The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Category: Happy At Work

How to be happy at work

  • A question for ya

    ManBehindBarsmtekst

    Punch someone in the face, you go to jail. Be a bad manager who ruins employees’ lives for years and you face no consequences.

    Why is that? Write a comment – we’d love to know what you think.

  • Updating Happy Hour is 9 to 5

    Happy Hour is 9 to 5 by Alexander Kjerulf

    UPDATE: The book has already gone out and I’ve received the edits, updated the manuscript and sent it in to the publisher. Thank you to everyone who helped out!!

    I am currently updating my first book Happy Hour is 9 to 5 for its upcoming re-release with Pine Publishing.

    I wrote the book way back in 2007 and I want to make sure that the book is properly updated and still relevant.

    Would you like to help me?

    I’m looking for some people to read through the book (or just parts of it) and give me their honest feedback on what I should update.

    Would you like to help me out?

    If so, here’s what you must do:

    1. Write a comment below – don’t forget to include your name and email address
    2. I will email you the book as a pdf e-book
    3. You read it through and send me your comments back
    4. I update the book and will be eternally grateful :o)

    Thanks in advance.

  • Happiness on twitter

    twitterI blog a few times a week (usually) but I’m on twitter pretty much every day, so if you want more timely tips, links and ideas on happiness at work, consider following me on twitter.

  • Come with me to London

    FlagFly_logo1

    We’re organizing a 2-day trip to London for 20 Danish business leaders and HR people in January 2014.

    We’re going to visit and learn from some of the UK’s happiest and most successful workplaces and see how they approach leadership, happiness and results. It will be intense, fun and incredibly valuably.

    Read all about it and sign up here (in Danish).

    UPDATE: 11 of 20 tickets sold already. Woohoo!

  • Showdown: Does happiness at work pay?

    Showdown: Does happiness at work pay?

    Does happiness at work improve business results?

    Opinions differ, and so we’re arranging a showdown where two of Denmark’s leading experts will go mano a mano in front of an engaged audience.

    The experts are:

    • Jan Kristensen, Director of Lean Leadership at Novo Nordisk
    • Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer at Woohoo inc.

    Yes, that’s me. You get no points for guessing which side of the debate I’m on :o)

    The event will be held in English.

    Time:
    Thursday November 28, 16:00-19:00

    Place:
    DARE2 Mansion, Vermundsgade 13-15, Copenhagen

    Price:
    Free!!! But we only have room for 100 participants, so sign up quickly.

    Sign up:
    Send an email to simon.grum@avenir.dk

  • Friday Woohoo

    If you can dance… teach your boss:

    Have a very happy weekend :o)

  • Friday Woohoo

    Okay, THAT’S creative:

  • After Yahoo, HP now also bans working from home

    According to this article, HP has followed Yahoo in severely limiting when employees can work from home. From the memo to HP’s employees:

    “During this critical turnaround period, HP needs all hands on deck. We recognize that in the past, we may have asked certain employees to work from home for various reasons. We now need to build a stronger culture of engagement and collaboration and the more employees we get into the office the better company we will be.”

    I don’t buy it. Working from home doesn’t always make sense, but it makes perfect sense for many people in many situations. Working form home occasionally can actually make people more productive, because it eliminates many of the distractions in the workplace.

    HP cite the crisis they find themselves in as an excuse, saying that they need “all hands on deck.” Again, I don’t buy it. Why should working from home be fine in good times, but bad in tough times?

    Here’s what I think is going on: When a company is in trouble and executives are feeling the squeeze, they often experience a desire for more control. One way to have that is to force employees into the office.

    If there’s one thing I admire, it’s leaders who, in tough times, can stick to the same values and principles they espouse in good times. This is a good example.

  • Swiss study: Pay cuts lower performance, raises don’t improve performance

    MoneyHere’s a fascinating Swiss study into the effects of raises and pay cuts. The result:

    Wage cuts had a detrimental and persistent impact on productivity, reducing average output by more than 20 percent. An equivalent wage increase, however, did not result in any productivity gains.

    The cool thing about this study, is that it was done with actual employees in a workplace – not in a lab.

  • I must apologize

    I’m afraid I have to bring an apology.

    Danish electronics retailer FONA are losing money and have consequently told their employees to accept a 10% pay cut or they will be fired.

    I predicted on Friday that this would lead to a drop in employee happiness, customer service and sales and end up costing FONA more than they save.

    But it turns out I was wrong!! You see, a journalist has concluded that there is no ill will towards the company’s salary cuts. Employees don’t like it but will accept it, he writes.

    He concludes this after having visited 3 stores and talking to 2 store managers.

    So I was clearly in the wrong and companies can cut employees’ wages with impunity and no risk of negative effects :)

    Here’s the article in Danish.

    Yes, I’m being sarcastic :o)