Latest news with #employeehappiness
Forbes
25-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Dark Side Of Employee Happiness That Nobody Talks About
The Dark Side of Employee Happiness That Nobody Talks About For years, 'employee happiness' has been treated as a corporate North Star. HR programs tout it, executives chase it, and pulse surveys are built to measure it. But if you're trying to build a high-performance culture, 'make people happy' may be one of the most misguided goals a leader can adopt. Let's be honest: happiness is fleeting. It's easily influenced by external perks and momentary moods. You can have employees who are 'happy' because no one pushes them too hard. But does that mean they're reaching their potential? Or even doing great work? Here's the hard truth: you can have a workforce that's happy, but unmotivated. And that's a major problem. The Hidden Risk of Happy But Unmotivated Employees Leadership IQ discovered that 8% of employees fall into the Happy But Unmotivated category. These folks recommend their company as a great organization to work for, but they're not actually motivated to give 100% effort. It's a disturbing statistic. You've got employees who like their job but aren't striving, growing, or pushing boundaries. Why? Because too many organizations prioritize comfort over challenge. They create conditions where people feel good but aren't being asked to do anything great. And the data supports this. When we asked employees if their goals would help them grow and develop, the truly engaged employees strongly agreed. The Happy But Unmotivated group? Not so much. They lacked goals that stretched them or clarified expectations. Unlocking Potential Is Better Than Chasing Happiness If we want better results—not just from our people, but for our people—we need a new leadership goal: unlocking potential. This means giving people the tools, feedback, challenges, and clarity to do the best work of their lives. The study 'Are SMART Goals Dumb?' found that only 13% of people believe their goals will help them maximize their full potential. But among those who set difficult goals, the majority felt like they were doing great things. These aren't minor bumps in performance, this could mean a 100% to 500% increase in people recommending their company as a great place to work. In other words, difficult goals don't demoralize people, they energize them. High Performers Want More Than Perks The best people on your team aren't looking for an easier ride. They want to stretch, grow, and feel a sense of progress. In fact, employees who are always learning new things are ten times more likely to give their best effort at work. But here's the kicker: only 42% of employees say they're frequently learning on the job. That gap represents a massive leadership opportunity. The most effective leaders (especially those who embody the Idealist leadership style) combine high expectations with deep care. They don't coddle their teams in the name of happiness. They challenge them to reach their full potential while offering support and encouragement along the way. If you want to become a high-impact leader, ask every employee: 'What do you want to get better at this month?' That one question sets the tone that growth is expected, supported, and celebrated. When Happiness Obscures Accountability Another troubling finding is that in 42% of companies, low performers are actually more engaged than high performers. That's not a typo. In nearly half of the 207 organizations we studied, high performers reported lower engagement scores than the people delivering the least value. How does that happen? Often, it's because low performers enjoy the status quo—they aren't held accountable, aren't challenged, and sometimes even receive unearned praise. Meanwhile, high performers feel invisible, unrewarded, and powerless to steer their own career trajectory. High performers want to know that the company values effort, rewards contribution, and has a clear plan for growth. And when they see poor performers skate by while their own accomplishments go unnoticed, they disengage (and eventually leave). What Great Leadership Looks Like If you want to retain and grow your top talent, stop managing to happiness. Instead, lead toward potential. Here's how: The Real Irony of Employee Happiness If you stop chasing happiness and start unlocking potential, you end up creating the very conditions that lead to long-term satisfaction, pride, and meaning. Employees don't need you to make them happy. They need you to help them become great. So let your competitors hand out branded hoodies and bland perks. You've got a better mission: unleash the brilliance that's already sitting on your payroll, just waiting for the right challenge.
CBC
28-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Some bosses happy to give staff Monday off for a 4-day Canada Day long weekend
Social Sharing Anyone who works Monday to Friday and is keen for a long weekend this Canada Day has likely had to do a bit of calendar juggling to cope with the ill-timed holiday. The statutory holiday falls on a Tuesday this year, forcing many to work an odd Monday squeezed between days off, unless they use a vacation day to eliminate the wonky schedule. Some startup companies say they're calling Monday a wash and giving staff a paid day off in order to smooth out the mid-week quirk and create a long weekend. While it might not make sense on paper, Klarify founder Moody Abdul said he believes in prioritizing employee happiness. "It's that 'if I take care of you, you'll take care of us' kind of mentality," Abdul said. Connecting the Canada Day holiday to the preceding weekend is just one way to demonstrate worker appreciation, said Abdul, whose company provides AI-driven note-taking and administrative tools for therapists. For those in Quebec, it's the second holiday Tuesday in a row, after Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24 forced many Fête nationale celebrants to grapple with their own odd workweek. But with Canada Day following so close behind, it's not uncommon for Quebecers to take the whole week off between the two holidays, much the way many treat the stretch between Christmas and New Year's Day. Of course, not every employer can offer such accommodations, and full-time workers with less shift leeway will have to choose to take a vacation day or just make do with an odd schedule next week. WATCH | Preparations ramping up for Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa: Preparations ramping up for Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa 4 days ago Duration 2:57 Ani Siddique, a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said he asked far in advance for Monday off in order to get ahead of colleagues with the same idea. "I had to ask for it, but I planned for things one or two months in advance," he said. Morad Affifi, who sat in a downtown Toronto park after a shift on Friday, said the majority of his planned Canada Day festivities take place over the weekend, but he, too, dipped into his vacation bank to avoid working Monday. WATCH | Canada Day celebrations light up London's Trafalgar Square: Canada Day celebrations light up London's Trafalgar Square 2 hours ago Duration 4:03 Suze Mason, co-founder of the digital health platform Sprout Family, said her five staff members have the Monday off, and she didn't expect the move to have much of an operational impact on her company. Sprout Family helps co-ordinate fertility care through workplace benefits programs. She said many of its clients, including larger Canadian organizations, plan to treat Monday like a holiday. "It felt like it was the right business decision to give our employees a day to rest and recharge, while also not having as much of a direct impact on the business," Mason said. She said extending the holiday to match that of the companies Sprout Family works with can also make it easier for staff to disconnect, knowing they aren't missing out on anything crucial. "Sometimes when you're on vacation and the business is racing ahead without you, it can feel stressful," Mason said. Vineet Johnson, founder and CEO of IRegained, said he's made it a recurring practice to bridge awkward gaps between days off when they occur. Johnson, whose company develops neuro-rehabilitation devices, said he did the same last December when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday and otherwise would have forced people to return to work for just one day before the weekend. "It's an easy incentive, a no-brainer incentive," he said.
National Post
28-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
A no-brainer': Some bosses happily giving staff Monday off along with Canada Day
Anyone who works Monday to Friday and is keen for a long weekend this Canada Day has likely had to do a bit of calendar juggling to cope with the ill-timed holiday. Article content The stat day falls on a Tuesday this year, forcing many to work an odd Monday squeezed between days off, unless they burn a vacation day to eliminate the wonky schedule. Article content Some startup companies say they're calling Monday a wash and giving staff a paid day off in order to smooth out the mid-week quirk and create a long weekend. Article content Article content It might not make sense on paper, said Klarify founder Moody Abdul, but he said he believes in prioritizing employee happiness. Article content Article content 'It's that, 'if I take care of you, you'll take care of us' kind of mentality,' Abdul said. Connecting the Canada Day holiday to the preceding weekend is just one way to demonstrate worker appreciation, said Abdul, whose company provides AI-driven note-taking and administrative tools to therapists. Article content For those in Quebec, it's the second holiday Tuesday in a row, after Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24 forced many Fete nationale celebrants to grapple with their own odd workweek. Article content But with Canada Day following so close behind, it's not uncommon for Quebecers to take the whole week off between the two holidays, much the way many treat the stretch between Christmas and New Year's. Article content Of course not every employer can offer such accommodations, and full-time workers with less shift leeway will have to choose to take a vacation day or just make do with an odd schedule next week. Ani Siddique, a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said he asked far in advance for Monday off in order to get ahead of colleagues with the same idea. Article content Article content 'I had to ask for it but I planned for things one or two months in advance,' he said. Article content Article content Morad Affifi, who sat in a downtown park after a shift Friday, said the majority of his planned Canada Day festivities take place over the weekend but he, too, dipped into his vacation bank to avoid working Monday. Article content Suze Mason, co-founder of the digital health platform Sprout Family, said her five staff members have the Monday off and she didn't expect the move to have much of an operational impact on her company. Article content Sprout Family helps co-ordinate fertility care through workplace benefits programs. She said many of its clients, including larger Canadian organizations, plan to treat Monday like a holiday. 'It felt like it was the right business decision to give our employees a day to rest and recharge, while also not having as much of a direct impact on the business,' Mason said.
CTV News
28-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘A no-brainer': Some bosses happily giving staff Monday off along with Canada Day
A boy reaches for a Canadian flag on Canada Day in Vancouver, Monday, July 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns TORONTO — Anyone who works Monday to Friday and is keen for a long weekend this Canada Day has likely had to do a bit of calendar juggling to cope with the ill-timed holiday. The stat day falls on a Tuesday this year, forcing many to work an odd Monday squeezed between days off, unless they burn a vacation day to eliminate the wonky schedule. Some startup companies say they're calling Monday a wash and giving staff a paid day off in order to smooth out the mid-week quirk and create a long weekend. It might not make sense on paper, said Klarify founder Moody Abdul, but he said he believes in prioritizing employee happiness. 'It's that, 'if I take care of you, you'll take care of us' kind of mentality,' Abdul said. Connecting the Canada Day holiday to the preceding weekend is just one way to demonstrate worker appreciation, said Abdul, whose company provides AI-driven note-taking and administrative tools to therapists. For those in Quebec, it's the second holiday Tuesday in a row, after Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24 forced many Fête nationale celebrants to grapple with their own odd workweek. But with Canada Day following so close behind, it's not uncommon for Quebecers to take the whole week off between the two holidays, much the way many treat the stretch between Christmas and New Year's. Of course not every employer can offer such accommodations, and full-time workers with less shift leeway will have to choose to take a vacation day or just make do with an odd schedule next week. Ani Siddique, a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said he asked far in advance for Monday off in order to get ahead of colleagues with the same idea. 'I had to ask for it but I planned for things one or two months in advance,' he said. Morad Affifi, who sat in a downtown park after a shift Friday, said the majority of his planned Canada Day festivities take place over the weekend but he, too, dipped into his vacation bank to avoid working Monday. Suze Mason, co-founder of the digital health platform Sprout Family, said her five staff members have the Monday off and she didn't expect the move to have much of an operational impact on her company. Sprout Family helps co-ordinate fertility care through workplace benefits programs. She said many of its clients, including larger Canadian organizations, plan to treat Monday like a holiday. 'It felt like it was the right business decision to give our employees a day to rest and recharge, while also not having as much of a direct impact on the business,' Mason said. Mason said extending the holiday to match that of the companies Sprout Family works with can also make it easier for staff to disconnect, knowing they aren't missing out on anything crucial. 'Sometimes when you're on vacation and the business is racing ahead without you, it can feel stressful,' she said. Vineet Johnson, founder and CEO of IRegained, said he's made it a recurring practice to bridge awkward gaps between days off when they occur. Johnson, whose company develops neuro-rehabilitation devices, said he did the same last December when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday and otherwise would have forced people to return to work for just one day before the weekend. 'It's an easy incentive, a no-brainer incentive,' said Johnson. With files from Natasha Baldin in Toronto. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025. Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'A no-brainer': Some bosses happily giving staff Monday off along with Canada Day
TORONTO — Anyone who works Monday to Friday and is keen for a long weekend this Canada Day has likely had to do a bit of calendar juggling to cope with the ill-timed holiday. The stat day falls on a Tuesday this year, forcing many to work an odd Monday squeezed between days off, unless they burn a vacation day to eliminate the wonky schedule. Some startup companies say they're calling Monday a wash and giving staff a paid day off in order to smooth out the mid-week quirk and create a long weekend. It might not make sense on paper, said Klarify founder Moody Abdul, but he said he believes in prioritizing employee happiness. "It's that, 'if I take care of you, you'll take care of us' kind of mentality," Abdul said. Connecting the Canada Day holiday to the preceding weekend is just one way to demonstrate worker appreciation, said Abdul, whose company provides AI-driven note-taking and administrative tools to therapists. For those in Quebec, it's the second holiday Tuesday in a row, after Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24 forced many Fête nationale celebrants to grapple with their own odd workweek. But with Canada Day following so close behind, it's not uncommon for Quebecers to take the whole week off between the two holidays, much the way many treat the stretch between Christmas and New Year's. Of course not every employer can offer such accommodations, and full-time workers with less shift leeway will have to choose to take a vacation day or just make do with an odd schedule next week. Ani Siddique, a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said he asked far in advance for Monday off in order to get ahead of colleagues with the same idea. "I had to ask for it but I planned for things one or two months in advance," he said. Morad Affifi, who sat in a downtown park after a shift Friday, said the majority of his planned Canada Day festivities take place over the weekend but he, too, dipped into his vacation bank to avoid working Monday. Suze Mason, co-founder of the digital health platform Sprout Family, said her five staff members have the Monday off and she didn't expect the move to have much of an operational impact on her company. Sprout Family helps co-ordinate fertility care through workplace benefits programs. She said many of its clients, including larger Canadian organizations, plan to treat Monday like a holiday. "It felt like it was the right business decision to give our employees a day to rest and recharge, while also not having as much of a direct impact on the business," Mason said. Mason said extending the holiday to match that of the companies Sprout Family works with can also make it easier for staff to disconnect, knowing they aren't missing out on anything crucial. "Sometimes when you're on vacation and the business is racing ahead without you, it can feel stressful," she said. Vineet Johnson, founder and CEO of IRegained, said he's made it a recurring practice to bridge awkward gaps between days off when they occur. Johnson, whose company develops neuro-rehabilitation devices, said he did the same last December when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday and otherwise would have forced people to return to work for just one day before the weekend. "It's an easy incentive, a no-brainer incentive," said Johnson. -With files from Natasha Baldin in Toronto. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025. Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
