“Business Discovers Happiness Pays”

That’s my fantasy news flash for the day. I came across the article Businesses Offer Ways for Employees to Balance Work and Family on the ABC News site the other day that described how helping people deal with non-business related stress – marriage, children, etc. – makes employees more productive workers. Helping people achieve a greater sense of well-being seems to be a “perk” with clear benefits for everyone.

Here’s a leap: Seems that we are slowly realizing that dehumanizing the workplace, which happened with the dawn of the industrial revolution, doesn’t work; it breeds inefficiency, not productivity.

So, let’s jump ahead – way ahead. How about helping employees to get a handle on who they are – their uniqueness as individuals and the potential that uniqueness holds? Why? Simple. Because our identities defines our potential for creating value…on the job, through our work, with our families, in our social circles.

Imagine, even further, an identity-based organization, where lots of people have gone through such a process and really do bring the best of themselves to work,voluntarily and consciously, creating more “value” for the company as well as for themselves. What kind of company might lead in this effort? Which ones, specifically, might they be? Google? P&G? HP? KPMG?

I’d love to know what you think. Is a fully “humanized” workforce – one populated with “happy” people – possible? Is this a recipe for productivity or a waste of resources?