The Role of a Chief Happiness Officer in Modern Workplaces 

Nowadays, it’s very important for businesses to make a profit, but also ensure that their team is happy and productive. The truth is that a lot of challenges can arise within a workplace. That’s why you always want to make sure you have someone who can identify and tackle any type of issues or challenges that arise within the workplace. And that’s one of the roles that a chief happiness officer has, among many others.

What is a chief happiness officer?

The chief happiness officer is basically an HR manager whose focus is to ensure that employee concerns are addressed as quickly as possible. The CHO will have different roles, depending on the business and situation. But in general, he will strive to make people happy and ensure that every person within the company will have the desired outcome or as close to that as possible. 

As we know, it can be difficult for every single person within a company to be happy. That’s hard to achieve, and it’s always due to how different the nature of each job is. Some jobs are inherently harder than others, they require more work and they are more demanding. Streamlining the workflow of those individuals is what a chief happiness officer can do, and he can alleviate a lot of the potential pressure that might arise.

Why is a chief happiness officer necessary?

The important thing to keep in mind when having a chief happiness officer is that his focus is to protect people from any challenges or problems that might arise. There will always be people unhappy at work, those that will deal with issues, or anything similar to that. At the end of the day, having someone that listens to them, identifies problems and tackles any concerns is always going to help. Plus, it helps enhance the process and focus on finding the right solutions. It’s stuff like that which truly helps, and it will make things a whole lot better in the end.

Used adequately, a chief happiness officer will help facilitate dialog and connection. He will focus on making sure that the entire team has a good understanding of how things are. Also, the CHO takes feedback from the team and showcases their concerns to the higher ups. Many times, companies don’t have a chief happiness officer, and that can become an issue. But with a CHO, things are easier to manage and the results you obtain as a whole are nothing short of incredible.

How does a typical day look in the life of a chief happiness officer?

Obviously, every CHO will have different types of duties. That depends on the workplace, but there are certain similarities and things you will need to keep in mind. A lot of the time, the role of a CHO is to connect with every team member and listen to their general issues, but also daily concerns and problems.

Once the chief happiness officer has a lot of info regarding the state of the company and employees, he will start finding tools and solutions. Those are presented to the CEO and other people that have decision making power. 

Aside from that, the chief happiness officer will continually acquire and implement feedback. He will figure out how to bring joy in the lives of the employees. There’s no denying that many times, employees will have problems as they figure out their workflow and some become complacent. Usually there’s a reason behind that, and the CHO will focus on identifying a way to get past those hurdles. Even if those challenges can be difficult in the beginning, the ROI can be extremely good in the long term.

Being a chief happiness officer can be a tough job, since there will always be different opinions and concerns that you have to tackle. Yet at the same time, it’s fulfilling, since you get to make a difference within the workplace. People show you what they are dealing with, and it’s your job to try and make them happy by solving problems. In the end, the morale within the company is a lot better, and the team will be more productive. It’s a win-win situation, with excellent results.

Why should companies hire a CHO?

The main reason is very easy to understand. CEOs have seen the fact that happy employees lead to more productivity and a much better return on investment. Not only that, but if people are happy within the company they work with, it becomes a more appealing workplace for new talent. And in general, you will have better products and services, not to mention those that come within your company will appreciate it more. So it’s a great approach if you want to improve your branding efforts.

Plus, the chief happiness officer cares about the team and they genuinely want the best for them. Everything from achieving a great work-life balance to establishing a very good work atmosphere will help make people happy, and that will translate into better results. When the working conditions are good, the team will genuinely do their best to help push the limits and achieve exceptional results.

A good chief happiness officer will always have a genuine interest in helping other people. He will also know that treating people the way you want to be treated will open up amazing opportunities. Plus, a good chief happiness officer will establish a sense of trust with talent and he will not break that trust. After all, he is the person that will work very hard to bring the best solution for the employees, while offering them support and assistance as much as possible.

Strategies that a chief happiness officer can use to improve happiness within the workplace

• A very common strategy is to help people celebrate achievements and provide meaningful rewards to encourage more growth.
• A good chief happiness officer will always encourage people to practice breathing exercises and take breaks. That will translate into more focused, happier people.
• He will also encourage the team members to engage activities that boost their mood. Everything from laughing to socializing, meditating or walking can help.
• Avoiding negative situations and focusing on having a more positive approach towards everything.
• He will try to help people place boundaries between life and work. Sometimes, these things are hard to do, but establishing boundaries will help immensely.
• Encouraging people to deliver their best work and showing that the stuff they do serves a larger purpose, and it is indeed meaningful for the company.
• Creating a habit out of focusing on the present and not worrying too much about the future.

Conclusion

Hiring a chief happiness officer is a great idea for any business that wants to focus on growth. Remember, growth always comes with amazing employees, and that’s why you need to ensure that you keep employees happy. The chief happiness officer will understand their concerns and also help create a better company culture. Any issues will be addressed and handled appropriately, in order to deliver an improved work environment. At the end of the day, a CHO will improve your branding efforts, boost employee productivity, while also helping your company grow, so he has a pivotal role for any business regardless of its niche!