Summary: companies that encourage their employees to be physically and mentally healthy (instead of sacrificing their health for the company) will be more productive and successful.

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In today's world of frictionless karma, subscription models and word-of-mouth...

If company success is a function of customer success,

And Customer success is a function of employee success,

Then company success is a function of employee success (not the other way around).

Have you ever been served coffee by someone who was unhappy?  Ugh.  You're just buying coffee, but there's an enormous difference between buying it from someone who's happy vs. someone who's bitter.  On the other hand, when you've received amazing service from a company, whether it was buying coffee or buying software, didn't it leave you wanting to use them again or tell your friends? 

That's one example of the value of productive, fulfilled employees. 

- Excited to go to work (more motivated)

- More enjoyable to work with (better teamwork)

- More creative (stress reduces creativity)

- Happier (giving customers a better experience)

- etc.

Intangible assets like brand and technology can grow or shrink quickly these days.  A knowledge worker company's ongoing/long-term value is mostly the aggregate value of its individual people.  So:

1) If a company wants to maximize its own productivity and success -  it needs to maximize the productivity and success of its people.

2) If the company wants to be highly productive and successful over years (not months), then it needs to focus on maximizing the potential of its people over years (not months). 

We have a quick fix society, both in our personal lives and business culture. Pop a pill!  Do a layoff!  Just change the comp plan!

In trying to boost results or morale, quick fixes are more often harmful than helpful. They don't work well, are disruptive, and they distract a company from focusing on things that actually make a sustainable difference.  Again, this is the same with people - it doesn't help to go to a bootcamp to lose 20 lbs if a person's lifestyle is unhealthy and doesn't change...because as soon as they re-enter their normal life, they'll begin backsliding.

What's the culture? 

It doesn't help a company to try a quick fix push to boost morale and productivity...if their ongoing culture works against morale and producitivity.

If the CEO and executive team (which sets company culture by example) encourages a culture of:

- Facetime (rather than results)

- Busyness (rather than productivity)