Organizational Happiness at a
Jamaican Public Sector Body
Despite the value of organizational
happiness to sustainable growth in organizations, organizations face the
challenge of understanding what makes employees happy and how to motivate them
toward happiness
Of note, the studies that exist which inform these
realities primarily exist outside of the Caribbean and outside of the public
sector. As such, there is a paucity of research which indicate how to motivate public
sector workers toward organizational happiness. Nonetheless, such measurement
is critical if Jamaica is to become an employer of choice by the year 2030
Methodology
To conduct the study a 10-item
survey was executed among 29 employees at the organization. The employees were
informed that their privacy would be protected and that no negative
repercussions would befall them for their participation. The 10-item instrument
was developed by the researcher specifically for this survey and sought to
examine the employee’s definition of employee happiness and the factors that impacted
their happiness. The findings are presented in the next section.
Findings
Definition of Happiness
Three definitions of organizational happiness,
having a positive attitude towards the workplace, experiencing pleasant
feelings while avoiding unpleasant ones, and engaging in activities which are
noble and meaningful and allow me to reach my full potential, were explored in
the study to determine which was most consistent among employees. The responses
are captured in Figure 1. According to Figure 1, having a positive attitude
toward the workplace was the definition most strongly agreed with. Interestingly,
the same definition was the only one that any employee strongly disagreed with.
However, the most persons agreed that organizational happiness was a product of
engaging in activities which are noble and meaningful and allow them to reach
their full potential.
Figure 1
Definitions of Organizational Happiness at a Public Sector Organization
Level of Happiness
Participants were also asked whether
they consistently experience organizational happiness. The responses to this
question are presented in Figure 2. The figure shows that there is no
difference in the number of persons who agree that they are consistently happy
at work when compared with those who disagree that they are happy at work.
Figure 2
Consistent
Organizational Happiness
Factors Impacting Organizational Happiness
Six factors were tested to determine
their impact on organizational happiness:
1. My
supervisors and managers consistently treat me fairly.
2. My supervisor(s) and manager(s) consistently
show concern for my well-being.
3. My work is valued by my supervisors.
4. My job contributes to the achievement of
organizational goals.
5. The organizational culture promotes staff
well-being.
6. The organization implements systems to assist
staff to manage stress.
Figure 3 highlights
the reports related to the six factors among those who agreed that they
consistently experienced organizational happiness while Figure 4 indicates the
level of agreement with the statements among those who disagreed that they
consistently experienced organizational happiness. According to Figure 3, the
only factors where multiple employees disagreed were fulfilled when they
experienced organizational happiness were “my managers and supervisors
consistently treat me fairly” and “my supervisors and managers consistently show
concern for my well-being.”
Figure 3
Factors
Contributing to Organizational Happiness Among Employees Who Agree that they
Consistently Experience Organizational Happiness
In contrast to Figure 3, Figure 4
shows significantly more diverse spreads among the factors. However, the
factor, the organization implements systems to assist staff to manage stress
was most strongly disagreed with among those who disagreed that they
consistently experienced organizational happiness. This may suggest that
organizational factors are more influential than supervisory factors in
ensuring organizational happiness among public sector workers.
Figure 4
Factors Contributing to Organizational Happiness Among Employees Who Consistently Disagree that they Experience Organizational Happiness
Conclusion
The findings from the study
highlight the challenges in understanding factors that influence organizational
happiness among public sector workers in Jamaica. However, it seems that
organizational factors, more than supervisor behavior influence organizational
happiness among public sector employees. This may be because public sector
workers are motivated by their drive to serve and the perception of the
organization’s willingness to give back is more influential in strengthening or
shaking those beliefs.
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http://www.mwh.gov.jm/?disp_page=aboutus&page_name=About Us
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