A lot of the
business books I’ve been getting in the last few years are recognizing the importance of employee happiness. To me it seems like common sense that
employers should know that if an employee likes his or her job, feels like part of a team, and finds the work stimulating that they will work harder and do better work. Nonetheless, the vast majority of people still work in
jobs that they hate and that drain every ounce of passion that they once possessed. It would seem that most employers still need a wake up call.Like many other business books of late,
Fired Up or Burnt Out does discuss the importance of employee happiness. They state that 75% of people are disengaged from their jobs. That’s pretty alarming if you think about it. Your doctor, your lawyer, your children’s teacher, your children’s bus driver, the cop out there protecting you, and the people who produce your food are all just trying to get through the day. Most could care less if they are producing quality products or service. The
authors of this
book cite statistics but also give real world examples of
situations where the employees were fired up about their jobs as well as those situations where employers made huge mistakes. I particularly liked the chapters at the end of the book which told the stories of various individuals. At the end of each of these accounts, the authors included a short application section which readers can connect to their own work situation.