Amber Slone had a goal in mind. It was the early part of May, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and her colleagues had been remote working for ten weeks. They were feeling restless. She also felt the same way. And no one had any desire for yet another Zoom meeting. Still, she was determined to connect with her teammates. The 33-year-old found herself traveling throughout Dallas, stopping by her coworkers’ residences with an assortment of soda bottles and ice cream pints.
In three days, Slone managed to deliver custom ingredients and instructions for creating ice cream floats to her entire team. In typical circumstances, this endeavor would make her a strong candidate for “Employee of the Year” at her software firm, VMware. But for her, it was just another aspect of her role.
“Although my title is ‘happiness director,’ I truly serve as a people connector,” she explains. “I strive to enhance people’s enjoyment of their work, that’s my mission.”
Slone represents a growing group of professionals whose job titles explicitly incorporate the term “happiness.” Whether they hold titles like directors of happiness or chief happiness officers, their primary focus is ensuring that employees look forward to work every day—regardless of their field.
Positions featuring “happiness” in the title are a modern phenomenon. They are generally more prevalent in startups or the tech sector, sometimes falling within the Human Resources division. However, as Slone’s colleague Lisa Berg points out, “happiness” roles don’t significantly overlap with HR functions.
Berg serves as a happiness director at VMware in Chicago and views herself as an aide to her teammates.
“I’m constantly asking, ‘What challenges are you dealing with, and how can I assist?’” she shares. “When people are feeling down, it’s vital to acknowledge their feelings. My job is to comprehend why, so I can work towards a solution.”
During her first week, Berg witnessed a colleague leave the office in distress. Although she did not know the individual well and was still adjusting to her own position, she chose to follow him out to check on his well-being.
“He shared that he was experiencing a tough time and requested five minutes of my time,” Berg recalls. “I responded, ‘Absolutely! I have as much time as you need!’”
In the upcoming days, their conversations continued regularly. She also checked in on her other colleagues. Berg and the other happiness professionals interviewed here stressed the importance of simply being available for those in their workplaces. This presence can positively influence more than just morale; it may enhance the company’s performance and employee retention rates.
“We have individuals who could work for companies like Google, Twitter, Facebook, or others,” remarks Slone’s supervisor Jenn Donahue. “But they’ve decided to stay here, and I genuinely believe she’s a significant part of that.”
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Happiness practitioners hail from diverse backgrounds. Slone transitioned from sales. Berg came from the nonprofit sector. Lauren Johnson shifted from hospitality to her position as happiness director at the Denver-based company JLL, aligning with Berg’s assertion that facilitating happiness equates to being a resource.
“Much of my role is about finding solutions for others to simplify their workdays,” she states. “Sometimes it requires anticipating their questions and concerns before they arise.” When her workplace relocated, Johnson assisted leadership in designing an office that provided each employee sufficient space.
“We focus on the finer details,” she emphasizes. “It’s all in the little things.”
Slone concurs: “It’s not just about treating everyone to ice cream floats or organizing an extravagant appreciation event,” she explains. “Often, it’s simply about keeping in mind when someone’s family is struggling or being aware of an important sales meeting they have coming up and reassuring them that they’re going to excel.”
At the Presence company in Florida, Chief Happiness Officer Holly Kickliter dedicates considerable attention to these small details. Her role is distinctive: She mainly centers on customer satisfaction. Think of a customer service team amplified. Her company supplies software to universities aiming to reduce dropout and transfer rates, and she leads the happiness initiative. Each day, she and a team of “happiness experts” and “happiness allies” scrutinize customer feedback, actively seeking improvements for their clients’ experiences with the software. This can be as simple as redesigning a user interface, but her overall approach is quite straightforward: minimize steps wherever possible.
“I’m focused on making work as straightforward as possible for everyone,” Kickliter asserts.
At times, clients can become frustrated. Kickliter feels most pressured when she receives calls from unhappy clients.
“That’s my cue to spring into action,” she remarks. “It’s a sign that I need to get involved.”
During these moments, Kickliter immediately hops on a call, attentively listening to the client’s concerns before determining how she and her team can resolve the issue. She highlights that listening may be the most crucial element, and although her responsibilities differ from those of other happiness directors, each individual interviewed echoed the same sentiment: “Everyone just wants to feel acknowledged.”
“That’s our role,” Berg elaborates. “We listen and then discover ways to bring happiness to others.”
