For decades employers have tried every trick in the book to motivate staff to work harder and faster. Business owners worldwide will agree that employee motivation is no laughing matter, yet a touch of happiness in the workplace may be the very thing to inspire even the most apathetic employees.
The iOpener Institute has made it their mission to provide practical solutions to workforce issues through research and science. One of these issues is the relationship between employee motivation and happiness at work.
In their efforts to improve employee productivity old-school managers rely on phrases like: "Work harder." "Work later." "Suck it up." "Don't do it like that."
These comments have a negative focus. Past trends also indicate a tendency to "bring out the big guns and throw money at training and team-building only when there's a problem that needs fixing" ,says Neshika Bell, Community Mentor and Licensed Practitioner, iOpener Institute.
But times are changing and these outdated methods are no longer acceptable as employees expect a deeper level of respect and consideration from managers.
"If we go back to the Industrial Revolution, people were treated as machines. They were there to do a job, and they were to leave their feelings at home..."
Today, employees have more choices, more opportunities and are expressing a greater need to feel a sense of fulfilment and meaning at work.
