How many times have we heard ‘HR’ and immediately thought of tedious recruitment processes, difficult communication channels, and forced team building exercises? More often than not, right?
Workplaces are often deemed sad and somber, with everybody just expected to switch their emotions off and work towards meeting deadlines. But this is changing with time. Workplaces are beginning to understand the importance of looking at employees not just as resources, but as humans first.
The position of a Chief Happiness Manager (CHM) or Office Happiness Manager (OHM) is based on the modern principles of people management - one based on the core principle of happiness at a workplace. While maintaining high morale and keeping productivity levels under check are still the primary responsibilities of an OHM, there’s more to their role in a team.
Traditional Human Resource Managers vs. Office Happiness Manager - A Shift from Office Management to People Management
Although a traditional HR is also responsible for the overall wellbeing of employees, the role of a Happiness Officer is redefining how it is done. A traditional HR is often seen as cold and working mainly for the benefit of the company and its business goals.
An Office Happiness Manager takes care, not only of the overall team’s wellbeing, but also the wellbeing of individuals and how they’re feeling on an individual level. All in all, they’re supposed to be the one friendly face in the workplace that everyone is comfortable with.
An Office Happiness Manager works on the basic principle that happier employees make better employees, because of which you’ll see the following traits in the way they function:
Empathy
While HRs also are the go to people for any work or non-work related issues, traditionally, people have seen a lack of empathy on their part. But that isn’t to be blamed on individuals who hold the position of an HR manager, but the outdated principles of HR management itself.
Office Happiness Managers look at people’s problems in a more empathetic manner and come up with solutions more for the individual level than for the company.
Team over business
Traditionally HR managers looked at any problems in light of how it would eventually affect the company and the business, but Happiness Managers work in a way to come up with solutions more for the individual, than the company.
Ofcourse, negative impacts on the business cannot be neglected altogether, but that isn’t the primary goal or perspective of a happiness manager.
Giving Employees a voice and a safe space
To ensure that people are happy and their needs are met they need to be able to communicate their issues in a hassle free manner. Proper channels, guidelines and an action path that ensures a response to their needs and ideas needs to be put in place.
Whether it’s a follow-up call or email after an interview or feedback on their activity, they need to know that someone is listening to them.
The Key is Happiness
It’s astonshing what happiness at a workplace can do for employee well being and the business as a whole. Employee management and retention can become very easy by adopting simple these simple steps to traditional people management.
Happiness Managers may or may not continue to be involved in all the processes that a traditional HR manager does. But if they do, all the areas including recruitment, onboarding, engagement, performance management and beyond are all looked at from a happiness-oriented approach.
