Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2
*
**
***
The research aims to study the level of workplace happiness of employees at
GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Limited and to compare the level of workplace happiness of employees by human resource management level.The researcher collected data from 166 employees at Glaxosmithkline (Thailand) Limited by sample random sampling method. The collected data was analyzed by statistical program. Statistics included percentage, arithmetic mean and standard deviation, while One-way-ANOVA was used for hypothesis test. My research findings were summarized as follows:
1) The level of workplace happiness of employees was high.
2) Employee with different levels of opinions on human resource planning and training and development resulted in different levels of happiness at work in terms of success with a statistical significance of 0.05.
3) Employees with different levels of opinions on compensation and benefits had different levels of workplace happiness in terms of enthusiasm with a statistical significance of 0.05.
4) Employees with different levels of opinions on performance assessment and occupational health and safety had no difference on workplace happiness at work.
Field of Research: Human resource management.
Probably everyone wishes for happiness, which is something abstract and intangible.
Happiness has many different definitions because humans are individuals with a variety of emotions and different ways to find happiness. However, happiness makes people smarter and able to work more efficiently. Therefore, it can be said that happiness at work is the key factor driving the organization towards success. Happiness is the power encouraging people to perform their best at work. It can also build a sense of harmony and ownership in the organization, as well as effectively boost employee morale. (Thai Health Promotion
Foundation, 2009.) As business organizations set their economic goal to maximize profits, management emphasizes achieving outcomes, which can be measured mainly from the number of achievements using an evaluation system and indicators to concretely reflect the performance. Meksawan, T. (2002) Therefore, performance management nowadays has been building indicators or tools to evaluate outcomes and continuously developing processes, especially on the organization's performance output, directly affecting the company’s strategies, policies, and visions, to be measurable in both quantitative and qualitative terms. This enables the organization to effectively separate employees with high and poor work performance. Some examples of currently popular indicators are Key
Performance Indicator (KPI), and Competency, the guidelines to measure employees’ behavior that produces the highest performance possible in each position. However, all
_____________________________________________________
* Ms.Sirinthorn Saisoonthorn, Administration and Management College, King Mongkut’s Institute of
Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand, E-mail : sirinthorn.ssn@gmail.com
** Dr.Chayasit Thongborisut, Faculty of Industrial Education, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology
Ladkrabang, Thailand, E-mail : ktchayas@kmitl.ac.th
*** Assistant Professor Dr. Nuttawut Rojniruttikul, Administration and Management College, King Mongkut ’s
Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand, E-mail : krnuttaw@kmitl.ac.th.

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2 forms of performance evaluation have effects on the organization’s personnel in both direct and indirect aspects as they have to promptly produce their work to achieve their goals by focusing more on the whole picture related to the organization’s business. This process forces employees to adjust their lifestyles, values, and working cultures to be accordant with, and effective for achieving the best performance. Consequently, employees come under pressure and stress more easily, which is a cause of unhappiness at work. Absenteeism increases and employees finally quit. (Thai Health Promotion
Foundation, 2009.)
GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co., Ltd. or GSK, has operated for 50 years in Thailand as a company researching and developing pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare products to treat and prevent a broad range of diseases. They recognized the barriers in accessing medicines an d developed a policy called, “Access to Medicines”, which is also GSK’s global campaign. This project was launched and operated to increase a broadened and sustainable access to medicines for Thai people. This is to support the value of sharing in
Thai society by providing access to healthcare and helping people to improve their quality of life, according to GSK’s mission to strive for creating and developing quality of life through being healthy. GSK is considered as one of the companies in the pharmaceutical industry making high profits in Thailand. Its human resources are the key factor in determining the company’s success. If the employees are happy at work, the organization will become more competitive in the market and the business will grow. As a result, the researcher became interested in studying and comparing the happiness at work of employees at the operating level at GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co., Ltd., categorized by human resources management levels. The findings of this research shall be used as suggestions to those involved in improving and developing employee’s happiness at work which can increase long-term productivity for sustainable success of the organization.
“Happiness” has many different definitions but not any of them has really been accepted completely and universally. Therefore, the meaning of happiness depends on what the researcher and other people involved in the research would define it to be. Greenberg,
Baker and Hemingway (2006) defined a happy company as an organization in which everyone in each position is able to use their various strengths to creatively cooperate with others in achieving the same goal. Further, a happy company enhances productivity to create satisfaction in goods and services that can make profit for the company as well as bring benefits to consumers. Similarly, Diego (2005) stated that work innovations can be produced only when employees are happy with their jobs and enthusiastically enjoying their work. If you are the leader who determines job allocation to utilize creativity, you must have a balanced, clear, and attainable goal with interesting job details that can stimulate the creativity hidden within each person.
In Human Resource Management, Rensis Likert (1960) talked about the importance of human resource management in an organization that, “all kinds of activities within the organization are launched and assessed by the personnel founding that organization.”
Other factors such as factories, offices, artificial intelligence, state-of-the-art technology, or any other things used in modern business would not play as important a part in accelerating productivity as the efforts and direction of the people. Humans design or give orders to machines, determine when to use artificial intelligence, create new production techniques, raise funds, and determine financial and accounting management. Each and every activity within the organization is dependent on abilities, motivation, and efficiency of the human organization. In the same way, Flippo (1971) defined human resource management as the process of planning, organizing, directing and controlling the

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2 recruitment, salary rates, remunerations, and sense of harmony for different purposes of the organization.
In Human Resource Planning, Fisher and Others (1993) stated that human resource planning is related to taking people into and out of the organizational system, which results in changes of the skill levels and development of such skills to meet the needs of the organization. Arthur W. Sherman and George W. Bohlander (2006) defined human resource planning as the process of forecasting human resource demands compared with the existing numbers of staff, then making appropriate decisions to maintain the balance between the numbers of staff needed in the future and those to be recruited. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used together in forecasting human resource demands.
Bernardin and Russell (1998) stated that training is the effor t to develop employee’s abilities in a specific area, such as skills, attitudes, behavior and growth. Nadler (1980) said that human resource development is the process of providing experience and learning to employees for a period of time to improve their abilities to work and promote their career advancement. Human resource development, according to Nadler’s ideas, not only means training but also learning from experience gained from prepared activities during a specific amount of time which have been desi gned to make it possible to change the employees’ behaviors.
Performance appraisal is the process of setting expectations of workers’ performance; measuring, assessing and recording the results according to such expectations, then informing them of the feedback (Mohrman, 1989). Although the main objective of this process is to build an employee’s motivation to work, it can also be used for other purposes, such as pay raises, making future work plans, considering the necessity of training and development, and assessing employees’ potential to get a job promotion, etc.,
(Peck, 1984).
In Remunerations and Benefits , Milkovich & Newman (2002) defined remuneration as forms of financial or other benefits that employees earn as part of the employment relationship development.
In a similar way, Cooper (1958) mentioned that there are many different things that workers want from work. For example, they want to do the jobs that interest them or the jobs with good equipment, a fair salary, potential career advancement, good working environment, appropriate work hours and a location convenient for commuting, as well as other benefits. Workers also want to work with leaders who understand how to control their subordinates, and leaders that they respect in particular.
Mondy & Noe (2005) separated benefits into financial and non-financial forms. Financial benefits are paid by the employer in terms of payment, salary, bonuses, commissions or incentives gained according to performance, certificate or experience benefits and overtime pay. As for non-financial or indirect benefits, they refer to what employees gain according to labor laws. These include social security, unemployment insurance, public holiday pay, annual leave, maternity leave, and other benefits such as healthcare, life insurance and welfare.
In Health and Safety, Herrick, N.G. and Macaby, M. (1995) explained the principles of having a better quality of life through an improved working life under The Principle of
Security or a response towards workers’ needs to minimize fright and anxieties concerning healthcare, security at work, income, as well as career advancement.
This is because workers may not possibly pay full attention at work if they are suffering physical or economic insecurities such as chemical hazards, air pollution, or being concerned with threats posed by a certain job.
Hypothesis 1: Employees holding different opinions on human resource management regarding human resource planning have different levels of happiness at work.

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2
Hypothesis 2: Employees holding different opinions on human resource management regarding training and development have different levels of happiness at work.
Hypothesis 3: Employees holding different opinions on human resource management regarding performance evaluation have different levels of happiness at work.
Hypothesis 4: Employees holding different opinions on human resource management regarding benefits and welfare have different levels of happiness at work
.
Hypothesis 5: Employees holding different opinions on human resource management regarding healthcare and security at work have different levels of happiness at work.
For this research, the researcher studied, “The Happiness at Work of the Employees of
GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co., Ltd.” The research instrument used for collecting the data was a 166 self-completion questionnaire consisting of 3 sections.
Section 1: Personal information of respondents using close-ended questions about gender, age, marital status, educational level, job title, career, and average monthly income.
Section 2: Questions related to human resource management of GlaxoSmithKline
(Thailand) Co., Ltd. using a quantitative research questionnaire.
Section 3: Questions concerned with happiness at work using the Likert Scale questionnaire.
Theoretical Model
:
The research of happiness at work of the employees of
GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co., Ltd. is based on the concept of David A. De Cenzo and
Stephen P. Robbins (1996) regarding the maximization of human resource management to achieve the goals of the organization. Mondy, Noe and Premeaux (1999) stated that human resource management is to administer human resources for the maximum achievements of the organization. David A. De Cenzo and Stephen P. Robbins (1996) defined human resource management as the processes of acquiring, developing, motivating, and maintaining the human resource.
Happiness at work, according to Diener
(1984), is a measure of good emotional health. The research by Andrews and Withey
(1976) found that happiness consists of life satisfaction judgments, work satisfaction, positive affects and negative affects. ( Figure 1 )
Figure 1
Conceptual Model
Human resource management
1. Human resource planning
2. Training and development
3. Performance assessment
4. Compensation and benefits
5. Health and safety on workplace
Workplace Happiness

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2
Table 1: Personal Factor
1. Gender
Male
Female
Personal Factor
Total
2. Age
Under or equal 30 years old
More than30
to 40 years old
More than 40 years old
Total
3. Marital status
Single
married
Divorced
Frequency
76
90
166
60
48
58
166
93
72
1
Percentages
45.8
50.2
100.0
36.1
28.9
34.9
100.0
56.0
43.4
0.6
Total
4. Education
Below Bachelor Degree
Bachelor Degree
Above Bachelor Degree
Total
5. Position
Officer
Supervisor
Seniority Supervisor
Assistant manager / Manager
Total
6.
Working life
Under or equal 5 years
More than 5 to 10 year
More than 10 to 15 years
More than 15 years
Total
7. Monthly Income
Less than or equal 20,000 Baht
More than 30,000 to 40,000 Baht
More than 40,000 to 50,000 Baht
More than 50,000 to 60,000 Baht
More than 60,000 Baht
Total
166
1
95
70
166
64
75
15
12
166
55
18
14
19
60
166
48
34
16
68
166
100.0
0.6
57.2
42.2
100.0
28.9
20.5
9.6
41.0
100.0
38.6
45.2
9
7.2
100.0
33.1
10.8
8.4
1.4
36.1
100.0

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2
From Table 1, most employees are females aged between 30-40 (or younger) who are single, holding a bachelor degree, working as assistant managers / managers, having
5-10 years of experience, with incomes of more than 60,000 Baht per month.
Table 2 P-Value of comparing differences of means of happiness at work among employees of GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and human resource management by t-test and
One-way ANOVA.
Workplace
Happiness
Satisfaction
Enthusiasm
Success
Human resource planning
0.421
0.874
0.036*
Human resource management (P-Value)
Training and
Development
0.594
0.743
0.029*
Performance assessment
0.281
0.051
0.399
Compensation and Benefits
0.341
0.035*
0.658
Health and
Safety on workplace
0.962
0.870
0.589
Overall 0.285 0.167
Remark *statistical significance level of 0.05
0.416 0.305 0.737
From Table 2, employees with different opinions on human resource planning, training, and development have different levels of happiness in terms of success with a statistical significance of 0.05 Next, employees who gain different benefits and welfare have different levels of happiness in terms of enthusiasm with a statistical significance of
0.05.
Finally, employees who have different opinions on human resource management in other areas are similarly happy in terms of work satisfaction, enthusiasm, and success.
Table
3 P
-Value of comparing differences of means of happiness at work among employees of GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and human resource planning.
Happiness Human resource planning
Mean Groups P-Value
Low 3.77 1
1
-
2
0.016*
3
0.011*
Success Medium 4.03 2 - - 0.874
High level 4.04
Remark
*statistical significance level of 0.05
3 - - -
From Table 3, it found that employees who had low level of opinions towards human resource planning
had different levels of happiness in terms of success compared to those employees who had moderate and high levels of opinions with a statistical significance of 0.05. Other pairs of employees who had different levels of opinions towards human resource planning did not have different levels of happiness in terms of success.

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2
Table 4 P-Value of comparing differences of means of happiness at work among employees of GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co.,Ltd. and training and development.
Happiness Training and
Development
Mean Groups
Low
Medium
3.93
3.96
2
3
Success
High 4.14 4
Very High 4.00 5
Remark **statistical significance level of 0.01
2
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
P-Value
4
0.732 0.070 0.697
0.004**
-
-
5
0.825
0.402
-
From Table 4, it found that employees who had moderate level of opinions towards training and development had different levels of happiness at work in terms of success compared to employees who had high level of opinions with a statistical significance of
0.01. Other pairs of employees who had different levels of opinions towards training and development did not have different levels of happiness in terms of success.
Table 5 P-Value of comparing differences of means of happiness at work among employees of GlaxoSmithKline (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and compensation and benefits.
Happiness Compensation and Benefits
Mean
Enthusiasm Lower 3.72
Low 3.91
Medium 3.69
High 3.64
Remark
*statistical significance level of 0.05
Groups
1
2
3
4
1
-
-
-
-
P-Value
2 3 4
0.078 0.749 0.507
- 0.013* 0.019*
-
-
-
-
0.633
-
From Table 5, it found that employees who had low level of opinions towards compensation and benefits had different levels of happiness in terms of enthusiasm compared to employees who had moderate and high levels of opinions with a statistical significance of 0.05. Other pairs of employees who had different levels of opinions did not have different levels of happiness at work in terms of enthusiasm
Employees who had different opinions towards human resource planning had different levels of happiness at work in terms of success. It was because if an organization has good human resource plans, it would result in happiness at work of employees in terms of success. It was in accordance with Fremont E.Kast and James E.Rosenzweig (1970) who noted that planning is a process of considering and determining what to do and how to do beforehand along with selecting objectives, policies, projects and practices to achieve the goals. Harold Koontz and Cyril O’Donnell (1968) described that planning is to determine what to, how to do and who to do in advance. Therefore, planning is a state of linking what is happening in the present moment with the future as determined. H.G.Hicks (1981) described that planning is the prime administrative duty to be performed for an exclusive activity and to have a successful planning, it requires an analysis of data from the past, present decision and assessment of the future. And Elbert Wohlstetter (1964) described

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2 that planning refers to an essential method of making a progressive decision and it should be a precedent for any actions. These statements addressed the importance of good management planning that accordingly results in job success and progress.
Employees who had different levels of opinions towards training and development had different levels of happiness in terms of success because training is a process of adjusting attitudes, knowledge
and expertise for enhancement of working effectiveness and efficiency of employees at the present moment, Leonard Nadler (1979), which probably includes preparing qualified employees to be promoted to higher positions in the field having the similar manner.
(Nadler. 1980) stated that human resource development is a procedure providing employees with experience and knowledge in a period of time in order to prove capability at work and encourage employees’ advancement.
Employees who had different levels of opinions towards compensation and benefits had different levels of happiness in terms of enthusiasm, in accordance with Cooper (1958) who remarked personnel demands at work including working in a field of interest, fine working equipment, fair salary and wage, opportunity for career path, good working conditions, appropriate working hours and place of work, travel convenience, other welfares as well as working together with chiefs who have understanding in administration, especially those who are respectful.
Employees who had different levels of opinions towards occupational health and safety did not have different levels of happiness at work. It was probably because most employees thought that health and safety are usually basic living standards, for example, personal health care to prevent illness, absence from work or medical cost. Therefore, human resource management in terms of occupational health and safety that an organization offers for its employees of all levels does not have impact on happiness at work. It was in accordance with Frederick W. Taylor (1911) who stated that economic motives are most important factors persuading each employee to work and the amount of money given to each employee is more important than job description, so employees will do any works making them earn enough. Motivation based on scientific methods proposed by Frederick
W. Taylor (1911) has only a short-term impact because human has heart and soul, so treating and asking employees to work as if they are machines could not be implemented in a long run. Similarly, Al derfer’s Modified Need Hierachy Theory (1972) called ERG
(Existence
– Relatedness-Growth Theory) had been developed after a study on Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs found that it was contrast with that of Maslow. Alderfer then proposed
ERG Theory based on three classes of human needs: 1) Existence Needs refer to concerns with basic material existence requirements;
2) Relatedness Needs refers personal desire to have meaningful interpersonal relationships; and 3) Growth Needs refer to intrinsic desire and needs for self-esteem and self-actualization.
Employees who had different levels of opinions towards performance assessment did not have different levels of happiness at work because most employees realized assessment criterion and recognized that the assessment begins from the time they start working for the organization. Therefore, no matter what the assessment result is, employees should realize that all of it is the result of their performance and contribution which is in accordance with Expectancy Theory proposed by V.H., (1964) who stated that employees will have motives when they realized that their effort will lead to accomplishment in work and finally rewards and outcomes they expected. In other words, motivating employees to work more requires understanding in the process of individual thought and recognition first.

Proceedings of Annual Tokyo Business Research Conference
15 - 16 December 2014, Waseda University, Tokyo, japan, ISBN: 978-1-922069-67-2
Generally, when it comes to more work, employees usually think that what they will get from it. In case of working, employees will put more effort when they think that the action leads to some satisfying outcomes for them, for examples, after working harder, their performance gets better and makes them to be promoted to higher positions and earn higher income. Wage and position are the outcomes of hard working and the awards they expected. However, if they think that even though they work harder, their boss never recognizes and appreciates it, so it is impossible that they will be promoted to higher positions and they do not realize the importance of harder working. Intensity of working behavior depends on expectation to do what they expect to do and attractiveness of the outcomes which are related to linkages between rewards and contribution and also contribution and endeavor.
Recommended
For indicators and components of human resource management, there are different components proposed by some thinkers, so each indicator applied to the research should be mainly considered for consistency and appropriateness with the organization’s context.
The research method for in-depth and detailed information should be done through an additional observation or group discussion in order to achieve more comprehensive information.
Practical implications in providing the organization with a human resource management method effectively resulting in happiness at work are to promote the following important jobs so that the organization could perform human resource development more effectively:
1) Human resource training and development programs - Teaching programs should be more up-todate by applying several kinds of media to attract trainees’ interest and make them fun and relaxed along with providing academic lessons and practices. Contents should be updated to the latest circumstances to enable trainees to apply to their job and create more working flexibility.
2) Should promote good human resource planning to create a working environment of active participation, love sharing and sharing of different fields of knowledge among personnel of each division. It could begin from asking employees to informally give their opinions, probably in a subgroup meeting of employees in an operating level, so that all employees have more chance to give their opinions which could be applied for solutions and improvement of operating effectiveness. They could utilize new knowledge and experience from their colleagues in their work. The organization should regularly arrange activities to enable employees to have more recognition and understanding in the organization as well as positive attitudes towards the organization.
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