Are you cheerful and understanding? Do you know how to lift the spirits of your friends when they are down like nobody else? In that case you can stop your job search now, we have just the position you are looking for: Chief Happiness Officer! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to make your work colleagues happy.
We aren't joking: the professional figure of the Chief Happiness Officer really exists and has an important role in the company - that of keeping employees happy. This original idea was launched by an employee of Google, Chade-Meng Tan, an engineer by trade who transformed his role into that of the "Jolly Good Fellow" with the aim of contributing to the wellbeing of his colleagues. Following his example, other companies have hired men and women to carry out the same role.
But what does a Chief Happiness Officer actually do? He or she introduces all necessary initiatives to turn the company into a place where employees are happy to work. Organising after-work drinks, for example, or company trips, team building activities, yoga courses or massages in the office. But another of the goals of the role is to improve the working conditions and comfort of individuals, for example through the suitable organisation of company spaces, the creation of telework opportunities or the mentoring of new employees. A "happiness officer" must also coach and listen to his or her colleagues, foster team spirit, soothe tensions in the company or carry out assessment interviews.
But why has the wellbeing of workers suddenly become so important for some companies? Simply because happy and fulfilled employees are more productive, more motivated, more loyal and sick less often. This has also been demonstrated by some scientific studies!
The idea of the happiness officer is very popular with the leading American businesses of the moment and is beginning to interest some European companies. That said, this professional figure is still quite rare and indeed totally inexistent in Switzerland. But who knows, perhaps one day you'll see an ad for a Chief Happiness Officer on Jobtic!
Christelle Genier
