The Way We Work
Michael C. Bush: This is what makes employees happy at work
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There are three billion working people on this planet, and only 40 percent of them report being happy at work. Michael C. Bush shares his insights into what makes workers unhappy -- and how companies can benefit their bottom lines by fostering satisfaction.
Michael C. Bush - Equity visionary
Michael C. Bush is helping to build a better world by helping organizations become great places to work for all. Full bio
Michael C. Bush is helping to build a better world by helping organizations become great places to work for all. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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We survey CEOs, police officers,
truck drivers, cooks, engineers.
truck drivers, cooks, engineers.
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If people are working,
we've surveyed them.
we've surveyed them.
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And what we know,
in terms of their happiness:
in terms of their happiness:
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workers all want the same things.
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[The Way We Work]
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There's three billion
working people in the world.
working people in the world.
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And about 40 percent of them would say
they're happy at work.
they're happy at work.
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That means about 1.8 billion,
or almost two billion people,
or almost two billion people,
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are not happy at work.
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What does that do,
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both to those people
and the organizations that they work in?
and the organizations that they work in?
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Well, let's talk about money.
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Organizations that have
a lot of happy employees
a lot of happy employees
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have three times the revenue growth,
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compared to organizations
where that's not true.
where that's not true.
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They outperform the stock market
by a factor of three.
by a factor of three.
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And if you look at employee turnover,
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it's half that of organizations
that have a lot of unhappy employees.
that have a lot of unhappy employees.
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The miracle thing is,
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you don't have to spend
more money to make this happen.
more money to make this happen.
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It's not about ping-pong tables
and massages and pet walking.
and massages and pet walking.
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It's not about the perks.
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It's all about how
they're treated by their leaders
they're treated by their leaders
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and by the people that they work with.
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So I'd like to share a few ideas
that create happy employees.
that create happy employees.
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Idea number one:
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in organizations
where employees are happy,
where employees are happy,
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what you find is two things are present:
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trust and respect.
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Leaders often say,
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"We trust our employees.
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We empower our employees."
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And then when an employee
needs a laptop --
needs a laptop --
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and this is a true example --
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15 people have to approve that laptop.
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So for the employee,
all the words are right,
all the words are right,
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but 15 levels of approval
for a $1,500 laptop?
for a $1,500 laptop?
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You've actually spent more money
than the laptop, on the approval.
than the laptop, on the approval.
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And the employee feels
maybe they're really not trusted.
maybe they're really not trusted.
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So what can an organization do
to have a high level of trust?
to have a high level of trust?
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The first organization
that comes to mind is Four Seasons.
that comes to mind is Four Seasons.
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They have magnificent properties
all around the world.
all around the world.
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And their employees are told,
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"Do whatever you think is right
when servicing the customer."
when servicing the customer."
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To hand that trust to your employees
to do whatever they think is right
to do whatever they think is right
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makes the employees feel great.
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And this is why they're known
for delivering some of the best service
for delivering some of the best service
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in the world.
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Idea number two: fairness.
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The thing that erodes trust
in an organization
in an organization
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faster than anything else
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is when employees feel
that they're being treated unfairly.
that they're being treated unfairly.
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Employees want to be treated the same,
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regardless of their rank
or their tenure or their age
or their tenure or their age
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or their experience or their job category,
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compared to anyone else.
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When I think about great organizations
who get fairness right,
who get fairness right,
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the first organization
that comes to mind is Salesforce.
that comes to mind is Salesforce.
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They found that men and women
working in the same job
working in the same job
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with the same level of proficiency
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were making different amounts of money.
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So immediately, they
calculated the difference,
calculated the difference,
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and they invested three million dollars
to try and balance things out.
to try and balance things out.
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Idea number three is listening.
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So, to be a listener who connects
with all types of people,
with all types of people,
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we have to unlearn a few things.
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We've all been taught about
active listening and eye contact --
active listening and eye contact --
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an intense stare
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and a compassionate look.
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That's not listening.
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Repeating what the person says --
that's not listening.
that's not listening.
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Being humble
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and always hunting and searching
for the best idea possible --
for the best idea possible --
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that's what listening is.
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And employees can feel
whether you're doing that or not.
whether you're doing that or not.
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They want to know, when they talk to you
and share an idea,
and share an idea,
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did you consider it
when you made a decision?
when you made a decision?
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The one thing that everybody appreciates
and wants when they're speaking
and wants when they're speaking
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is to know that what they say
matters so much
matters so much
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you might actually change your mind.
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Otherwise, what's the point
of the conversation?
of the conversation?
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We all know the things we need to change,
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the things that we need to do differently.
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The way you behave,
the way you treat others,
the way you treat others,
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the way you respond, the way you support,
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defines the work experience
for everyone around you.
for everyone around you.
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Changing to be a better person --
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the world is littered with those failures.
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But changing because
there's something you believe in,
there's something you believe in,
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some purpose that you have,
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where you're willing to risk
almost everything
almost everything
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because it's so important to you --
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that's the reason to change.
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If it's not, you should probably
find a different place to work.
find a different place to work.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michael C. Bush - Equity visionaryMichael C. Bush is helping to build a better world by helping organizations become great places to work for all.
Why you should listen
Michael C. Bush is CEO of Great Place to Work, the global research and analytics firm that produces the annual FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For list, the 100 Best Workplaces for Women list, the Best Workplaces for Diversity list and dozens of other distinguished workplace rankings around the world.
Since 2015, Bush has expanded Great Place to Work's global mission to build a better world by helping organizations create great places to work not just for some but for all. Under his leadership, the firm has developed a higher standard of excellence that accounts for fair and equitable treatment of employees across demographic groups, as well as executive leader effectiveness, innovation and financial sustainability.
His book A Great Place to Work For All outlines the compelling business and social benefits that come from these efforts.
Michael C. Bush | Speaker | TED.com