DUBAI: Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, launched the Chief Happiness and Positivity Programme for the private sector at the first CEO Happiness Ball, recently held in Dubai.
The programme will be in collaboration with the Wharton School. The new measure aims to provide private-sector employees with intuitive and practical skills necessary to become the drivers of happiness and positivity in their organisations, and beyond.
“It is important to exchange knowledge and expertise to build the projects of the future, which rely on innovation, leadership, and social responsibility to spread happiness and positive values in society, which in turn leads to sustainable development and increased competitiveness for the UAE,” she added.
Al Roumi noted that investing in happiness helps businesses grow, increases profits and raises productivity rates, as scientific studies have shown a strong correlation between happiness at work and a productive environment, which includes a study conducted by the iOpened Institute in Oxford, that details how a happy employee has six times as much energy as an unhappy employee, double the productivity, and only one tenth as many sick-leave requests.
Al Mansouri went on to explain that, as important as the financial aspect is for any business, it still ranks third or even fourth on modern companies’ list of priorities, while establishing a positive environment for employees comes to the fore.
“We spend nearly half of our life at work,” noted Al Mansouri. “It is therefore absurd to have the work environment be anything but happy and positive. The UAE is sparing no effort to become one of the happiest countries in the world. The cooperation of all partners from both the private and public sectors is essential to achieving this national goal.”
Matthew Bidwell, Expert and Professor of Business Administration at the Wharton School, gave a presentation that underlined the importance of establishing happiness in the business sector, affirming that a happy work environment helps employees enjoy their work and see the true value of their efforts – both key elements to increase productivity and profit.
“Happy employees perform better in the workplace,” explained Bidwell, “their open and creative mind enables them to set new goals. They are also better at building and maintaining relationships. They are more socially active and go above and beyond their company’s objectives to help achieve its long-term aspirations. This is the key to doing business in this day and age.”
Bidwell established a strong correlation between job satisfaction and good work performance, as well as between overall satisfaction within departments and the performance of the company as a whole. “Companies with happy employees generate more profits,” he noted. “A happy employee is one who feels his or her work is meaningful, sees the results of that work, and feels accountable for their company’s overall performance.”
