When considering the work place within a company, the first concept that comes to mind is environment. Each employee that comes to work every day brings with them an aura that contributes to the atmosphere of their workplace. The CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, took it upon himself to create the most nurturing environment to improve customer service by implementing an intensive training process that helps to select the most dedicated employees. By merely reading about the Zappos headquarters, I wanted to be a part of that team solely because of the innovative efforts of this management to implement a new way of ensuring extremely high quality customer service through the happiness of employees. It is clear that Hsieh believes it is the job of the employer to create a healthy environment, however, blogger Geoffrey James explains that it is mostly the responsibility of the individual to choose to be happy that ultimately determines their mood. He explains that there is only so much blame to be placed on management when a work environment is subpar. There are steps that employers should take to nurture their employees, but the workers must consciously make the choice to see the good in any situation.
The question now is which unconventional boss is correct? Is it the manager or the employee that is in control of the workplace mood? I believe that both theories must be combined in a duel effort to work towards happiness. One cannot occur without the other and happiness is essential for productivity and overall wellbeing of any firm, especially since businesses are nothing without the employees who are the lifeblood that gives any firm mobility.

Geoffrey James Blog: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/your-happiness-is-your-responsibility.html

New Yorker Article “Happy Feet”:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/09/14/happy-feet