Whistle while you work.

Snow White wasn't the best CEO in the forest. In fact she slept most of the time and when she was awake her workers were in constant mortal danger from hostile mergers. Her employees worked hard but only one in 7 could be called Happy while the others were the usual collection of workers known for being Dopey, Sleepy and of course Grumpy. As a group they were disengaged, unproductive and constantly getting into trouble, until Snow White merged with the right party to provide a better place to work and they lived happily ever after.

For many workers the dream of happiness at the "coal face" is a fairy tale, with specialists at the Conference Board and Gallup calculating over half the U.S. population hate their career, noting fewer than 3 in 10 had their hearts are in their job, resulting in productivity loss upwards of $350 billion. The things that could have kept the dwarves happy, ability to move within their group, praise for a job well done, having a direct impact on the direction of the group and recognising individuality along with a work life balance, would have seen the evil witch vanquished by the middle of chapter 4.

Each year research mounts showing the positive affects happiness has on the company bottom line. Something recognised by the leading lights as pointed out by CareerBliss, who asked "what exactly makes staff whistle while they work?". The innovative technology companies with their bean bags and ping pong tables long ruled the roost when it came to staff happiness and engagement but they knew it was more than just the perks. Today chemical giants like Pfizer, government bodies like the US department of defence and NASA have all learned an amalgam of recognition, constant movement, clarity of company and career direction, life balance and having the ability to contribute and influence beyond the work place shoots them up the list of best places to work. The companies climbing the list have worked out "it's always personal" and people above everything adds up to the places people seek out, providing these companies with the choice of the best people in a tight employment market.

SAS, head quartered in Cary North Carolina, was named by several global bodies as the world's best multinational work place and they point at their 37 year streak of record earnings as a testament to their employee engagement and satisfaction. Valuing people above all, especially during the GFC when owner Jim Goodnight guaranteed no one of the 13,000 employees would lose their job and asked only they remained vigilant in their spending habits, SAS stayed true to the four pillars of happiness. Four pillars, that along with "people above all", include "trust above all things", "to give is to get" and "employees understanding the significance of their work".

It's easy to pin up such mission statements but if it was that easy, the question remains why don't other corporations lead like this? It requires leaders willing to open up and learn from people like Goodnight. Google, amongst the current crop of global technology giants has constantly looked to such models giving them a perennial spot at the top of the best places to work but other industries are embarking on the challenge to provide happiness, accepting it's not just about bean bags and ping pong tables.

Something the handsome Prince knew all along, giving the dwarves new direction, a new start, a new work place and saving Snow White from a career as CEO to a bunch of miners, constantly reliant on the coal index for future company profits.

"Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great". —Emerson