Why is it more fun to work for one company compared to another? Obviously it has to do with the office environment. With that I don’t mean only the way the office looks. Although the office design will help tremendously to convey a message of “can-do attitude” or energy, it will not be the main key to happiness in the office.

First and foremost it is the lack of management: with this one in particular:

“Management doesn’t have or take the time to clarify goals and decisions. Therefore, it rejects work after it was completed, damaging the morale and esteem of those who prepared it.”

According to this article the key is for management to provide the employees with so called “strokes”:

“Here’s a true story that explains the source of the term, ‘stroke.’ An orphanage in Romania had 50 infants with only two nurses to care for them night and day. It took all the nurses time and energy to prepare the formula and feed the babies. They had to prop the babie’s bottles up on a pillow, insert the nipple in their mouth and go on to the next baby. The babies were well fed, they were warm and kept clean. Outside of this, they received no attention. The mortality rate was enormous. 

A solution was found When Renee Spitz studied the problem at this and similar orphanages. Autopsies of deceased infants revealed that the baby’s spines were shriveled up. The doctors prescribed physical stroking for new babies. Volunteers came in and simply stroked each infant. These babies survived. From these studies, the term ‘strokes’ was conceived. Although the strokes given the infants where physical, the term was expanded to include psychological strokes because they have effects similar to physical strokes. A psychological stroke is any kind of attention — a greeting, a look, a word, a gesture, or any act that says “I know you’re here.” 

Strokes are essential Not only for high self-esteem, they are essential for emotional and physical health. The power of strokes varies from a weak nod from a stranger to intense love between lovers. 

People hunger for strokes And will go to surprising lengths to satisfy that hunger. You need to have your stroke hunger satisfied to feel good about yourself and have high self-esteem. ”

Managers should learn to use positive strokes and employees should learn to deal with the negative strokes. I guess this all is another way of describing WorkVitamins.