Organisational Behaviour - Student Essay: Happy Workers & Productivity

This essay critically examines the statement, "Happy workers are more productive workers," within the context of organizational behavior. It begins by introducing the concept of employee happiness and its multifaceted nature, encompassing job satisfaction, attitudes, and work-life quality. The essay supports its central argument by exploring various theories of organizational behavior, including McClelland's Needs Theory, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and Vroom's Expectancy Theory, illustrating how these frameworks contribute to employee motivation and job satisfaction. Google's practices are presented as a case study, highlighting how the company fosters employee happiness and engagement through various perks and benefits. Conversely, the essay uses Amazon as a contrasting example, demonstrating how factors like high-pressure work environments and perceived lack of safety can negatively impact employee attitudes and, consequently, productivity. The essay concludes that while happiness and productivity are often correlated, factors like job satisfaction and motivation significantly influence this relationship. It emphasizes the importance of creating a positive work environment and fostering employee well-being to boost productivity and organizational success.

Running head: ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Organisational Behaviour
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Topic: "Happy workers are more productive workers."
Introduction
Employees have their own view or attitude with respect to the job. Different scholars
or researchers also have a different point of view related to employee’s happiness and
productivity. One such belief is existing from a long-time that “Happy workers are more
productive workers”. The various research and practice have also found that the most pivotal
attitude of the employee is job satisfaction that leads to an increase in their work performance
(Series 2015). However, the research is still not clear about the statement as it differs from
person to person with their concept of happiness. The paper aims to explain the statement
“Happy workers are more productive workers” that might be true in terms with job
satisfaction and job performance. However, the statement might be not true with respect to
some specific conditions. The statement in the discussion is supported through various
theories of organizational behaviour as well as real work examples. The reasoning of this
statement has been highly supported at an individual level. The finding behind this debatable
statement emphasizes the significance of improving employee’s wellbeing that may have a
positive outcome for the organization as well as their clients. At last, the findings within this
paper will support the perceptive that happy organisations are indeed productive
organisations.
Discussion
Happiness does not come in a systematic way, but it depends upon a number of
variables. Happiness in a workplace depends upon a number of factors such as job
satisfaction, different attitudes of the employees, quality life at work, positive or negative
flow states and experiences (Ersoy, Asli, and Ruya Ehtiyar 2017). The happiness at work
occurs at a different level that is transient level, person level and unit level. The research of

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Pryce-Jones explored the factors that influence the employee’s happiness at work. The factors
are linked with pride, trust and recognition. The research conducted by Pryce Jones has
positive outcomes in terms of happy workers and production (Rahmi 2019). Employees
generally have their own opinions on work. These opinions are affected by several factors
that make up the employee’s attitudes at the workplace. The other context is job satisfaction
that is also an attitude, which is measurable from different aspects such as satisfaction in
personal life, working place, and so on. The recent research conducted by the Oxford
University declared Business school in association of (BT) British Telecoms firm had found a
certain connection between happiness and productivity (Phys.org. 2020). The study, in terms
with happiness and productivity, has an outcome that the employees are 13% more
productive when they are happy. The research was conducted for over six months within the
British Telecom firm. Further, this research has an outcome about the happy workers that
rather than working more hours, they are more productive within their working hours only.
Job Satisfaction and Motivation:
An emotional response of an employee that can be compared amongst the desired and
actual outcomes is termed as Job satisfaction. Employee job satisfaction is highly related to
their state of happiness. The people working under an organization have several expectations
from their work that make themselves happy and satisfy in every aspect, such as being paid,
self-esteem, and so on. The organisations are the social system where people working there
are the most crucial factors for its effectiveness and efficiency. The goals get easier to
achieve when organizations have efficient managers and employees. Their personal
commitment is much required for a positive outcome, which can be increased by indulging
motivation in themselves by satisfying their needs.

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McClelland's, in his theory of need, described three basic needs that are to be fulfilled
by the organization so that to motivate their employees (Kian, Yusoff and Rajah 2014). First,
is need to achieve to strive to succeed. Second is the need for affiliation to the desire for a
healthy and friendly relationship. Last is the need for power that requires making other
behaves in a way.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, Maslow has represented five different levels
through which the employee gets motivated. The first step is a basic or psychological need
that fulfils necessities like sleep, hunger, and thirst. The second step is about their need for
safety with respect to security, freedom and pain. In the middle of all social needs exists that
refer to the fulfilment of love, friendship, social activities and group membership. The fourth
level is esteem need that encourages the self-esteem and respect within the employees
through recognition and appreciation. The last step of the employee motivation in this theory
refers to as self-actualization that develops an understanding in the employee that what they
want to become they can be (Cherry 2014). The fulfilment of all the steps generates a self-
confidence within the employee that motivates them for giving their best to the organization.
Google incorporates Maslow’s theory of motivation in their culture. Like in this
theory, employees cannot be motivated until their basic needs are fulfilled. Google provides
all the employees with proper food as basic/psychological needs, a high security as for safety,
belongingness of colleagues and keep employees as their family fulfils social needs, the
employee’s ranking and salary to encourage their self-esteem and gives an opportunity with
advancement/time to focus on their passion as for self-actualization.
Google further fulfils the principle that has been explained in Vroom’s Expectancy
Theory, which addresses management and motivation within an organization. The
Expectancy theory explains three principles that are expectancy for the effort, instrumentality

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for the performance, and valence for the reward (Parijat, Pranav and Shilpi Bagga 2014).
Google uses the above three principles so that to provide an innovative work culture through
which the employee get motivation. The company provides with numerous perquisites and
benefits to the employees. Some of the benefits that are provided to the employees without
charging any cost to them are lunch/dinner, travel insurance, onsite physicians and nurses,
paid maternity leave, and so on (Wang, Lu and Siu 2015). Addition to this, Google also
launched a program called as ‘innovation time off’ or 20% time in which the company
provide an opportunity to the employees to not work more than eight hours, rather than they
work for the company, they can utilize the time while following up their passion that
encourages their creative and innovative ideas. The innovative idea also contributes as a
benefit for the organization. The happiness, as well as engagement of the employees, is
something that the employees of Google highly recognize and value.
The motivations being encouraged through different perspectives, whether that is
personal, social, or economic brings happiness and thus, job satisfaction to the employee
(Ayala Yarid et al. 2017). A motivated employee feels dedicated to achieving the
organization’s objectives. Thus, job satisfaction and motivation are interlinked with each
other with respect to employee’s happiness and productivity.
Job Performance:
Performance means to achieve the organizational goal within the allocated role, job or
organization. Employee performance in the organization means the way they behave in the
workplace as well as their efficiency in performing their job duties (Yang, Cheng-Liang and
Mark Hwang 2014). Job satisfaction amongst the employees plays an important role in
performing their allocated duties much effectively and in an efficient manner.

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When it comes about job satisfaction and motivating the employees, without any doubt, the
name of Google can raise from the rest of all the companies. Google has named as ‘Best
Company to Work For’ in the year 2014 and the company has topped the ranking list for the
fifth time (Cleverism 2020). The employee is being motivated through amazing perks, voice
and value, freedom such as a gym or playing games, transparency, flexibility such as in dress
codes, food and unconventional office designs. Such benefits provided to the employees
bring high job satisfaction within them that brings a thought of dedication towards their work.
The employee’s dedication helps the company to achieve its objectives. Therefore, today
Google is one of the top reputed multinational company, which serves their clients as a
priority by keeping their employees happy and satisfied with their work as well as the
workplace. Further, Google has also hired ‘Culture Czar’ whose main job duty is to keep
happy the employees or the workers working within the Google organization.
However, the employee’s attitude affects their performance and hence the
organization’s productivity. The myth of happy workers is more productive to get affected by
a situation where the employee’s attitude towards their work is not positive or satisfied that
decreases their productivity as well as the company's reputation. The Hawthorne studies that
have been conducted in the 1930s often credited while creating awareness amongst the
researchers about the effect of employees attitudes on performance.
Amazon is one of the top multinational companies, but with respect to the employee's
job satisfaction, it is not considered as good as the employee deserves. Amazon sets a high-
performance standard for their employees. For the employees, it seems nearly impossible to
achieve such targets. This creates an extreme job pressure on them (Nytimes.com. 2020).
That ultimately demotivates them towards their working and affects their job performance
(Bryson et al. 2017). The demotivation amongst the employees leads to job dissatisfaction
that leads to a negative attitude towards the organization and hence, affects their productivity.

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The company is well known amongst the top multinational companies; then also they
failed to keep their employees satisfied and happy. Amazon is providing several facilities to
their employees, but then also there are some loopholes. Such as the people, working under
the warehouses is not being safe. They have been through high medical claims, and the
company has got a lower grade in medical and health. The data of the company's casual
attitudes toward their working say about weak leadership (Herman and Chiu 2014). As a
result, the company has to face with low performance of their employees every year.
The high working pressure and low safety provided to the employees in Amazon has
always been a headline for them to bring a negative attitude in the minds of the employees as
well as the customers. It is difficult to maintain a positive attitude every time where there is
no job satisfaction and motivational factor. The lack of a positive attitude is the basic factor
of tension, demoralization, and depression. The employees are demoralized or tensed because
of job dissatisfaction (Dugguh, Stephen and Ayaga Dennis 2014). The employees are happy
working under such a reputed company in the world then also they have lack of job
satisfaction. Thus, job dissatisfaction affects an employee's productivity within an
organization.
Conclusion
Different theories have stated the employee's motivation as well as their work
performance. The job satisfaction is a crucial part for the employees to be happy. The
satisfaction of the job amongst the employees comes from different aspects such as by
fulfilling their basic requirement, social indulging, keeping involved in important decisions,
giving personal space, providing with health, hygiene, security and with monetary terms. The
job satisfaction amongst the employees motivates them and increase their working
effectiveness and efficiency. Senior managers and leaders can raise the happiness quotient

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through several ways such as through effective communication, keeping everyone engaged as
a team, appreciation, recognition, rewarding employees, providing specific benefits like work
break, health, gym membership and so on. The few benefits provided to the employees and
appropriate working cultures developed a feeling of job satisfaction and motivated the
employees for better performance. Thus, the statement can recognize true from various
aspects that "Happy workers are more productive workers.”

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