TIME magazine published a "Special Mind and Body Issue" on January 17, 2005, that focused on "The Science of Happiness."  Among the eleven articles that explored what science is learning about happiness was an article entitled, "Thank God it's Monday!"  The gist of the article was that the most productive employees are those who approach their work with a desire to actively understand its significance to the goals of the company and who are more satisfied with their work overall.

Citing research done by The Gallup Organization, the article uses the term "engagement" to describe an employee's "overall level of happiness with their work."   Using a questionnaire of their own design, Gallup placed employees on a continuum ranging from those that were happy with their work, at one end of the continuum (engaged employees), to those who were unhappy with their work, at the other end (disengaged employees).  It occurred to me, as I read the article, that the whole issue of "engaged employees" begs the question of whether it is necessary for an employee to be happy in (engaged with) his or her work?  In addition, what are the practical consequences of "disengaged" (unhappy) employees for a company?

The Cost Of An Unhappy Employee

It turns out that unhappy (disengaged) employees actually hurt a company's bottom line, according to Thomas Wright, a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Nevada at Reno.  Wright studied white-collar managers at several large organizations and found that employee happiness could account for 10% to 25% of the variance in job performance.  What this suggests is that an unhappy employee who makes $25,000 a year may create lost productivity that costs the company from $2,400 to as much as $6,100, depending on just how "disengaged" he or she is.  For an unhappy employee who makes $50,000 a year, the dollar cost of lost productivity can range from a low estimate of $4,800 to $12,000!  Keep in mind that these numbers are for one employee only.  Multiply any of these numbers, even the lowest ones, by the number of unhappy employees in your company and the amount of dollars can quickly get large.

Creating Happy Employees

The article presents several suggestions for engaging employees with their work more fully.   These suggestions revolve around the idea of something the article calls "authentic leadership."  Summed up, authentic leadership is a management style based on two factors:  self-awareness of one's management style and how it comes across to others, and a genuine interest and concern for the people one works with.

Self-awareness means knowing yourself well enough to know what works for you as a manager, and what doesn't, based on your personality preferences.   This is where a re-reading of your Professional Development Guide, the self-guided developmental report that is available with our Performance Profile, can help pinpoint areas for improvement.  After you have identified aspects of your management style you would like to enhance, with the help of the Professional Development Guide, be sure to find three people at work who can give you feedback about how accurate your perceptions are.  Avoid the pitfall of trying to become something you are not.  If you are a quiet, introverted person, for example, then trying to be the "Hail Fellow-Well Met," out-going pal of everyone is going to seem as phony to others as it feels to you.  Be yourself; find ways to express your interest in others that are comfortable for you.

The second factor of authentic leadership involves genuine interest in the lives, families, and interests of employees.  This doesn't mean that the private interests and needs of employees are more important than the company's goals and objectives; instead, it means that authentic leaders see employees as individuals, not as pegs who fill job description slots.  Small talk about family, kids, and hobbies may seem like wasted time but the rapport it can build communicates more convincingly that all the motivational posters in the world that you value your employees for who they are and not just for their productivity.

Several recent scandals involving large corporations have shown corporate theft at the highest levels of some companies.  As reprehensible as these exposed instances are, corporate theft occurs at all levels of an organization, right down to entry level.  While the pilferage of smaller amounts than we hear about in the news may seem insignificant in comparison, it nevertheless adds up to millions of lost dollars a year for U. S. companies.

Why Do Some People Act Dishonestly?

Corporate theft or pilferage occurs when an employee's motivation to steal coincides with opportunity - that is, when there is a tempting target (money or company property), the probability of being caught is low, and the consequences that would follow from being caught are not severe.  If being caught taking small amounts of cash out of a petty cash fund, for example, only results in a few unpleasant moments of reprimand and it remains just as easy to help oneself to the cash again, and if the need or desire for the easy cash remains, the behavior may continue.

What About Basic Attitudes Toward Theft?

Even people who get caught "red-handed" usually claim to be basically honest.  They tend to justify or rationalize their behavior in comparison to what they see going on around them.  For example, people who pilfer often justify it by saying, "Everyone else does it," or "The company can afford the loss of small things," or "The company expects that pens and paper clips and paper will 'go home' with employees."  One problem with these justifications is that they tend to get situationally defined, so that more expensive office equipment and materials, for example, can get included in the category of losses that a company can "write off."

It's Amazing What People Will Admit

I've been using the Work Attitude Questionnaire for the last eight years, and I used other integrity tests before it, and I still see the most stunning admissions.  One of my favorite questions on the Work Attitude Questionnaire is the one that asks about the total value, in dollars, of everything that a person has taken from previous employers without paying.  Most people answer somewhere in the range of $0 - $25 (which accounts for the odd pen, pencil, photocopying, etc.).  But I have seen admissions in excess of $7,000, which were justified on the basis the "everyone else was doing it."

But Why Will People Make These Admissions?

It boils down to a basic assumption that each of us usually makes without even being aware of it; we each tend to assume that our outlook, attitudes, and internal "rules" are pretty normal, and not very different from those of most other people.  Therefore, if I happen to be a person whose internal rules about what amounts to theft are extremely elastic, I also make the assumption that other people-when they are being honest with themselves-have roughly the same internal rules.  Therefore, I will admit to behavior that seems "normal" to me, on the assumption that anything else would necessarily seem phony.

Do Admissions Mean That A Person Will Steal?

Not necessarily.  Remember, pilferage and theft are functions not just of internal motivation; they are strongly affected by opportunity and the perceived risk of negative consequences.  That means that it is not necessary or even fair to necessarily eliminate candidates from consideration just because they make admissions on the Work Attitude Questionnaire that you find questionable.

What Should You Do With Questionable Work Attitude Questionnaire Theft Results?

There are several useful steps to take:

• conduct a follow-up interview in which you ask the applicant about his or her responses by asking open-ended questions like, "Tell me more about..." or "Help me understand your answer..."  Make sure you feel reassured by his or her answers.
• if the applicant is hired, administer the "Importance of Responsible Workplace Behavior" document that is available from us.  This four-page document trains the new employee, in positive, work-related language, about integrity, consideration, and self-control on the job, and it provides you with an opportunity to present your company's specific policies, and consequences, for appropriate behavior.
• have the new employee sign the Work Attitude Pledge Document that is part of the "Importance of Responsible Workplace Behavior."  This pledge amounts to an acknowledgement of receipt of training in your company's policies, and it can be kept in the employee's permanent records.
• make sure that your company has policies and procedures in place that are clearly communicated to all employees regarding employee theft and pilferage, and that the policies are administered consistently and predictably.
• review a more complete explanation of the Work Attitude Questionnaire that was published in our June 2004 newsletter by clicking here.