Business Lounge
productivity and happiness The Pursuit
T
here is a belief that many new age company heads hold very dear. This belief is that the morale of their employees is directly related to their productivity and therefore happier workers are better workers. “Laid back” companies such as Google and Apple often boast about the lengths they go to ensure that their employees feel appreciated, needed and more importantly, happy. The idea itself is not new; 19th century utilitarian philosophers proposed that promoting happiness for the greatest number of people would result in the greatest good. At the same time, there was a separate school of thought who resisted this notion countering that this would lead to people becoming “contented cows”, easily led and manipulated. Would such a workforce be so bad? A docile set of employees willing to do what it takes to perpetuate their present existence hence perpetuating the productivity of the company. That’s certainly food for thought and large companies are lining up at the buffet. Productivity consultancy companies have urged managers to boost happiness rather than morale, the term morale they say is borne from the military style management that has been applied to the workplace over the years. Even with very little thought the idea seems to make sense; happy people are perceived as more creative, energetic, motivated and take a lot less sick days. This is all well and good, but how do you make everybody happy inside your company?
“
Would such a workforce be so bad? A docile set of employees willing to do what it takes to perpetuate their present existence hence perpetuating the productivity of the company.
The truth is that some of the effort spent on making unhappy workers happy could have been spent preemptively on selecting better workers for the job. Psychologist Nathan Bowling proposed in his latest paper that productivity and happiness are not paired in a cause and effect relationship rather they are related because both are impacted by an employee’s personality traits. Of course added perks to the work experience do promote employee loyalty and this increases the likelihood of your productive happy worker remaining happy. So do we nix all office morale boosting exercises? Probably not but some closer looks at our unhappy employees may lead to the realization that they will never be happy in this particular job because it is not the right fit. Happiness=Productivity or Productivity=Happiness? advertisment
”
The answer is that even with gym programmes, vibrant colours on the walls, sports programmes and any other morale boosting exercise you can think of, you will probably still fall short somewhere. What if we’ve been thinking about this in the wrong order? A kind of chicken and the egg conundrum per se. Does happiness lead to productivity or are productive people happier because they are producing? That plate is getting rather full of food for thought isn’t it? If the person hired for a particular job is as close to the right fit as is possible, making him happy might not be such a task. Google employees are more than likely ecstatic that they landed such an enviable job so the bean bag couches and low cubicle walls are mere sprinkles on a sundae. yourmoney ezine
insights
Social Media:
The Good News Bear?
A
The 1976 Walter Matthau film, “The Bad News Bears” could easily have been about a team of ultra-successful journalists rather than a motley crew of pre-pubescent baseball players. This may sound like a bit of a reach but considering the fact that journalists have long held the “bad news sells” belief in high regard, it fits pretty well. People’s interest in news spikes whenever the normalcy which they enjoy comes under threat, a fact that many have criticized the media for exploiting over the years. Whether it is terrorism, or a new form of the flu it is profitable for mainstream media to keep our public abreast of all of the ills of the world.
“
People’s interest in news spikes whenever the normalcy which they enjoy comes under threat, a fact that many have criticized the media for exploiting over the years.
”
Earlier this year, Jamaica’s international credits were all upgraded after they were slashed in the last quarter of the previous year. This positive development was downplayed so efficiently that it was almost as it had never happened. Compared to the hoopla created when they were first downgraded, this positive development registered a mere blip on most people’s radar.
Social media also incorporates the willingness of users to cooperate and share their content without the promise of compensation. Mainstream media comprises of competitors all trying to get an edge on each other while users of social media even though they might vie to be first, there is no need to be the sole owner of a piece of news. Bad news will dominate and what is reported in mainstream media will find its way to social media but with less filters and more sharing, good news is putting up a fight.
advertisment
Is mainstream media wrong for appealing to our seemingly basic need to be outraged, sad or aghast? Of course not, it is still a business, bad news is cheaper and generates a lot more interest so why not? Well, there might be a game changer. That game changer would be social media. Journalists are trained to tease and manipulate the facts to create eye catching scenarios in order to draw viewers and readers and hence generate revenue. What about those who share news and occurrences simply because they want to? Social media is about sharing and people tend to share good news. Of course they share bad news too but at far lesser proportions than it is dished out my mainstream media. Good news has been given a fighting chance by the exuberance and enthusiasm of bloggers, tweeters, “Facebookers”, “Diggers” and whichever other medium is used. yourmoney ezine
Columns
How to capitalize On NEW MEDIA Marketing! by Dominic Azan
I
magine you’re just starting a business and need to advertise your product or service.
What would you do? Where do you start? Conventional wisdom suggests you’d prepare to invest perhaps millions to build a market presence. You may consider buying your way into people’s lives, interrupting them with TV spots, billboards and other “novel” advertising techniques. But what if your budget is tight? Knowing where to deploy your advertising budget for maximum return can be challenging. As you look for ways to make people aware you have a valuable product or service that would make life more pleasurable you consider the usual sources… the yellow pages, the internet, television, radio, newspapers, billboards and word of mouth. Are these all your options? The success of your investment in advertising can be difficult to measure as you build brand awareness. The cost of prime time TV or radio advertising usually exceeds any short term return this form of advertising generates. The most recent innovation in advertising is “new media” which are alternative modes of communication that are fast becoming the leader in how we reach and impact our audiences. But just what is New Media Marketing? New Media Marketing New Media enables targeted communication with your customers. It includes marketing via blogs, podcasts, message boards, webinars, product reviews, mobile phones, email, social networking sites, and digital out-of-home advertising. Beyond audience reach the benefits to new media include: -Low cost -Speed -Reliability of delivery -Higher response rates -Ability to quickly and accurately analyze outcomes -Targeted Communication
Dominic Azan SMS Marketing Another great marketing tool is Text Message Mobile Marketing which is broadly defined as the use of the mobile medium as a means of communication and marketing. Marketing on a mobile phone is increasingly popular since the birth of SMS (Short Message Service). Texts can be sent for approximately $ 3 - $ 5 JMD. SMS has become a legitimate advertising channel in Jamaica perhaps because most Jamaicans have cell phones. An SMS marketing platform allows you to economically implement mobile campaigns and turn your customer database into gold especially since most text messages are read within four minutes of receipt. Examples The Hilton Hotel group has successfully used SMS messaging to increase guest numbers to its hotels and build customer loyalty. The hotel sent out important marketing messages about specials on directly to its members’ mobile handsets resulting in a 10-25% increase in offer redemptions by the hotel. SMS is an integral part or their direct marketing and loyalty strategy. Dunkin’ Donuts increased sales by 9% during a two month campaign in Italy. Customers were able to get coupons for Dunkin’ Donuts by using their mobile handsets to respond to advertisements displayed on store signage, billboards and on the radio. By sending a short message to the published numbers, users receive an immediate reply featuring a free gift coupon or special offer redeemable at local outlets. *Next week Dominic will conclude his look at Alternative Marketing
This week we will examine one of four low cost high impact uses of new media that you can use to maximize your marketing efforts at reduced cost. yourmoney ezine
$3&%*54 16#-*4)&3
F;JOFT -JNJUFE 4VJUF 5FDIOPMPHZ *OOPWBUJPO $FOUFS 6OJWFSTJUZ PG 5FDIOPMPHZ 0ME )PQF 3PBE ,JOHTUPO 5FMFQIPOF ."/"(*/( %*3&$503
5ZSPOF 8JMTPO :063 .0/&: 3&1035&34
.0/&:
"OESF #VSOFUU $0-6./*45
%PNJOJD "[BO %&4*(/ "/% -":065
XXX ZPVSNPOFZF[JOF DPN
8BSSFO #VDLMF 46#4$3*15*0/
TVCTDSJQUJPO!ZPVSNPOFZF[JOF DPN
4FOE VT ZPVS DPNNFOUT UP FEJUPS!ZPVSNPOFZF[JOF DPN
&%*503*"-
FEJUPS!ZPVSNPOFZF[JOF DPN :PVS .POFZ F;JOF JT B QSPEVDU PG F;JOFT -JNJUFE BOE JT EJTUSJCVUFE WJB F NBJM BOE PUIFS POMJOF TPVSDFT TVDI BT GBDFCPPL 5P TVCTDSJCF '3&& MPH PO UP XXX ZPVSNPOFZF[JOF DPN UPEBZ PS FNBJM UP TVCTDSJQUJPO!ZPVSNPOFZF[JOF DPN TVCTDSJQUJPO!
&BDI UJNF ZPV SFBE :PVS .POFZ F;JOF ZPV BSF TVQQPSUJOH UIF mHIU BHBJOTU HMPCBM XBSNJOH BOE BMTP B NPWF UPXBSET FDP GSJFOEMZ QSPEVDUT
Read Your Money today...