Are happy workers more productive?
As Pret a Manger becomes the latest company to credit happy workers for
   Do happier employees work more efficiently?
   Do happier employees work more efficiently? Photo: Getty Images
   happiness.
   The company takes the wellbeing of its workforce very seriously. Not
   because it thinks there is a direct link between the happiness of the
   Californian and to dismiss any link between its workers’ real wellbeing
   and the company’s profits. But the economics of happiness is a topic
   worker than the G7 average, and an embarrassing 40 per cent below the
   George Osborne with. So could a happier workforce close this
   proof that there is a causal link between happiness and improved
   internet company is regarded as the pioneer in employee happiness.
   work, free dry cleaning, the opportunity to spend 20 per cent of their
   time in the office on non-work projects of “passion” (no, that does not
   Cynics suggest this is a clever method to ensure workers never need to
   now offer free massages to workers as well as “Free Food Fridays” and a
   headquarters, and every three months it gives workers a detailed
   questionnaire about their happiness. It helps them spot spikes as well
   as dips in satisfaction. “We were getting feedback about our working
   were expected to finish work at 6pm. They wanted to leave at 5.30pm.
   A fairly simple measure – but one that, in theory, cost it 875 working
   induce happiness? By showing a comedy clip. Even if you could induce
   higher wellbeing into individual workers that doesn’t necessarily
   for workers.” This is the case with John Lewis, often given as shining
   profit per worker – the standard measure of productivity – John Lewis
   Work undertaken by Prof Alex Edmans at the London Business School and
   workers, but between happier companies and shareholder returns over a
   work for in the United States, as measured by Fortune magazine,
   workers’ morale most. But small things help too.
   about how they work. This can be as little as allowing them to move
   of its nursing teams, and found patients working with its happiest
   This mounting evidence that worker happiness is an important a measure
   as operating profit margin has, of course, bred a whole happiness
   human resource specialists and asking them track their workers’
   do. Some people may be unhappy at work, which has nothing to do with
   But even if all privacy concerns are overcome and measuring worker
   happiness become standard practice across the offices of Britain, it’s
   not certain than workers will actually start skipping to their desks.
   This is because of the fact that happiness is a relative concept.
   happy, and so productive, workers.