Labor Day Lesson: Happy Employees = Better Business & Higher Profits

So, today is Labor Day.  And with just a hint of irony, I’m in the office … laboring today.  At our firm, I’m one of the leaders, so no one is “making” me come into the office today.  Sometimes, there’s things that just have to get done.  Today is one of those days.

We have a great team at our office.  We have happy, energetic, and engaged team members.  We strive to keep our morale high and our culture strong.  We think that’s a good thing… and according to a report over the weekend, there’s strong data to back us up.

Companies flourish when they treat employees well and companies lose out when employees are unhappy or disengaged.  In fact, over the last 15 years, the 100 Best Companies to Work For have nearly doubled the return of the broader market.

Source: Great Place to Work via CBS News

“When our team members are happy and enjoy their work, they give better service to the customers,” said Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey.  “And then if customers are happy, they continue to shop at the store, they market through word of mouth, and the business flourishes.  It prospers.”

“People want more than just to earn a living,” said Mackey.  “People want meaning.  They want purpose.  They want to feel like their work is making a difference in the world.”

I love what I do.  For me, it’s not just work.  It can be stressful, it can be exhausting, it can be frustrating… but at the end of the day it’s so much more than work and so much more than “a job”.  I get to help people.  Families come to be at what is often the most painful part of their lives and I get to help them.  I get to help them put the pieces back together.  I get to see justice done.  And that’s just not “work”.

Read More:

• Are companies that value employees more successful?  [CBS News Sunday Morning]

© Copyright 2014 Brett A. Emison

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