Not long ago the concepts presented in Chapters 12 and 13 were the essence of managing employees. The prevailing view was that staffing and motivating employees were the main—or even the only—ways to achieve organizational success. Any manager who takes this view today will be in deep trouble. Employee emotions, attitudes, and well-being are indicators of an ethical imperative. Treating staff with respect, matching their needs with organizational resources, and providing a workplace that minimizes unnecessary stress is simply the right thing to do. Employees are stakeholders, so a second justification is that managing attitudes and well-being is an integral component of corporate social responsibility.

Along with the ethical and corporate social responsibility implications, employee attitudes and well-being influence a company's ability to attract and retain talent. As labor shortages loom and the war for talent heats up, keeping employees happy is an important objective. As we noted in Chapter 12, companies develop a stronger employer brand when they receive awards as great places to work, whereas low morale and high turnover are viewed as evidence of poor treatment of employees. Ultimately a company's public image of how it treats employees can be a decisive factor in the quality of job applicants.

Along with the ethical, corporate social responsibility, and employee retention arguments, employee emotions, attitudes, and well-being are indirectly, but reasonably strongly, associated with job performance and customer satisfaction. Employees won't achieve peak job performance just through the processes of selection, training, and reward management. They also need to have positive work experiences and normal levels of stress. Employees who are satisfied with their jobs generally work more effectively, interact better with coworkers, and serve customers more helpfully and with more positive displays of emotions. The lower turnover rates among satisfied and less stressed employees also increase the quality of talent in the workplace.