Novel Concept – Happy Workers = Improved Bottom Line

You can’t lift your bottom line if your people are down.
Pat Armitstead

When I first started working with Price Waterhouse Coopers (Coopers & Lybrand then) in Sydney as a trainee auditor, there was actually a substantial amount of manufacturing happening in Australia.  I’m showing my age now.

I went into these amazing work places such as battery, windshield and washing powder manufacturing plants in Sydney.  I created quite a shock walking into an all- male arena to ask probing questions about how things were done to manufacture the products.  Meanwhile, I would often be looking at the inappropriate calendar.  You know the ones I mean! 

The men would often be squirming not because of the questions I was asking but the embarrassment at the image on the wall I had to look at.  It certainly was an interesting experience for an innocent young woman from outback Queensland.

The most amazing eye-opener for me was that there were worker’s canteens and management canteens.  What a great way to create a them and us feeling in your workplace?  This is what I thought.  In fact, this division did very much play out in the way that these businesses were run. 

I often created quite a stir because I would sit in the worker’s canteen to have lunch.  This allowed me as an auditor to find out lots more about what was really going on in these businesses than management.  Also, because I was such an oddity for the male workforce sitting in their canteen, I’m sure that I was told lots to impress.  It was invaluable for me for my audit work.  It did stir up the status quo though.

Fast forward 40 years (really showing my age now!) and I’m relieved that there have been major shifts on so many levels with work place practices and society in general.

However, the concept of the worker person and the private person still prevails in many workplaces.  Somehow, you are expected to transform into a worker zombie, and park your other life, as you pass through the entrance to your workplace. Whatever is happening for you personally at home or in your private life no longer exists.  You pick up your personal bundle as you walk out of the workplace entrance on the way home.

I have had many instances in my life when it was impossible to separate the two.  Some examples, my young daughter being admitted to hospital, my doctor telling me that I have cancer.

At the Australian Laughter Wellness conference that I recently attended, I met Pat Armistead who is a Joyologist.  Pat has travelled and studied with Patch Adams and she told some delightful stories about these interactions. I was taken with her quote – “You can’t lift your bottom line if your people are down.”

It’s my passionate wish that our businesses keep evolving to look at total wellbeing for their team.  Yes, it requires more effort, processes and time.  The benefits are happy, empowered and engaged people who hopefully will want to make our organisations and our world better for everyone which will lead to increased profitability and sustainability for all.

We spend a large part of our life working.  I don’t know about you but I would prefer to work at a happy and engaged workplace rather than a sad and toxic one.