What You Can Learn From the ‘Happy Warrior’ in Your Office
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it. Inflation is killing me. But who cares? Big retailers are making record profits. That's why we support the Durbin Marshall credit card bill. See? Banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources they need. While increasing megastore profits. They deserve it, don't they? Tell Congress, stop the Durbin Marshall money grab for corporate megastores. Paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition.
Here's your Money Briefing for Wednesday, November 6th. I'm J.R. Whelan for The Wall Street Journal. There are a lot of things at our jobs that frustrate us, that can make us grumpy or maybe appear to be slacking off. But then there are co-workers who rise above the challenges, always seem to be in a good mood and always on the go. They are the happy warriors.
They're trying to signal to coworkers and maybe managers in particular that we have not fallen prey to the negativity and the burnout that is so common in a lot of workplaces right now. So when you have so many people who are kind of mentally checked out at work, if you're the person who's bringing that happy warrior spirit, that engagement, that persistence, they say, look, it's a really easy way to stand out.
So what does it mean for their career track? We'll talk to Wall Street Journal On the Clock columnist Callum Borshers after the break.
Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it. Infliction is killing me. But who cares? Big retailers are making record profits. That's why we support the Durbin Marshall credit card bill. See? Banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources they need. While increasing megastore profits. They deserve it, don't they? Tell Congress, stop the Durbin Marshall money grab for corporate megastores. Paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition.
What workplace problem does the episode introduce about employee engagement?
Your coworker who has endless energy and is always smiling might have the inside track to getting ahead. Wall Street Journal columnist Callum Borshers joins me. Callum, in your column, you call these types of workers happy warriors. Why are they taking on that moniker?
Well, they're trying to strike a balance between friendliness and grit. Saying, OK, we're going to work really hard, work harder than the rest of our coworkers, but we're going to keep a smile on our faces while we do it. That's sort of the defining characteristic of these self-described happy warriors of the office.
And what kind of message is that they're trying to send?
Who are 'happy warriors' and why are they standing out at work?
Well, they're trying to signal to coworkers and maybe managers in particular that we have not fallen prey to the negativity and the burnout that is so common in a lot of workplaces right now. If you look at Gallup's annual survey of employee engagement, it's near an all-time low right now. They find that less than a third of American workers say they are engaged in their job. So when you have so many people who are kind of mentally checked out at work and If you're the person who's bringing that happy warrior spirit, that engagement, that persistence, they say, look, it's a really easy way to stand out. You have to be good at your work, too. You have to deliver the goods. But just bringing that attitude is one way that you can really stand out above the rest.
And so what benefit do they see in always being upbeat? Some of it just comes down to their own happiness in the job, right? So they say, this helps me stay in a better headspace. I feel like I perform better when I'm not bogged down by feelings of negativity. But there's also an external benefit as well. I'm thinking of a fellow named Kenneth Eli, who's a civil litigator of an adversarial profession by nature. And he said, being an affable person, I like to think, can help get my client and maybe the opposing counsel warmed up a little bit. to the idea of making a deal. And so there can be a practical reason to take on this happy warrior persona as well.
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