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Does worker morale improve productivity? One business journal has an annual “best places to work” survey that publishes those companies in the community that are considered to have happier than average employees.
Three academics surveyed workers at British call centers and made the unsurprising discovery that the workers were more productive when they were happy than when they were unhappy. Poor working conditions have a long tradition. Writers describe the “dark, satanic mills” of the 19th century. Writer Tom Wolfe described the terrible environment in a freezer warehouse as a central point in his novel A Man in Full.
At a time when there is a scarcity of talent, warehouse operators should be concerned about levels of happiness in their workforce. Most observers would acknowledge thatwork as a freight handler in a warehouse is a better job than comparable positions in manufacturing. Yet some companies in the warehousing industry report that they are unable to retain talent in today’s job market. If retention is related to happiness, the warehousing industry may have a problem.
How happy are your workers? Maybe it is worthwhile to ask them!
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