Is the Pursuit of Happiness, the Source of Unhappiness?

Recently, I attended a workshop in Arizona, where I was assigned to present a case related to our business. At the end of my presentation, a member of the audience asked a question that particularly caught my attention: “How does IOS OFFICES provide happiness to their associates?” 

As I heard this question, I couldn’t help going back to when we started our business during the initial remodeling and construction of our first concept space, IOS OFFICES Campestre in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. During this time, I remember seeing a newcomer walking around with a member of our engineering staff. This man was perfectly well-dressed, wearing a three-piece suit and pristine, shined shoes. His elegant presence stood out and contrasted drastically with the dusty unfinished floors and simultaneous presence of construction workers. I introduced myself and politely asked how they were doing. “Mr. Oscar is interested in getting to know our new office space concept,” I was told. At that moment, I decided to see if any of our sales representatives were free, and to my pleasant surprise, all of them were occupied with future prospects. Fortunately, after a couple of minutes, a member of our commercial department was made aware of the presence of Mr. Oscar and diligently proceeded to give him a tour. 

The next morning, I saw Mr. Oscar again, impeccably dressed from head to toe, sitting on a construction block while signing a check. I couldn’t hide my excitement as I stood there watching with teary eyes. His check represented a lot to me; it was one of the first payments that IOS OFFICES received while initiating operations. As he stood up, I walked toward him to shake his hand and asked him frankly: “"Why did you choose us?” He answered confidently, while smiling: “Yesterday, I opened the newspaper and saw an article about this new office space concept, and I thought I should check it out.” He continued to tell me that he was already in talks to rent a nice corner office with an independent restroom in the highest building in the city. “When I toured the site, first accompanied by a formal young man, and later introduced to you personally and your sales staff, I noticed something that was truly comforting; everyone had a big smile on their face and that made me have a sense of happiness and ease. It made me realize that despite all the havoc going on while in construction, your staff was committed to this project wholeheartedly, and it assured me that such commitment would be present during my time at IOS OFFICES.” 

This story is emblematic for us at IOS OFFICES, and it has proven to be a constant review of our business. Mr. Oscar’s experience has been replicated by many of our associates, and they  have let us know that they value and cherish our services. In our community, we not only offer a coworking space, we offer high-quality office space and services, while procuring authentic human connections that reveal themselves with an honest smile. 

At IOS OFFICES, we nourish happiness in many ways. In Abraham Maslow’s paper, Theory of Motivation, he describes a classification system of human needs, which was further explained with  a five-level pyramid that represents physiological, security, affiliation, recognition and self-realization human needs. At IOS OFFICES, we have been working on these human needs instinctively since the very beginning: 

• We developed a concept of fully equipped clean and comfortable spaces that fit physiological needs, while also providing security in all of our facilities. 

• In our company, we provide opportunities for our associates to fulfill their social needs, organizing national events like the IOS Network Summit and our benefit marathons, as well as reforestation events and smaller social networking events. 

• We celebrate every success and every milestone our associates experience at IOS OFFICES. We invite them to be a part of our community, promoting the feeling of affiliation and recognition and enhancing a sense of belonging.

• In our community, we value a sense of fulfillment that is reflected in self-realization, which is focused on individual and collective development, inspiring productivity, happiness and well-being. 

Devoted to keeping our staff and associates satisfied, we also have incorporated into our operational process the eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, occupational and social. These are all  new parts of our working scheme.  

At IOS OFFICES there is full openness within our community, and we pursue the development of healthy relationships that consider an emotional dimension derived from finding purpose in what we do, while creating a sense of peace and safety that allows us to fulfill our spiritual needs as well.

We consider problems as situations that should be solved in a knowledgeable and practical way, taking action and using our intellectual abilities. Also, regarding physical health, we organize events, such as yoga, functional training, our annual races, and promote healthy menus.

As for the environmental dimension, we maintain a clean physical space and procure regular contact with nature that inspires us to make better decisions regarding life and work. And considering other wellness factors such as financial, we have created a savings fund so that our people can best administer their finances, allowing them to focus on the occupational dimension that maintains a balanced work-life relationship, and allows them to feel valued and respected in their social dimension, managing time to enjoy and dedicate to their respective families and friends.

At IOS OFFICES we want our community to focus on doing what they love and loving what they do while serving others. 

I truly believe that directly seeking happiness is not the answer.  That could be as foolish as looking directly into the sun while searching for light. A better approach might be to love what you do, be kind to others and take care of yourself. When you are happy, you will know it, just like you know the sun is there, lighting your way.