5 strategies Hong Kong bosses can use to make employees happy

Employees are not unhappy and low on productivity in Hong Kong, in fact, they are amongst the world’s best but, then again, as the old saying goes, “there is always room for improvement and growth.”

Here are five quick strategies which you and your teams can employ to practice happiness and, directly, impact your business bottom-lines.

Acknowledge and appreciate multiple perspectives and constantly changing perspectives. It is quite easy rattle off, “different strokes for different folks” or state “the only constant thing in life is change” but it is a totally different thing to walk that talk and believe in it whole-heartedly.

Most all of us, no matter what our backgrounds, fall prey to stereotyping others. A moment’s pause, a second look and an open mind will give others a chance to succeed with us and for us.

Recognise and respect the fact that every human and every human system has an innate desire to do good, followed by a capacity to succeed at it. We tend to zero in on incapacities and problems much more easily then on strengths and possibilities in systems.

In 2005, Newsweek released an article on the brain which claimed that there is in our heads a cluster of neurons which is coded to look for a higher purpose in life. Cranking up our faith in humanity and its indomitable spirit gives life and colour to our endeavours besides inspiring others into excellence.

Review the positives often and relieve the negatives promptly from our mental databases. Happiness research states that our memories hang onto unhappy incidents five times longer than holding onto happy incidents.

It's fine to learn from our mistakes but it is a terrible thing to dwell on them. Our futures become brighter and stronger when we bring forth repeatedly re-live the stories of our successes from the past and let them mesh with our present.

I think, therefore I am happy. Professor off Neuroscience Richard Davidson of Wisconsin shares a story of having asked the Dalai Lama, “When have you been the happiest?” to which His Holiness, melodramatically, responded, “I think, right now.”

Professor Davidson’s research further disclosed to him that though the feeling of happiness resides in the emotive inner brain, the switch to turn it on or off lies in the cognitive, left pre-frontal cortex of the outer brain. Thus, happiness is like a mathematical choice made by our intellect.

Finally, our physiology leads our psychology. The state of our happiness is actually a dance with Albert Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid as the dance floor. When we slide down the levels of esteem and emotional attachment we feel sad.

When we slide down from safety and a sense of mental control we feel sad. When we are hungry, unkempt or tired we can get sad. The way, usually, to get back up is to work back up from a level below.

If mentally challenged then a physical activity eases the mental problem. When emotionally unsettled then a healthy and an intelligent conversation usually sorts out our emotional cobwebs. Thus, take action on a level below, to climb up into well-being.

In summary, happiness is a practice-an exercise and a discipline. I am very sure that those elderly Hong Kong residents doing Tai Chi in Kowloon Park have known this to be true for ages.

Mastering this discipline, personally, will give business leaders a handle on how it can be used to enhance employee engagement at work and, eventually, impact productivity and profitability in business.