1. Advancing the “Happiness” Conversation:
Measuring Experienced and Desired Well-being at Work
Ryan Howell,
Co-founder of BeyondThePurchase.Org
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2. What would you say if I asked you
“were you happy last weekend”?

3. If you are not familiar with the weather patterns for San
Francisco, it can be rather cold and foggy.

4. A few weekends ago, we had a break from the fog.
I enjoyed a long walk on
Ocean beach and picnicked
in Golden Gate Park.
I samples some local food at
our farmers market, rented
bikes, and relaxed in the sun
as the afternoon passed.

5. As I was lying on a bench on Sunday afternoon, something
struck me. What would I say if someone asked me “were
you happy this weekend”?
My response would be simple: well, yes, but happiness is
bit narrow in describing how I felt.

6. Walking down to the beach I felt energized.
Walking on the beach I felt engaged.
While picnicking I felt relaxed and calm.
At our farmer market I felt a sense of community.
During our bike ride, I experienced awe.
I felt connected to my friends and family.

7. What’s the matter with happiness?
“Happiness” doesn’t fully capture the
range of emotions and evaluations we
make about our life.
It would be better to measure flourishing,
“living the good life,” or what makes life
worth living.
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8. What is flourishing?
Living the ‘good life’ by experiencing positive
physical, social, and mental states.
Flourishing requires that:
•basic needs are met (necessary prerequisites for human well-
being; e.g., health, income, education, freedom),
•individuals have a sense of purpose,
•they feel able to achieve important personal goals and
participate in society.
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9. Why should I care about
flourishing?
“Engaged employees are good for
the bottom line because they are
passionate about the company
and their contribution, and are
willing to invest discretionary
effort,” says Jim Knutsen, founder
of Cast, a consulting firm that
helps happiness-deprived
corporations redefine their
cultures.
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10. There are, at least, five different types of well-being:
(1)Basic needs (necessary prerequisites for human well-
being; e.g., health, income, education, freedom)
(2)Psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and
relatedness)
(3)Flourishing (living the ‘good life’ – being able to reach
your full potential)
(4)Hedonic (an optimal positive affect balance)
(5)Evaluative (a subjective appraisal of aspects of life and
how it is going; that is, judgment about feelings)
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11. This isn’t your father’s happiness.
Take-home point #1: The conversation about
“happiness” is changing to include satisfaction with
life, the experience of positive and negative emotions,
psychological needs, a sense of purpose, perceived
physical health, time balance, community vitality, social
connectedness, education and cultural vitality, access
to nature, satisfaction with governance, material well-
being, work experience—just to name a few domains.
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12. How do you define “the good life”?
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13. The case study of Ryan LLC--
A Dallas-based tax services firm
In 2008, with voluntary turnover around 20
percent, exit interviews were pointing to a
culture in need of an overhaul.
Brint Ryan, CEO of Ryan LLC, promised to
implement swift and radical changes to the
company’s culture.
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14. The case study of Ryan LLC--
A Dallas-based tax services firm
Flexibility was defined as the firm’s top
priority, followed by camaraderie, benefits,
and community outreach.
To begin its transformation, the firm launched
myRyan, a flexiblework environment that
measures performance solely on results.
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15. The case study of Ryan LLC--
A Dallas-based tax services firm
Four years later, the numbers tell the story.
Voluntary attrition is down to 6 percent, and
profits are up.
Ryan LLC just landed on Fortune’s 2012 Great
Place to Work list.
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16. How do you define “the good life”?
Psychologists are beginning to research the
beliefs people have about what makes life
worth living.
And when we ask people how they define the
good life, there are (at least) four different
paths people take to living the good life.
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17. How do you define “the good life”?
The four different paths people take to living
the good life:
(1) Experiencing a lot of positive emotions.
(2) Experiencing very few negative emotions.
(3) Spending a lot of time with friends and family.
(4) Trying to fill life with purpose.
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18. People desire different facets
of well-being.
Take home point #2: There is a diversity of beliefs
about what “the good life” entails. Before an
individual can take action to try to increase their
“happiness” they must first: (1) define happiness for
themselves (how do you define the good life?) and
(2) determine their baseline happiness levels.
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19. The case study of Zappos.
Zappos encourages
employees to
"create fun and a
little weirdness" in
the workplace and
build personal
connections with co-
workers.
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20. Why do beliefs about well-being
matter to companies?
Is fun and weirdness
the definition of
well-being for your
employees? Will
these domains of
well-being improve
the retention rate or
the job satisfaction
of your employees?
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21. Why do beliefs about well-being
matter to companies?
“Ask yourself what are
the values that the
company is willing to
make hiring and firing
decisions on apart from
job performance?”
- Tony Hsieh, chief executive of
Zappos.
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22. Take home point #3: Companies can, and should,
determine how their employees define “the good
work life” and work toward a well-being person X
environment fit. Some people will want a fun
environment, others a flexible schedule, still other an
extended paid maternity and paternity leave, or a
wellness program, or community service projects, or
enhanced benefits.
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23. So, how can any of this be done?
My story of BeyondThePurchase.Org
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24. So, how can any of this be done?
My story of BeyondThePurchase.Org
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25. Happiness metrics are diagnostics
not prescriptions
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26. Thank You
Ryan Howell,
Co-founder of BeyondThePurchase.Org
Follow me on Twitter @ SpendingWell