Getting to know disgruntled employees

DISGRUNTLED employees see the workplace as a villain, not realizing that it’s the people—not the job—who make work difficult.

Organizations are trying to understand what makes employees so unhappy that they either decide to leave or stop trying to do a better job.

Salt and Light Ventures, a learning events company that offers seminars on organizational development, will address such issues during its “Happy at Work” conference on July 28.

“Happiness should be pursued in the workplace,” said Boris Joaquin, president of Salt and Light Ventures. “An engaged employee is a happy employee, which may lead to high performance.”

The fifth “Happy at Work” conference carries the theme “Building an Organization Culture that lasts.”

Primary speaker is Dr. Ron Jenson, known as America’s life coach and a best-selling author.

One of Salt and Light Ventures’ resident speakers, Oliver Pangan, explained in his brief talk during the press launch the importance of understanding organizational development (OD) in a company.

“The problem with OD is [we tend to] forget ‘humanness’,” Pangan said. “Some companies get hung up on getting profits without realizing that people need to be acknowledged, too.”

“Each organization is unique and has its own unique culture,” Pangan added.

He stressed that organizations must become mindful not only of revenues but also of the people or the employees.

“They must learn how to breathe,” he said.

Pangan is a human resources and training development consultant who is finishing his Master’s Degree in Social Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Janet Webster, also a speaker in the conference, said “good people make a great organization.”

Webster is the chair of Investors in People Philippines and an international management consultant with a background in HR management.

She manages a management consultancy in the United Kingdom, holds a diploma in personnel management, an honors degree in English, and an MBA from Manchester University.

“We are helping organizations find success by trying the Investors in People framework and helping them get the best results,” she said.

Webster will share with the audience the different factors that need to be considered in “Designing a High-Performing Organization.” Investors in People is an organization that helps companies focus their people management strategies on business priorities.

Jenson’s speaking session is titled “Laying the Foundation: Why Character Counts in Culture Building.” He is the co-founder and chair of Future Achievement International, a character-based human capital solutions provider. His books “Achieving Authentic Success” and “Make a Life, Not Just a Living” are sold worldwide.

The “Happy at Work” conference will be held at SMX Convention, SM Aura, Taguig, and is co-presented by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

For more details: 0922-8980044, [email protected] or visit www.saltandlight.asia/happyatwork.