Hiring Happy Employees

Hiring happy, optimistic job applicants can increase yourproblems - like a pessimist.
company's productivity and lower turnover. Plus,For example, the interviewer could ask, "Tell me about
optimistic, confident employees are vastly morethe two worst situations you got into in your last job."
delightful to have on-board.Then, the interviewer needs to observe if the job
Methods to help companies have optimistic, positiveapplicant answers like an optimist or a pessimist.
employees include pre-employment tests, jobLEADERS MUST BE ROLE MODELS OF
interviews of applicants, managing being role-models,OPTIMISTIC ACTIONS
and reinforcing smiles.Ralph Waldo Emerson wisely observed, "What you do
What are happy, optimistic employees? In a book Ispeaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say."
co-authored - "Spontaneous OptimismÂ(R)" --This quote illustrates why leaders, executives and
we explained optimistic people focus on solutions andmanagers must be employees' role models for
not on problems, have a "can-do" mindset, and dooptimistic and upbeat behavior.
what is needed to achieve goals despite all odds.Every leader can be a fabulous role model simply by
In contrast, the opposite of optimism is pessimism.focusing non-stop on
Pessimists focus on problems and not on solutions.1. Goals - measurable goals with deadlines that help the
Pessimistic people love to do three actions: Complain,company grow and prosper
blame, and whine..2. Solutions - every time a problem arises, instantly
PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTS HELP YOU HIREfocus on implementing solutions
HAPPY EMPLOYEESAlso, the leader or manager must not allow employees
The quickest, easiest and cheapest way to haveto act pessimistic by whining, moaning, and complaining.
happy employees is to hire human beings who areWhen an employee complains or whines, the optimistic
optimistic and upbeat. The most objective andleader simply needs to say, "I can tell that bothers you.
customizable method to assess job applicants isNow, please tell me your possible solution to overcome
pre-employment testing. When a company tells me itthe problem." Insist the employee conjure up solutions,
wants to hire better employees, we start byand not wallow in moaning about problems.
customizing pre-employment tests. How? We conductLEADERS NEED TO REINFORCE SMILING
a "benchmarking study" by testing current employeesEye-opening research revealed the more an employee
in each job. From this, we discover test scores of thesmiles, the happier the customer. Harvard Business
company's high-achieving "superstars" - that is,Review (5/07, page 24, reported Patricia Barger of
employees who are both highly productive and lowBowling Green State U. and Alicia Grandey of Penn
turnover.State U. studied employees and customers in a coffee
Valuable finding: Almost invariably, high-achievers scoreshop. They found the more an employee smiled, the
above-average or high on two scales of themore the employee's customers felt happy with their
pre-employment test:coffee shop experience.
1. Optimism test scaleLeaders and managers can apply the same actions in
2. Reactions to Pressure test scaleany company. The leader needs to smile, reinforce
In contrast, underachievers in the same jobs in thesmiling by employees, and hire employees who readily
same companies usually score (a) low on Optimismsmile. This gels to create a positive, happy corporate
(i.e., they score pessimistic) and (b) low on Reaction toculture.
Pressure (i.e., they score like whiners).3 KEYS TO HIRE HAPPY EMPLOYEES
For example, one company recently did aManagers and leaders are smart to create an
"benchmarking study" for hiring employees into sevenoptimistic, upbeat workplace. My pre-employment
jobs. On the pre-employment test, "superstar"testing research reveals high-achieving "superstar"
employees in all seven jobs scored high on both (1)employees overwhelmingly are optimistic and poised
Optimism scale and (2) Reactions to Pressure scale.under pressure. To create a workforce of happy,
Note: Although these seven jobs covered a widepositive employees, leaders and managers can do the
range of skill-levels and abilities, pre-employment testfollowing:
scores showed high-achievers in all jobs exuded an1. Hire optimistic, upbeat job applicants - predicted by
optimistic, 'can-do' personality.pre-employment tests and interviews
KEY JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ASSESS2. Be a role model - always displaying optimists' actions
OPTIMISM3. Reinforce employees' optimistic actions - e.g.,
A second method to assess a job applicant is jobfocusing on solutions and smiling
interviews. Unfortunately, interviews prove quiteBy leaders using these three keys, the result is a
subjective, and managers generally do lousy atcompany composed of optimistic, 'can-do' employees
predicting job success based on interviews.who are
Question: What should managers do to assess a jobA. Highly productive
applicant's optimism?B. Low turnover
Answer: Ask open-ended questions about confrontingC. A pleasure to work with
problems. Then, notice if the applicant (a) focuses onD. Highly profitable
solutions - like an optimist or (b) wallows about© Copyright 2007 Michael Mercer, Ph.D.