and not the investors, but the people) you increase happiness, creativity, productivity and profits.
This is not rocket science – and companies like Google, Southwest Airlines, SAS Insititute, Disney, Pixar and many many others will testify to the fact that it works.
So how does your company prioiritize? Are employees at the top of the list – or is that spot taken by profits, growth, customers, or..?
connie Said,
July 10, 2009 @ 1:54 am
They’ve got happiness, now if they could just get some web site usability….
Frode H Said,
July 10, 2009 @ 8:04 am
Great! Looks wild!
I can’t believe why so few companies do this.
Frode
Anders Bendix Kiel Said,
July 10, 2009 @ 2:12 pm
Inspiring stuff!
I wanna ad this interview as well which shows how they are sincere about thier core values. http://www.building43.com/videos/2009/06/10/the-zappos-core-value-isnt-just-about-twittering/
Torley Said,
July 10, 2009 @ 4:10 pm
TRIUMPH, ALEX! THANKS FOR SPEAKING OUT.
More companies should emphasize their happy employees. Otherwise — well, customers simply won’t know, and since people tend to slide towards insecurity and fears when there’s nothing positive put forth, it starts to poison attitudes on both the outside and inside. Just like a work environment that tolerates abuse from customers instead of saying “NO! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE” and focuses on pleasing customers and employees that get along well, making for great business.
But one reason why more companies don’t is similar to the reasons for why there’re so many boring training materials: too many poor examples out there make the uninformed think this is the way it SHOULD be. Until such time “happiness at the work” is the norm (unlikely, I think it’ll always be for exceptional customers), we will see many cases of the foolish and boring leading the meek.
Here’re Linden Lab employees (where I work) doing a tip of the hat to Michael Jackson in our virtual avatar forms: https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/support/blog/2009/07/09/moonwalking-lindens
Mike Wagner Said,
July 10, 2009 @ 11:31 pm
Alex, very cool that you posted about Zappos using this ABC Nightline piece.
I show this video to client leadership teams as an example of what work life could be like. Many have never experienced anything like this. Most resist believing a business culture could be like this. They need to see “what could be”.
Always good to read your post and get jazzed.
Keep creating…a story worth repeating,
Mike
David Said,
July 11, 2009 @ 12:24 am
If you’re interested in a new approach to boost your happiness based on the latest positive psychology research, check out our iPhone app: Live Happy (there’s also a Free Trial version); it’s based on the work of Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of “The How of Happiness” and provides a unique method to create a personalized program to increase your happiness.
You can also learn more about the iPhone app on our Facebook page.
Chris Young Said,
July 13, 2009 @ 7:03 am
Great post Alex!
I have featured your post in my weekly Rainmaker ‘Fab Five’ blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2009/07/this-rainmaker-fab-five-blog-picks-of-the-week.html) to share with my readers.
Be well!
Annie Said,
July 14, 2009 @ 4:39 am
great post alex. Its really inspiring one. keep it up.
Office Humorist Said,
July 17, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
Great post Alex. It’s always inspiring to see companies doing it right. Now if I can just sneak this video to the CEO of most major companies…
transitvans Said,
July 30, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
Sounds like the perfect place to work really :)
john Said,
August 8, 2009 @ 12:13 pm
Great Post Alex. I think I should also share another unique one with the readers..
http://jamesrick.com/blog/four-steps-to-lucid-happiness/