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Happywork TV Episode 30: Give Veterans a Chance!

Posted on January 8, 2015 // 1 Comment

 
In Episode 30 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in The Happywork Agreement, the work code of conduct I’ve written to help bring happiness to the sorriest workplaces.

It’s a followup to Episode 29, in which I asked employers to never discriminate against others when hiring. I mentioned veterans in that commitment, but wanted to pull this issue out and give it its own commitment. It goes like this: “I have something extra to say about veterans. I will give veterans the same chance I give every job applicant. The fact that they ‘saw some crazy stuff’ when serving their country in battle has nothing to do with anything. In fact, their ability to manipulate multi-million dollar equipment under extreme circumstances would seemingly make them very worthy candidates.”

So it’s easy enough to tell your HR department, “Stop discriminating against minorities when you’re hiring for a position.” That alone may not work. This book and its Happywork Agreement might not work! But we have to try.

Racism and discrimination makes no sense to me. It’s not based on anything except taught prejudice, AND it’s inefficient to hate on others. Your company is losing money if you don’t hire the best people!

I decided to pull this veteran issue out and make it a separate commitment, because this REALLY doesn’t make sense to me. As I’m writing from the United States, I’ll speak about us. We send people of every sex, ethnicity, income level – we send EVERYBODY into battle. Every capable body, no matter which tribe you come from, goes to war for us. This melting pot of people comes home, and now they’re “Veterans.” I cannot think of a good reason why their unemployment rate should be so much higher than average. Can you?

This just doesn’t compute for me. I want to change the parts of the world that make no sense to me.

I’ve shared this previously, but this book of mine was borne out of my childhood. My mother didn’t like her job, but kept going to it to support my brother and me. Good reason, I suppose, but my adolescent brain couldn’t square the circle. WHY would she work a job she didn’t like? My passion for happiness in the workplace came out of that failed computation. And this veteran issue is another one that simply doesn’t add up.

They’re good people, with a unique set of skills. Their unemployment rate should not be statistically different than the national average.

Give veterans the same chance you’d give any applicant!

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Watch Episode 29 here!

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IMPORTANT STUFF!

Download chapters 1-3 of my book for free!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Thank you!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 29: Don’t Discriminate in Hiring Decisions

Posted on January 8, 2015 // Leave a Comment

 
In Episode 29 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in The Happywork Agreement, the work code of conduct I’ve written to help bring happiness to the sorriest workplaces.

It goes like this: “I will not discriminate in our hiring decisions, except when it comes to talent. I need great people, no matter what they look like. I will not base my choices on race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. In fact, to do so would be foolish, as I would be severely cutting down the available pool of talent from which to choose.”

There are laws on the books against discrimination, so you might question the need to put such a commitment in The Happywork Agreement. First, one look around should tell you that the world is still full of hatred, racism, and discrimination. Our laws don’t seem to be preventing people, especially ones in power, from discriminating. And in states like Missouri, you can still legally be fired for being gay.

So this commitment to hire the very best no matter what is completely necessary.

Let’s admit this: sometimes it’s difficult to get along with those not like us. And it’s much easier to feel comfortable around people who in fact are like us. I enjoy getting to know people, especially ones who’ve lived a different kind of life than I have. But not everyone shares that zest for diversity.

OK, think of it this way. Boil it down to money: it is straight-up inefficient to discriminate when hiring. You could be missing out on the best people! I am NOT saying, “Make sure you hire some black people, and some Asians, and some gay people too!” NO. Hire the best, period. Hire great human beings! That’s it. Give everyone a fair shake. Every applicant that walks through your door deserves a transparent, fair vote, up or down. (Your existing employees also deserve to be treated fairly, but this commitment is about hiring practices).

This commitment may seem simplistic, or even idealistic, but we’re all made from the same stuff. We look different, and have varied life experiences, but we’re all human beings. It’s time to grow up and stop hating on each other, and the workplace is a fine place to start.

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Watch Episode 28 here!

— — — — —

IMPORTANT STUFF!

Download chapters 1-3 of my book for free!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Thank you!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 27: Try to Understand the Perspective of Your Employees

Posted on December 24, 2014 // Leave a Comment

BY THE WAY: Why did I call this “Episode 21?”
 
In Episode 27 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in my work code of conduct called “The Happywork Agreement.”

This one is made by employers/managers to their employees. It goes like this: “It may have been a long time since I was last a ‘blue collar’ worker, or perhaps I have never been anything but ‘well off.’ This may cause me and my employees to think we do not have much in common, and in certain instances, this may be so. The entire point of The Happywork Agreement is to foster understanding by at least imagining what it’s like to walk in each other’s shoes, so I will try to do so if you, the employee, will try.”

You can’t truly understand other people until you walk in their shoes. At work, ownership and the rank and file are most often really different kinds of people. Fine champagne and Busch beer mixed together, so to speak. They awkwardly join up at work and try to make a go of it, but they don’t understand each other. Employees really don’t know how hard it to run a company. “Cush jobs” at the top, they think. Far from it! And most of the time, ownership doesn’t really know what workers go through. They lack the perspective to understand their employees, what goes on in their personal lives, what it’s like to juggle tight finances … and that makes me think that they may not be well-suited to construct a workplace that takes the needs of employees into account.

And, when you don’t understand where others are coming from, you’ll often find yourself unnecessarily at odds with them. Not considering the point of view of others, and WHY they have that point of view, has led to some of our planet’s deadliest wars. You can be sure this causes problems at work, too!

Of course, you have the option to ignore the needs of your employees, but that’s just stupid.

Construct a happy workplace by looking at your organization from the point of view of your employees.

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Watch Episode 26 here!

— — — — —

IMPORTANT STUFF!

Download chapters 1-3 of my book for free!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Thank you!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 26: Companies Should Operate in a Family-First Manner

Posted on December 22, 2014 // 1 Comment

 
In Episode 26 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in my work code of conduct called “The Happywork Agreement.”

This one is made jointly by employers and employees. It goes like this: “Vunorri Inc. cannot always operate in a family-first manner, but we are going to try as hard as we can. The world is different now. Dads work in concert with moms to take care of their kids. Not everyone has a robust support network they can rely on. A sick child at home is a problem that a family needs to tend to. An employee’s family is going to be more important to them than the organization is, and I will work hard to remember that. We are not going to go out of business because an employee had to leave work to comfort a puking child. We should be stronger than that.”

The world is changing … slowly, but surely. Here in the United States, I feel like we are ever so slowly starting to realize that work-life balance is a job perk worth searching for (and defending, once you have it).

Here’s what I find hilarious. There are proud, driven, sometimes utterly insane company owners out there who actually take offense when you don’t show as much love for their company as you do your own family. I love entrepreneurs with a dream. I like hard work. I like drive – wish I had more of it sometimes. But if you think I’m going to like your business more than my family, you’re cuckoo.

No, I am not oversimplifying this. Break this down to its essential parts – it’s the moment when your child gets sick. Who can break away from work – you? Or your spouse? (and that’s if you have a spouse). If your spouse has a jerk boss, and you do too, who’s going to risk their job here to go get the puking kid from school? I am angering some of you with this sensational example, but sorry folks. Shit like this happens too often. A “reliable” employee is one that never misses a day and never leaves early? What bullshit.

It’s time to grow up. Let’s again realize that our jobs are important, but they are just one part of our lives. Our jobs need to fit into the positive user experience called our lives. It’s not the other way around.

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Watch Episode 25 here!

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IMPORTANT STUFF!

Download chapters 1-3 of my book for free!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Merci!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 25: Leave Politics and Religion Out of the Workplace

Posted on December 20, 2014 // 1 Comment

 
In Episode 25 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in my work code of conduct called “The Happywork Agreement.”

This one is made jointly by employers and employees. It goes like this: “We commit to not get caught up in each other’s politics and religion. It has nothing to do with work (unless we work for a political campaign, a politician, or a religious organization). As individuals, we may have strong convictions, but work is not the place to be politically or religiously expressive. We are going to leave this stuff out of the office environment. And besides, people who cannot see past their own political and religious biases are like robots, and poorly programmed ones at that.”

Much of my work with the book Happywork and the work code of conduct I call The Happywork Agreement dealt with human conflict. Why don’t we like our jobs? One big reason is the people! But why don’t we like those people? One reason is they’re different than us, and they sometimes make it a point to ensure that we know that. Quite simply, a Muslim might not be welcome among Catholics.

The workplace is a funny thing – yes, we do choose our places of work. We’re not conscripted into our jobs. However, for the most part, we don’t get to choose WHO we work with. They’re already there, and we often have no idea who those people are. Besides an extra interview or two, or maybe a whirlwind stroll around the office, you’ve never met your coworkers until day one.

Where does that leave you? Basically, you’ve landed the job (maybe of your dreams), and you’ve thrust yourself into a group of strangers who are not like you. It’s a combustible mix of races, ages, talent and ambition levels, religions, and political beliefs. And I think history has shown that such differences often cause humans to come to blows.

I’ve heard that conflict is good, and necessary. I think the expert who said this meant healthy conflict surrounding the direction of the company. I don’t think she meant, for instance, Republican owners intimidating their employees to vote Republican (yes, this has happened). I don’t think it meant ostracizing the one employee who’s religion is different than yours because he was born far, far away. These seemingly small differences aren’t small at all – they tear nations apart.

All we’re trying to do at work is 1. Do our job, 2. Provide for our families, and 3. Achieve great things. The historically divisive topics of politics and religion have nothing to do with our work, and must be left out of the workplace.

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Watch Episode 24 here!

— — — — —

IMPORTANT STUFF!

Download chapters 1-3 of my book for free!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Merci!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 24: Don’t Interrupt People Who Are Trying to Concentrate

Posted on December 18, 2014 // 1 Comment

 
In Episode 24 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in my work code of conduct called “The Happywork Agreement.”

This one is made jointly by employers and employees. It goes like this: “When a fellow employee must work in complete concentration, I will try to give that employee a chance to work uninterrupted. What can wait … will wait.”

As I say in the video, in a list of 46 commitments, some are going to be stellar, and some will be just so-so. Reflecting upon The Happywork Agreement, thinking of everything I cut out of it and what I decided to leave in there, it is possible this is one of the weaker ideas. (Although I’d love for you to vigorously disagree with me!).

Getting interrupted at work is not the cardinal work sin that’s tearing workplaces apart. However, let’s admit: it’s just bloody annoying!

I think we become disengaged at work, even grossly unhappy at work, because of big hairy problems, MIXED IN with small little daily crap that accumulates and gets on our nerves. So yes, let’s eliminate the human indecency at work: the abuse, the mind games, the discrimination – the BIG stuff. But hey, let’s take a crack at the little stuff, too. I think that’s where my head was when I put this in The Happywork Agreement.

Google famously allowed its employees to take 20% of their time for personal programming pursuits – I’d call that “thinking time.” It’s the exploration of your biggest ideas, without the pressure to perform. What a wonderful way to learn. At most jobs I’ve worked, I have not found a healthy respect for thinking time. In fact, at most companies, work flow and human communication are both rather dysfunctional. “Getting things done” a mixture of email, voicemail, text messages, memos, hallway conversations, and meetings that go on for twice as long as they needed to. All of this represents interruptions to our “flow” – the ability for us to put our heads down and crank out something beautiful.

Every time you’re interrupted, it takes you anywhere between 5-20 minutes to get back to what you were doing. In an 8-10 hour day, being interrupted 5 times steals a huge chunk out of your day (and 5 is being generous). You’d be more pleased with yourself if you were getting your work done. However, you were meeting with Sally, when all of a sudden, Larry poked his head in your office and started talking … while you and Sally were talking. Rude. Where were we again? In cases like this, I actually appreciate text messages and email for what they are – non-interruption-based communication.

If you see a comrade at the office, and they appear to be working hard, in deep concentration, ask yourself if your needs could be communicated to them in an email.

What do you think?

p.s. Here’s a link to the blog post I referenced in the video.

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Watch Episode 23 here!

— — — — —

IMPORTANT STUFF!

Download chapters 1-3 of my book for free!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Merci!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 23: Don’t Be a Chief Problem Identification Officer

Posted on December 16, 2014 // Leave a Comment

In Episode 23 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in my work code of conduct called “The Happywork Agreement.”

This one is made jointly by employers and employees. It goes like this: “We won’t publicly present a problem without offering at least one viable solution. Chief Problem Identification Officer is not a staffed role at this organization.”

Here’s a question for you: “Who’s good at identifying problems?” The answer is EVERYBODY! That makes problem identification not so special. Every job applicant in the world could take that job and rock it. Children are experts at identifying problems, which should tell you what you need to know about problem identification’s value to an organization. When my kids tell me, “I’m HUNGRY!” I just politely thank them for letting me know, and I wait for a solution-based request. I’m not trying to be a jerk dad, although I’m sure that’s how I come across. I want to them to think critically starting NOW – I want them to think about solving problems, and not just pointing them out.

Nothing is gained by people sitting around a conference room table bitching about all the problems an organization has. Besides, when everyone is complaining, everyone is also being negative, and negativity accumulates like plaque on teeth. It’s an ugly, insidious force, and it will drag you down!

You start making the big bucks when you can solve problems. You might not even need to identify a single problem in your career. That’s so easy to do, you could leave it to others. Find and implement solutions to those problems, and you’re the leader we need.

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Watch Episode 22 here!

— — — — —

IMPORTANT!

Download chapters 1-3 of my book for free!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Merci!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 22: Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately

Posted on December 14, 2014 // 1 Comment

In Episode 22 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in my work code of conduct called “The Happywork Agreement.”

This one is made jointly by employers and employees. It goes like this: “Praise will be public; complaining and criticism (whether constructive or not) will be private.”

This goes back to the simple notion that negativity, all things being equal, can be way more powerful than positivity. Ten compliments and one snarky jab, and which of the 11 interactions do you remember? You know the answer.

You can increase the power of negativity by heaping it on people while in the presence of others. If you tear someone a new YNW, and you do it in front of the whole company, yes that is WAY worse for that poor soul. Criticism should remain as private as possible. If you have a problem with me, come talk to me about it. We can discuss it in private.

What about praise? Some people don’t like to be praised publicly – so embarrassing. In my experience, even the people who claim to not like public praise really do like it. Everyone loves praise. Repeat: everyone loves praise. Some people are just a little more shy than others.

Praising publicly is a powerful motivational tool, and it’s part and parcel of just being a nice human being. On the flip side, criticism (even completely justified criticism) falls into the negativity family, and that needs to be handled more delicately.

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Watch Episode 21 here!

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IMPORTANT!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Merci!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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Happywork TV Episode 21: Employees Should Challenge Each Other to Be Their Very Best

Posted on December 11, 2014 // 1 Comment

In Episode 21 of Happywork TV, I present the next commitment in my work code of conduct called “The Happywork Agreement.”

This one is made jointly by employers and employees. It goes like this: “As employees, we will challenge each other to be our very best. Doing great work gives human beings the sense of significance they need and desire.”

In my work travels, I have found myself working with a melange of differently-talented people. Companies are full of superstars and clock watchers. Happy people and acerbic people. Glass-is-half-full people and glass-is-half-empty people (and some glass-is-totally-empty people, too). We all have different family lives, different goals, different backgrounds, and different motivations. We’re all REALLY different (one of the main points of my book).

Here’s an idea: it is US – the employees of an organization, from top to bottom – who should set the standard to live by. All of us – NOT just management. I will work hard, because I don’t want to let you, my coworker, down. It’s just how we live at Vunorri Inc. (the name of my fictitious company). We’re in this together. How does that sound to you? To me, it sounds like a powerful mindset. In most cases, losers (for lack of a better term) would self-select out of such a work environment. And winners would stay. We’d cooperate with each other more often, reaching company goals that much more quickly.

Instead of being forced by big bad management to perform at 150% capacity by using draconian management tactics, wouldn’t it be great if everyone came to work with a strong sense of purpose? Maybe expecting 100% attendance on this is far fetched, but there is nothing wrong with working toward perfection. It’s the journey toward greatness and the processes put in place during that journey, the camaraderie developed during the long haul, that really shape us and the companies we work at, and provide us a chance to feel fulfilled and happy.

What standard will you set for yourself? What standard will your organization set for itself?

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Watch Episode 20 here!

— — — — —

IMPORTANT!

Happywork is available for pre-order on Amazon – HERE!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my email newsletter! Pretty please – you’ll get these blog posts delivered to you automatically. Merci!

And subscribe on YouTube!

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