{"id":30258,"date":"2009-10-23T09:02:19","date_gmt":"2009-10-23T08:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/blog\/?p=30258"},"modified":"2009-10-19T11:02:56","modified_gmt":"2009-10-19T10:02:56","slug":"and-now-for-something-completely-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/main\/and-now-for-something-completely-different\/","title":{"rendered":"And Now for Something Completely Different: Happiness at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"


<\/p>\n

\"Monty<\/a><\/div>\n

In honor of the fortieth anniversary of Monty Python\u2019s Flying Circus<\/em><\/a>, here\u2019s a slightly quirky post.<\/p>\n

As a quick reminder for those who don\u2019t remember, MPFC<\/em> was a British television series (1969-1975) featuring comedy sketches so satirically wacky that many people, even today, can recite\/re-enact some of the most popular segments.\u00a0 E.g., \u201cDead Parrot,\u201d \u201cSpam,\u201d or \u201cConfuse-a-Cat.\u201d\u00a0 (Can\u2019t resist a little Python nostalgia?\u00a0 Find all the sketch scripts here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

What makes Monty Python relatively relevant to a column about Careers is that troupe-member John Cleese went on to found Video Arts<\/a>, a company that makes\/distributes training videos which \u201chelp you put across your learning messages in an entertaining and memorable way.\u201d\u00a0 They combine humor with business expertise, in a style that might be called charming . . . or campy . . . or both.\u00a0 But see for yourself, with previews of several Recruiting\/Interviewing videos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cleese also appears at companies and conferences around the world, amusing and inspiring audiences with a message about creativity in business.\u00a0 Which brings us to the second part of this topic:\u00a0 What makes potential employees really<\/em> want to work for your company?<\/p>\n

After monetary motives\u2014ranging from really, really needing a job to really, really wanting a better compensation package\u2014the main thing most people wonder is \u201cwill I be happy<\/em> at Company X?\u201d\u00a0 (Or at least not un<\/em>happy.)\u00a0 And one of the ways many prospects make that judgment is by a visit to the corporate Career site.<\/p>\n

Hence the popularity of employee interviews extolling the company culture, day-in-the-life videos, and so on.\u00a0 But of course all that is staged, as everybody knows\u2014not necessarily with a dishonest intent, just with a certain amount of inevitable manipulation.\u00a0 So direct messaging may have only a limited effect on savvy prospects.<\/p>\n

Which leaves indirect messaging.\u00a0 The \u201clook and feel\u201d of the corporate Career site communicates at a deep level<\/em> the way a company views life and work.\u00a0 Site visitors pick up that communication without necessarily even realizing it.\u00a0 They just go away with an impression that may be stronger than anything they actually read (or heard) in the direct messaging.<\/p>\n

Yet as a rule, no one in the organization is tasked with asking some fundamental questions that would ensure effective delivery of the good-place-to-work message.\u00a0 Several of the needed considerations have been discussed in previous posts, but here\u2019s a convenient recap and checklist:<\/p>\n