It certainly is, for me. I do what I love and love what I do. When I received an advance review copy of “Happy Hour is 9 to 5 – How to Love your Job, Love your Life and Kick Butt at Work” By Chief Happiness Officer Alexander Kjerulf from Netgalley, I was eager to read it. And did.
Here is my book review:
Book details:
Paperback: 180 pages
Publisher: Pine Tribe (1 January 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0991260910
ISBN-13: 978-0991260911
My review:
Happy Hour is 9 to 5
How to Love your Job, Love your Life and Kick Butt at Work
By
Chief Happiness Officer Alexander Kjerulf
Happiness at work is not a pipe dream
Imagine waking up every single morning and feeling excited to go to work!
Happy Hour is 9 to 5 is based on the premise that you are responsible for your own happiness and that everyone can be happy at work. It is full of easy doable tips and real-life case-studies about how to make your workplace happier.
It equips you with the tools you need to make yourself love your job or find a job you love, so you can lead a better life.
Divided into 12 easy-to-read chapters, the book takes us through a definition of happiness at work, what makes one happy at work and why it matters, why happiness is good for business and employee productivity and how to do it.
The author, who is an entrepreneur and happiness expert, advises that all managers must make it a priority to expect more from the 9 to 5. Happy people are naturally more productive and motivated to perform their best. Positive experiences at work have a positive effect on the business, making it more prosperous.
By the way, happiness at work is not just about being friendly with your peers; it is about being happy at work in spite of obstacles. Happy Hour is 9 to 5 offers practical advice on building the skills and energy to improve results and relationships.
The fact is, no workplace is perfect. One has to deal with annoying colleagues, bossy bosses, bullies, co-workers who drag you down, conflicts and often, a tough management that focuses only on profits.
The book has real-life examples of how people made a difference at their workplace and transformed it into a happy working environment.
Conventionally, success is equated to happiness and most organizations believe that the more successful they are, the happier the employees and the higher their morale. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The reverse is true. Happy employees result in successful companies. Today, companies can no longer afford to be rigid, hierarchical and financially driven.
An organization that focuses on happiness must partner with its employees, be collaborative and offer value-based leadership.
So what makes us happy?
The author lists six fundamental things which are: being positive, learning, being open, participating, finding meaning and loving. He goes on to describe why each of these matters and how to achieve them with examples. He emphasizes on how employers can create the conditions for employee-happiness after which success is a natural outcome.
Companies that care about their employees’ happiness benefit from a workforce that arrives motivated and happy to work. These employees feel appreciated and perform with enthusiasm and are ready to help and support each other. They work well as a team and look forward to making their best contribution to the organization.
It follows from this that happiness gives a company a competitive edge over its counterparts whose employees are not satisfied at work. It molds corporate culture, attracts talent and most importantly, helps retain them. There is lower absenteeism at work and consequently better performance.
Finally happy companies are winners and innovators.
A lucid writing style that combines humor and practical ideas are the highlights of this book. The author draws from his own personal experiences, as well as case studies to illustrate how it is possible for everyone to be happy at work and presents the knowledge and tools to increase one’s energy levels and offers a how-to for making an individualized plan.
If you feel that you are unhappy at work, this book is for you. You will learn to love your job or find one that you love. After all, if you are happy at work, you lead a fulfilling life outside work, too. This book shows you how to take action.
I absolutely loved the book!
Buy it here:
The author’s offers a toolkit of excellent resources in the form of worksheets and additional reading.
About the author:
Alexander Kjerulf is the founder of Woohoo inc and one of the world’s leading experts on happiness at work. He has done keynotes and workshops in over 30 countries for clients like IBM, LEGO, IKEA, Microsoft and many others. Alex is also the author of 4 books including the international bestseller Happy Hour is 9 to 5. And in case you’re wondering, his last name (Kjerulf) is pronounced a little like care-oolf.
Related
I've enabled both Google+ comments + the usual. You choose which to use ♥
Namaste!
I am glad you are here.
Thank you for your presence here today.
Have you
subscribed via email?
May your day be filled with smiles! ♥