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Creating happier as
employees
Professor Jochen Menges on the ways
companies can develop well-being initiatives
that genuinely make people feel better.
by Laura W. Geller
I
n recent years, many company leaders have embraced well-be ing and hap-
piness initiatives as critical to both their employees’ sat isfaction and the suc-
cess of their or ganization. They have rolled out a variety of programs de-
signed to encourage people to focus on wellness and avoid the harmful
effects of stress. What may have at one time been perceived as a perk is quickly
becoming a staple of corporate life.
Although few would argue with the notion that companies should do
what they can to promote the well-being of their workforce, a question looms:
Are these initiatives actually mak-
ing people happier? It’s an issue
that Jochen Menges, who holds
the chair of human resource man-
agement and leadership in the de-
partment of business administra-
tion at the University of Zurich
and works as a university lecturer
in organizational behavior at the
University of Cambridge Judge
Business School, has grappled with
for much of his career.
Menges studies the role of emo-
tions in organizational life and has
worked as a researcher, teacher, and
Ph consultant at companies large and
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Jochen Menges