Joy Works (PDF)

Joy at work--why settle for anything less?

In Joy Works: Empowering Teams in the New Era of Work, Alex Liu delivers an engaging blueprint for ensuring people feel safe and inspired at work. Liu, the managing partner and chairman of Kearney, asks, "Why would we settle for anything less than joy at work?" In the book, you'll find a step-by-step action plan for approaching joy at work using the three key drivers that determine employee happiness--people, praise, and purpose--and learn how to implement that plan for maximum results and maximum joy.

The author demonstrates how to create more joy for your people at work, in both virtual and in-person environments, as well as how to incorporate joyfulness even in periods of dramatically heightened stress. He calls on his years of conversations with leaders around the world, both as an advisor to executives and through his popular podcast, Joy@Work. Readers will learn from a diverse collection of leaders, from psychologists, academics, athletes, nonprofit and board leaders, and a Broadway producer, to leaders at companies including HPE, Cisco, T-Mobile, SAP, and UPS. In the dialogues and research, readers will also find:

* An introduction to "ikigai," a Japanese concept meaning "reason for being"--a framework we can all use to find joy and meaning in our work

* An investigation into the link between social justice and joy, using conversations with leaders who have committed to making social progress a priority

* A new perspective on how the next generation will view joy at work, the Great Reflection, and the shifting balance of power in work cultures

* In-depth discussions about people, purpose, and praise: the three key elements in building a joyful work experience

* A call for more reflective leadership--a new approach to power leaders through uncertain and challenging times

Joy Works is an essential handbook for anyone who wants to create more joy in their work -- the leaders who want to shift corporate cultures, managers who are facing pressures to innovate, young people who are adamant that they can have a life and a career that's centered around joy and meaning, and anyone who thinks "joy at work" is a near-term possibility, not an oxymoron. This guide to the changing reality and opportunity of work belongs in the libraries of anyone interested in creating a more engaging and productive virtual, hybrid, or in-person workspace.

Let's build more joy.