Joy in the workplace – a paradigm shift

Bumper salaries are no longer enough to attract top-tier talent, which is why the likes of Google and Apple have created workplaces resembling theme parks – writes Tolga James Aykut

You are irrational. Predictably so. You work not simply to live but to consume. Therefore, incentives matter. Economists will tell you that incentives drive modern business, that they are the fundamental imperative to capture and retain talent within your organisation. This is only partly accurate.

Consider the following hypothetical. Let us say you earn Dhs 40,000 per month and you are in your mid thirties. You are offered a job, which will pay you Dhs 60,000 per month for doing the same thing in a company with a similar level of prestige and opportunity for growth. You would be happy, right? You arrive at the new workplace and meet your peers. All are younger and less experienced than you are – and you find out they are earning Dhs 70,000 per month. Would you still feel happy?

Let us consider an alternative scenario. You are offered a different job with similar parameters. Only this time, they are offering you Dhs 55,000 per month. You arrive, you meet your peers and you are the highest paid employee in the group. How about now, how would you feel?

Cognitive research reveals that the latter scenario is, on aggregate, far more favourable to an employee despite the drop in salary. This is completely irrational on the surface. It would seem to contradict the instinctual desire for financial gain. But paradoxical scenarios like this form crucial areas of research for cognitive scientists and their findings are becoming more and more relevant in the business world.

Let us consider why we are witnessing a paradigm shift in employee expectations with a new focus on wellbeing and employee happiness. In the information age, workers have unprecedented access to data, resources and ultimately options. Options breed indecisiveness. This is unfortunate for any start-up without a revolutionary product. It means they will not be able to recruit the top talent.

It is also unfortunate for larger more-established companies, which have to compete in an ever-growing global market. No matter the product or size of your business, however, one variable remains almost universally consistent. Your employees are the lifeblood of your organisation. It follows that hiring, managing and retaining your talent is central to your success.

It is no secret that Google is one of the best places in the world to work. The firm was an early adopter of the paradigm shift. It understood that the workplace needs to promote innovation, joy and productivity.

Consider the following findings from cognitive research. Your best problem solvers will be more productive in a private space with a low ceiling and red walls. Your most creative employees will work best in an open space with a high ceiling, large windows and green walls. Not to mention the impact of good nutrition on brain functionality or the importance of taking short rest intervals every 30 minutes to keep the brain stimulated. Now search online for some images of Google’s theme park-like headquarters. It is no wonder that last year Google received more than 1.5 million job applications.

The value of cognitive sciences for business leaders is by no means new. Historically, psychological techniques to influence and understand human behaviour were directed at the consumer. Mobilised most effectively in the spheres of politics and advertising, the impact of the cognitive sciences on capitalism is perhaps one of the most underrated socio-economic phenomenon of the 20th century.

Our entire consumer culture was, in fact, perpetuated by propaganda experts who cut their teeth during the Second World War. By triggering cognitive hot spots in our subconscious, these public relations pioneers induced emotions in consumers