THERE IS A HELL! - - - IT IS CALLED RETAIL THERE IS A HELL AND IT IS CALLED RETAIL! | Page 18

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Specifically focusing on the retail frontline, of all the "My Worst Retail Job" stories that are
shared on many website by retail employees working for all different types of retail
companies, very few of them mentions pay. Low pay might be a dissatisfier, but low care,
low appreciation, and low respect are the workplace unhappiness deal breakers.
The notion that true long-term happiness can't be bought is also in alignment with another
2013 report from i-Opener Institute called "Happiness at Work - Maximising your
Psychological Capital for Success." Based on a survey of 100,000 employees, this report
found that Generation Y employees are more motivated by job fulfilment than by pay.
The Generation Y employees surveyed clearly revealed that a belief in the company's mission
and a strong sense of pride for their work would make them more likely to stay longer and
be happier in their jobs. And on the flip side, these same Generation Y definitively
communicated that better pay alone would not motivate them to stick around in the absence
of pride and purpose.
The disconnect that many retail leaders have with these survey results is the absence of a
company mission beyond "selling more stuff so that executives and stockholders get richer."
My own informal studies with employees at all levels in all industries has revealed that there
is no "Generation" of employees who are motivated by making executives and stockholders
richer, except for those who have an assigned seat in the corporate boardroom, of course.
So if happiness can't be mandated, and happiness can't be bribed, and retail mission
statements are uninspiring, and happiness is a product of each individual's brain, it doesn't
seem like there's much that a retail manager can do to create a happy workplace. This is
both a relief and vindication for many retail frontline managers who hide behind the mantra,
"You can't MAKE people ‘BE’ happy."
That is a true statement if you view "managing" and "forcing" to be the same thing. But for
those who view "managing" and "leading" to be the same thing, there are an infinite number
of ways that managers can influence employees towards more happiness.
If the leader sneezes, the team catches a cold, if leaders and managers are happy, and they
role model happiness-boosting actions, their teams will be happier as well. But that, of
course requires that the retail leader knows how to take responsibility for their own
happiness, and that they also know how to teach influence, lead, and coach others to do the
same.
Which takes us back to the ‘Great Places to Work Conference’ and what senior leaders were
doing there? Even in a tight job market, approximately 2 million workers each month are
leaving their jobs, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Managers with a plentymore-where-they-came-from-attitude are forgetting that the employees who get hired by

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