The above story:
Don't worry, be happy
It may sound obvious, but now it is official: a happy worker is a
productive worker.
A University of Sheffield study looked at 42 UK companies and asked
5,000 people about job satisfaction.
The researchers asked workers about how many repetitive tasks they
had to perform and the amount of freedom granted by their superiors.
They then compared this data with the firms' annual profits. This
showed with striking clarity that the greater the individual
employee's satisfaction, the higher the corporate rewards.
The link was prevalent in both white-collar and manual staffs.
The authors conclude that companies would make more money by varying
workers' job duties and giving them greater autonomy.
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Does it mean that if you treat the workers like people, involve them
in the business and if management and workers act co-operatively and
aim for quality of life all round that the business is successful?
> Gee.. like, this is *news* ?
Well, it would seem to be news to those who promote a
confrontational or master/slave model of business.
The trouble with competition is that:
a) there has to be losers. In fact, most participants are losers.
b) you cannot keep it up for long - it wears you out. Look at those
who exist to compete - sports persons. They spend only a small
amount of time actually competing, the rest of the time is spent
recovering or training.
Do we really want a society where failure is a constant threat and a
guaranteed reality for so many?
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-- Regards brdBernard Robertson-Dunn Canberra Australia brd@dynamite.com.au