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The very best from the site

Should you seek passion or duty at work? (Pssst: The answer is passion).

In an opinion pice in the New York Times, professor Firmin DeBrabrander argues that you should not approach work as your passion but as your duty. Looking for passion at work, he says, will make you stressed and is bound to fail anyway. I think that's complete nonsense! I know - what a shocker :) … Continue Reading ››

20 ways to measure happiness at work beyond the usual useless satisfaction surveys

Measuring employee happiness is a great idea. Sure, it has its problems. Any time you measure anything, you run the risk of getting bad data, the wrong data or making bad decisions based on the data. But it still makes sense for two main reasons. First and most obviously, if you measure employee happiness right, it can … Continue Reading ››

Employee engagement vs. happiness at work – what should companies focus on?

I met a manager recently who claimed in no uncertain terms that companies should forget all about employee happiness and focus only on engagement.  He argued that people can be happy at work without performing well, whereas employee engagement leads directly to better performance. I've actually heard this claim a few times recently, but it is … Continue Reading ››

Never ask employees what would make them happy. Here’s why.

Most managers have realized by now that happy workplaces are more productive, more creative, attract better talent and make more money. So if you were a well-meaning manager or HR person looking to capitalize on this and create a happier workplace, you might be tempted to start by asking your employees some version of this … Continue Reading ››