Deepak Ohri, Lebua CEO to propose a much-awaited inclusion: Future starts today with ESGHH
The pandemic hit the world unannounced, bringing in its wake a plethora of challenges. While on one side, the pandemic led to some marvelous technology disruptions, it also cost organizations disruption to the human capital. One Gallup study found that about 87% are unhappy or unengaged at work. In a 2021 Workplace Happiness Study, commissioned by Indeed and conducted by Forrester Consulting, nearly 50% of people believe expectations around work happiness have increased over the last five years. Furthermore, 97% of people felt like happiness at work is possible.
Psychology professor and happiness specialist Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky says that research shows happier people experience more success, positive reviews, greater creativity, higher incomes, and less burnout. Warsaw-based Employer Branding Institute (EBI) assists firms in creating happier workplaces. It runs a project called Pracuję bo lubię (I work because I like it). The project aims to raise the number of employees that are happy at work.
A content employee experience can take engagement and empowerment to the next level by bringing in important aspects like happiness index, employee pulse, and belongingness with the organization’s culture.
Taking a cue from the above, one such organization, Bangkok-based luxury hotel brand, Lebua Hotels & Resorts has taken lead in this direction. Deepak Ohri, CEO of Lebua has taken on additional responsibilities of the Chief Happiness Officer (CHO). As the CEO and the CHO of Lebua, he has committed to driving this new process of spreading happiness, which is a part of the strategy for the next two years.
His efforts in this direction have earned him a nomination to the “World Happiness Foundation Board”. Ohri will be sharing the board position with the likes of Phillip Kotler and many other distinguished members like Luis Gallardo and others.
At Lebua, the top management, under the leadership of Deepak Ohri, is concentrating on the happiness of everyone involved. The company is catering to the happiness of employees, stakeholders, customers, and vendors. The management believes that a happy employee needs a satisfied customer, and a happy customer needs a happy employee, and both depend on each other. A happy endeavour brings a happy and healthy workplace where we all thrive and succeed. The company will not measure the happiness of employees just by asking them in a survey. The company is building a happy environment where all can thrive. Ohri says,” The loss of our stakeholders over the last two years is incomparable, but still, we were able to retain all our employees.”
The company has added a new dimension to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) metrics. It has redefined it as environmental, social, and corporate governance, health, and happiness (ESGHH). Lebua has made happiness part of Lebua’s values. Ohri says, “Happiness is freely available to the world, and we will make it part of ours. Everyone who will be in touch with us will understand and experience how real happiness can revolutionize our world.”
The company credits its success to people the first strategy and now it has added the happiness of people to its strategy. Because having fun, at the end of the day, is serious business, and it should be taken seriously!
It is worth mentioning here that, due to pandemics many leading hotel chains across the globe terminated the services of their employees. On another hand, Lebua Hotels & Resorts has retained its entire workforce and ensured timely wages are paid to them. It is a great lesson that other hoteliers also follow in the footsteps of Ohri. Post pandemic, when Lebua Bangkok was reopened on 3rd July 2020, it was completely sold out within no time. There was a phenomenal response from the guests; all 4 restaurants at Lebua were completely booked in well advance. As the guest enjoyed the sumptuous meal, they were pleasantly surprised when the bill was presented. Instead of bill, the guests were requested to pay what they deemed fit for their meal, as the hotel would donate the entire earnings of the evening to the charities in Thailand.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
