Why every startup needs a Chief Happiness Officer
As teams become more distributed, there will be challenges in keeping each other motivated and on the same page. Whether it’s minor conflicts or long-term emotional buildup, most companies are unable to track this until it’s too late.
We talked to our Chief Happiness Officer (CHO), Isan, on how her role has evolved from traditional human resources and why it’s relevant today.
🤙🏽 What is the role of Chief Happiness Officer?
My main role is to keep the team happy, maintain team morale and help with any personal or business-related issues every week. Think team manager, but with a way cuter title. This role originated from simple team and task management early on when I was working with the co-founders, keeping people in check and on track with their day-to-day tasks. As our team grew, one of our core cultures stood — open sharing. My role naturally gravitated towards making sure everyone was happy outside and within work, and to ensure that they were heard by someone on the team if they were experiencing difficulties.
😄 How has your role impacted remote team members when they’re feeling unhappy?
One common problem I see that other distributed team members might also experience at some point during their remote-work jobs is a lack of motivation when there is no teammate around for them to work with in person. But it really depends on who you’re dealing with. Some people need little encouragement, while some are more driven when interacting with others. One of my responsibilities is to be there for the team to vent to if they come across a stressful situation, and to also ensure that management is able to quickly execute on clearing roadblocks when this occurs.
As a remote worker myself and one of the earliest hires of NewCampus, I understand the frustrations of not being in the same location, or working in different time zones. Experiencing this firsthand has given me more insight, and I use what I’ve learned to empathise and listen to different individuals each week, and then we work together to solve what’s setting them back.
🤷🏻♂️ But isn’t this the founders’ responsibility to keep the team happy and motivated?
When you initially start out, it is the co-founders’ responsibility to ensure that every team member is heard and taken care of. It’s also key for them to ensure that their first hires share similar values and embrace mentorship. But when you’re scaling the company to 10, 25, 50 team members, it becomes a challenge — especially when you’re distributed.
Co-founders roles also evolve as the company grows, and you don’t want them to be spreading themselves too thin. At NewCampus, we believe that there needs to be a person where new and existing team members can turn to for emotional and professional support, and that’s where I step in.
💼 How is this different to traditional HR?
My friends in HR tell me that some of their core responsibilities are to ensure people are paid on time, to follow onboarding processes, or to avoid situations that might cause employees to sue the company. Aside from all those tasks, my role as CHO is also about investing in personal relationships, which goes beyond working hours. It’s kind of like therapy, with a professional twist to it.
We know for a fact that our team members want to feel heard and connected because this is part of human nature. Not all companies have the time to provide individualized support for each other as they might find it emotionally taxing and unnecessary. But because open sharing is a big part of our culture, we put importance into talking to each other about anything and everything. I work closely with the co-founders to stay up-to-date on our team’s professional and personal lives and goals, and we do our best to listen to them daily to understand how we can improve our company culture and further boost morale.
We believe that when team morale is up, we work more efficiently and effectively.
🎭 Give me an example of how people are more efficient when you’re around?
When people feel they are being heard, even for the smallest things that might seem insignificant, it makes them feel better. And when you feel better, you do better. If you go beyond just the usual office mate relationship and really try and cultivate a deeper friendship by taking interest in what makes each team member tick, it really makes all the difference. For example, our Head of Startups Growth has been travelling a lot recently. The muggy weather, flight changes and working across different timezones had really dampened her mood over the past couple of weeks.
I spent time hearing about her challenges, talking about them over WeChat and beer sessions, and ironing out an actionable plan to help her stay motivated. I’m also actively following up with her on a regular basis as she grows in and with the company. Often, co-founders can’t pick up these minor issues as they’re busy running other sides of the business, so it’s important for someone on the team to pro-actively ensure everyone is well-looked after, regardless of how big or small the matter.
🍻 Tell me how you’re pro-actively engaging people on the team?
I organise both individual and team catch-up calls each week. I facilitate the team call every Monday and Wednesday with a casual agenda beforehand, and while people are talking, I note down any potential difficulties they’re having and follow up with them individually afterwards. For example, if someone mentions that they’re having trouble understanding how to use UTM trackers, I can refer them to our team manual or work together to understand how we can find the right person to speak to. Regardless of the outcome, at the end of the day your team will feel grateful and relieved that someone is looking after their interests.
As for the individual catch-ups, it’s more casual and we do it over beers or pizza. There isn’t a set agenda; we just talk about each other’s day, week or life in general. Unlike a manager or buddy in a traditional environment, we’re less process-driven and formal. All these catchups are important because as I said earlier, when no one is there to listen or hear what you’re going through, it can impact your morale and performance negatively. Sometimes having someone who will listen is enough to give you that push to feel good and do better.
What advice would you give to companies that don’t have a CHO?
If a company is just starting out, it would be good for them to listen to what makes the team members happy, and understand how people tick and click. Eventually it would be great to assign someone on the team to be responsible for managing the team, their happiness and help in keeping up morale. Sure, founders initially have that responsibility, but it’s not sustainable in the long run. The CHO will need to be passionate about the companies’ goals and vision, as well as have a strong sense of empathy towards others. Oh, and they need to be an optimistic and generally happy person!
👩🏼🚀 Who we are
NewCampus is a lifelong learning school for people excited by change. We’re a gym membership for learning experiences, with daily classes hosted at a network of accessible colearning spaces. Members learn together, from global entrepreneurs and experts, about emerging business, technology and cultural trends, and consistently building the skills they need to thrive in the changing world.
We are a team of 10 passionate individuals from Australia, the United States, Singapore, China, India and the Philippines.
