As more and more companies are understanding the importance of and critical need to address Employee Happiness there are some that have been doing it for quite
some time. One of the approaches companies have taken over the years has been to employ the FISH philosophy. If you’ve not read the book, you should. Of course, after you read Diary of the Happiest Employee On Earth (check out the low Kindle Price being offered thru Recess At Work Day on June 21st. (Now how was that for a bunch of references and self promotion?)
Anyway the 4 Principles of FISH are:
- Play
- Make Their Day
- Be Present
- Choose Your Attitude
But what happens when the FISH goes belly up?
Got two emails in the past week from newsletter subscribers and clients with employee morale committees who have adopted FISH. Both emailed me looking for ideas. Both shared that their FISH committee is going or had gone belly up.
I’m a fan of FISH. How can anything be bad when it includes a part about Play. But like any other philosophy, project or initiative, sometimes things run their course. Sometimes you need new ideas, fresh ideas, or a new approach. At some point people know what your outcomes are going to be because it is expected. At some point things start to look the same.
Think of it like a buzzword. There are people who still believe the phrase ”think outside the box” is going to get people to react. At this point most people are rolling their eyes when they hear it. Or employee engagement, which attempts to combine morale and productivity. While it is still a hot topic; it too will run its course with people who work in that world. In some cases it already has been replaced with Employee Happiness. FISH, like any other philosophy, is a great philosophy. But it too will run its course. Just like Recess At Work Day has for some organizations.
So what do I suggest? That the committee fry up the fish, celebrate the success they endured and find a new place to play.
Of course I told them maybe it was time to take a RECESS from FISH and institute the R+EE part of the R+EE+CE=$$ philosophy.
