In Search of Work-Life Balance, Companies Get Creative

May 4 -- Visitors of Seattle's famed Pike Place Fish Co. are familiar with the seafood vendor's trademark antics — fish throwing. To the delight of camera-toting tourists, cheerful apron-clad workers send whole fish airborne across exhibits of halibut and salmon.

Pike Place Fish's owner John Yokoyama came up with the idea more than a decade ago as his business floundered and he faced the possibility of bankruptcy.

At its heart, fish flinging is all about having fun. But what's being called "Fish philosophy" is also a work-life strategy sending ripples through the business world.

These days, Yokoyama's business is one of many U.S. companies truly attempting to transform work by minimizing stress and maximizing productivity.

Happy Employees = Productive Employees

The market's philosophy — with tenets such as "Play," "Be there," "Choose your attitude" and "Make their day" — is all about inspiring employees while exuding an infectious, loving spirit to customers.

"It's hard to keep employees," Yokoyama says. "But when they're happy, they work hard and produce."

Believe it or not, Seattle's famous fish hurlers are now the subjects of a $590 best-selling training video by ChartHouse International Learning. About 3,000 companies — including Nordstrom, Boeing, Amazon.com, Nokia, Saturn, Southwest Airlines and McDonald's — are using the video "Fish!" and its sequel, "Fish Sticks!" to inspire employees.

Further, Yokoyama, a bit of a corporate cult figure these days, is regularly inundated with invitations to give corporate presentations.

Needless to say, the Pike Place Fish Co. is thriving, and Yokoyama credits his philosophy of improving the lives of employees and customers.

Glaxo Smith Kline: In Search of Resilience

At pharmaceutical company Glaxo Smith Kline, formerly Smith Kline Beecham, an entire team of consultants is dedicated to improving work-life issues and what the company calls an employee's "resilience."