Although it would be nice to believe that happy workers are also productive workers, as Cheney et al point out, more than 30 years of research has been unable to demonstrate a direct correlation (p. 49). Table 3.1 illustrates four combination of possibilities related to effectiveness and efficiency, while it underscores the limitations of measuring qualitative data on a quantitative scale. How happy do you have to be to be considered "happy" for the purpose of the study? Were study participants required to be happy 24/7, or were brief periods of unhappiness acceptable?
I was reminded of a staff meeting I once attended, where the "agenda item" was low morale. At one point in the discussion, our department manager said: "If someone is unhappy in their job, they should just leave." The remark was met with silence. I sat back in my chair and fantasized about walking out the front door, followed by every member of the department, at that very moment. As the authors remind us, the link between job satisfaction and productivity is impacted by a complex variety of factors.
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Ah, yes, the ever popular "If you're not happy, just leave" meeting gambit. I worked in a job for two years where the administrative manager gave lip service to wanting to hear our feedback, but when push came to shove, she would fall back on that statement. And people threatened to do so on a weekly basis. Yet rarely did anyone actually leave; most of my coworkers had been there for several years or more. One could argue it had everything to do with the paycheck, but given the fact that our salaries weren't even particularly competitive, I don't think it was that.
This particular company had an active social culture, with monthly scheduled outings and regular lunch gatherings. I reasoned that people managed to keep some semblance of happiness and satisfaction through the relationships they'd built with their coworkers, and for a while, I felt the same way: hate the job, don't like the management, like the people I'm working with.
After I left that job, I was invited to one of their after-work gatherings a month or two later. I went eagerly, thinking I'd missed the laughter and great conversations I'd had with my coworkers. Yet when I sat down at the table, I ended up listening to three hours of continued complaining about the company, peppered with drunken laughter at witty turns of phrase and mockery of those who weren't present. I found myself on the outside of the conversation, realizing that the satisfaction at the job was inextricably tied to the misery involved. Complex, indeed.
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