ST Forum: Bosses' role in ensuring workplace happiness

[Vulcann]

I only remember what Uncle Ben said: With great power comes great responsibility [laugh]

 

Seriously we all want a caring, understanding and most important of all, a generous boss

 

But the fact is most of the time we do realise there is no such a boss or they rarely in existence and we make do what we have.

 

Bosses pay us to provide a service for them so most basically deliver but some of us do really excel either for self pride or to get more reward i.e. bonuses.

 

From ST Forum:

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-...piness-20130321

 

Bosses' role in ensuring workplace happiness

Published on Mar 21, 2013

 

THE workplace, if anything, is not a social laboratory for human endurance. It is an incubator for growth and productivity.

 

The compelling need to retain staff and ensure workplace "happiness", as advocated by Mr Lawrence Loh Kiah Muan ("How to retain staff and keep them happy"; Monday), cannot be a zero-sum game.

 

Too often, the root cause of workplace unhappiness lies in intangible things like the abuse of power, the absence of fair procedures, the instilling of fear that prevents debate, favouritism and the lack of action against bullies.

 

Perhaps central to workplace unhappiness is the mutilation and interpretation of power dispensations.

 

Bosses need to change their mindsets and ensure that power becomes a vehicle for reform, with the concomitant drawing up of definite parameters for its exercise.

 

As a large percentage of Singapore companies are small and medium-sized enterprises, this guiding principal seems to have been lost in the rush to boost bottom lines.

 

Power is greatly coveted everywhere. Perhaps former United States president Abraham Lincoln was right when he said: "If you want to test a man's character, give him power."

 

Jaya Prakash

[Watwheels]

I do not know what industry this Jaya Prakash is in. I'm guessing he works in a very competitive industry which is the case for many SMEs. If you work in a competitive industry most likely your boss won't be a nice person. He wants results, he won't listen to your whining on your ideal workplace and he will most likely tell you to fxxk off to make way for someone more capable to join his company.

 

Maybe Jaya Prakash should start his own company and see how good a boss he will become. He can give himself that power.

 

Ppl like him should wake up and smell reality. Whatever you want in life or in work you have to fight for it, action speaks louder dan whining. Nobody is going to give you a good time unless you have become a valuable asset in the company.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Watwheels

[Jamesc]

Companies that are a great place to work are always more profitable

than companies that are not.

 

A company with a bad environment can never attract the best people.

and it can never retain the best staff.

 

And without employees openly speaking up, companies can never do

the right thing.

 

So without best staff and people doing the correct things, how can a company

succeed unless it is a monopoly?

 

There is nothing that erodes profit like bad management.

 

[Rncw]

Companies that are a great place to work are always more profitable

than companies that are not.

 

A company with a bad environment can never attract the best people.

and it can never retain the best staff.

 

And without employees openly speaking up, companies can never do

the right thing.

 

So without best staff and people doing the correct things, how can a company

succeed unless it is a monopoly?

 

There is nothing that erodes profit like bad management.

 

 

 

fully agreed!

[Benarsenal]

Companies that are a great place to work are always more profitable

than companies that are not.

 

A company with a bad environment can never attract the best people.

and it can never retain the best staff.

 

And without employees openly speaking up, companies can never do

the right thing.

 

So without best staff and people doing the correct things, how can a company

succeed unless it is a monopoly?

 

There is nothing that erodes profit like bad management.

 

 

Agree. If you everything bottom line only, yes you can have on paper quite good results and profits, but you end up having high manpower turnover, can be quite disruptive and unsettling. Not to mention bad reputation which in the long run will obviously be not good.

 

I mean, if nobody wants to work for you, you also cannot earn money right? Unless you one-man operation.

[Rncw]

Agree. If you everything bottom line only, yes you can have on paper quite good results and profits, but you end up having high manpower turnover, can be quite disruptive and unsettling. Not to mention bad reputation which in the long run will obviously be not good.

 

I mean, if nobody wants to work for you, you also cannot earn money right? Unless you one-man operation.

 

businesses forgot the people are the assets.....they're blinded by profits, and thinking that talents can be replaced at a cheaper cost...thats the effect of letting in too much FT and FW, cost they're assumed cheap....turnovers are high in many companies now...

[1fast1]

Companies that are a great place to work are always more profitable

than companies that are not.

 

A company with a bad environment can never attract the best people.

and it can never retain the best staff.

 

And without employees openly speaking up, companies can never do

the right thing.

 

So without best staff and people doing the correct things, how can a company

succeed unless it is a monopoly?

 

There is nothing that erodes profit like bad management.

 

 

Why is it that I get the feeling that compared to Watwheels (just based on his post here), you'll make both a better boss AND a better employee?

[Vulcann]

I do not know what industry this Jaya Prakash is in. I'm guessing he works in a very competitive industry which is the case for many SMEs. If you work in a competitive industry most likely your boss won't be a nice person. He wants results, he won't listen to your whining on your ideal workplace and he will most likely tell you to fxxk off to make way for someone more capable to join his company.

 

Maybe Jaya Prakash should start his own company and see how good a boss he will become. He can give himself that power.

 

Ppl like him should wake up and smell reality. Whatever you want in life or in work you have to fight for it, action speaks louder dan whining. Nobody is going to give you a good time unless you have become a valuable asset in the company.

 

In an ideal world with an ideal job under an ideal boss will be an ideal situation for all of us idealistic workers [laugh]

 

Unfortunately as pointed by you, this is not always the case so ideally it should not be brought up or demanded in the first place.

 

But he does have some valid points like what is happening in our workplaces like "abuse of power, the absence of fair procedures, the instilling of fear that prevents debate, favouritism and the lack of action against bullies."

 

[Sosaria]

Hey, at least in SME or private sector, where bottom-lines are very important, talented workers who get things done, whatever the impression they give, are rightly valued!

 

Wait until this letter-writer gets the experience of working in not-for-profit organisations like public service There you will see all sorts of "pattern" that staff adopt to get promoted. And even those staff with talent getting things moving on the quiet actually don't get proper recognition.

[Kiadaw]

Why is it that I get the feeling that compared to Watwheels (just based on his post here), you'll make both a better boss AND a better employee?

James bro is actually one of the better forumer here, he know when to crack a joke, & when to be serous & give a good feedback.

 

Remember, a happy employee is an efffective employee. How can a company grow if they keep having turnover?

[Vulcann]

James bro is actually one of the better forumer here, he know when to crack a joke, & when to be serous & give a good feedback.

 

Remember, a happy employee is an efffective employee. How can a company grow if they keep having turnover?

 

Most SME bosses need to keep a tight watch over their bottom lines and the nature of their small businesses is more vulnerable to market conditions than big corporations.

 

Most, especially those one-man shows, do not have much room to maneuver and with limited reserves can easily go bust without prudence.

 

As such most tend to have the ai pi yu ai qi mentality and thus will not be able to dish out attractive renumberation packages for new staff like mega companies.

 

So being a kind, caring and/or generous boss may not be at the top of their agenda list sadly.

 

[Philipkee]

What about a boss who keeps poking fun at you even as you re trying to do the project which he ordered? And when your project succeeded, he makes disparaging remarks about it.

[Vulcann]

What about a boss who keeps poking fun at you even as you re trying to do the project which he ordered? And when your project succeeded, he makes disparaging remarks about it.

 

Leave

[Icedbs]

Companies that are a great place to work are always more profitable

than companies that are not.

 

This one above depends how you define "great place to work".

 

Some companies which often denotes as "great place to work" are not always profitable. For e.g. Kodak used to be a great place to work, but is now almost gone.

 

Lehmann bros also used to be a great place to work among bankers, but is also now gone.

 

Dell and Nokia, great place to work, are hanging by the thread. GM, used to be a great place work in US, is also almost gone if not for the US gov. bailout.

 

Obviously, they are not that profitable.

 

So it really depends.

 

[WTF]

my boss once told me the company is a good place to retire.......and I was thinking that's for anyone that is in his position only.........

[Porker]

What about a boss who keeps poking fun at you even as you re trying to do the project which he ordered? And when your project succeeded, he makes disparaging remarks about it.

 

Bozo

 

Then you should read this. May not be 100 percent accurate to you but probably close

[Porker]

Where do you get the notion that these are great companies to work for? Any evidence or articles?

[Benarsenal]

This one above depends how you define "great place to work".

 

Some companies which often denotes as "great place to work" are not always profitable. For e.g. Kodak used to be a great place to work, but is now almost gone.

 

Lehmann bros also used to be a great place to work among bankers, but is also now gone.

 

Dell and Nokia, great place to work, are hanging by the thread. GM, used to be a great place work in US, is also almost gone if not for the US gov. bailout.

 

Obviously, they are not that profitable.

 

So it really depends.

 

That one has nothing to do with work environment. They failed because of their own inability to adapt to market changes.

 

Google, Apple and Microsoft are also great places to work. They seem to be doing well.