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Things are not good. The economy is still in the tank. The jobless rate went up again. The absolute devastation in Haiti is on the forefront of the news. It is enough to make you want to run away and hide.

With all the bad, it is important to think of ways to make the work place a little more fun and positive. Since music is such a big part of our culture, why not have a theme song? Do you have one? If not, maybe you should.

At McKenzieHR our theme song is We Are the Champions by Queen. Considering the economic situation and the fact that we are still in business, we feel like champions. The lyrics are perfect.

"I've paid my dues/Time after time/I've done my sentence/But committed no crime/ And bad mistakes I've made a few/ I've had my share of sand kicked in my face/ But I've come through."

We made it through the sand in the face and the mistakes and we believe there is no where to go but up in 2010.

We once considered Bob Dylan's, The Times They are A Changin', but it seemed too generic. Times are always a changin', so we dumped this one.

A couple of months ago, it could have been Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. This could also be the theme song for the millions of people looking for work. "Take my hand and we'll make it I swear/ Oh Oh - livin' on a prayer."

Then there is always Ringo Starr's, It Don't Come Easy with the refrain. "Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues/ And you know it don't come easy."

Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary recorded, The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind as in when will this recession end?

"Say, when this is all over/You'll be in clover/We'll go out and spend/All ofyour blue money" from Van Morrison's Blue Money may just be the ticket to future success.

Money by Pink Floyd may be a good theme song for you. "Money, get away/ Get a good job with more pay/And your O.K./ Money, it's a gas/ Grab that cash with both hands And make a stash." If you want to play this in your workplace, be sure to bleep out the profanity in that do "goody good" line.

Admit it. Your mind is now singing along with the songs mentioned and you are smiling just a little bit. Keep reading as you will smile more as we move on to a few others.

If you want to have some better employee relations, there's always, The Best by Tina Turner. "You're simply the best/ Better than all the rest/ Better than anyone/anyone I've ever met." It's a nice message to send to your employees and may be a bit of a moral booster.

Another good one could be another Queen song, We will Rock You. Even though this has been used ad nauseum at NFL stadiums throughout the country, the introduction of Ba Ba Boom - Ba Ba Boom has a certain motivating tone to it.

What are you employees singing?

Last week, a study was released stating the more than half of the people working today dislike their job. So, managers have to be cognizant of the songs their employees are singing. There might be trouble brewing if you hear. Take This Job and Shove it, by Johnny Paycheck. 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton's. "Workin' 9 to 5/ What a way to make a livin'/ Barely gettin' by/ Its all takin'/ And no givin'/ They just use your mind/And they never give you credit/Its enough to drive you/Crazy if you let it," may be another one to worry about.

Re: Your Brains by Jonathon Coulton was mentioned in the March, 2009 edition of the McKenzie Mailer, This song is about a guy named Bob who has been eaten up by the corporate culture and now wants Tom, one of his co-workers, to become a corporate zombie, too. "All we want to do is eat your brains/We're not unreasonable, I mean, no one's gonna eat your eyes/ All we want to do is eat your brains/ We're at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise/ If you open up the doors/ We'll all come inside and eat your brains" Watch the video on You Tube

If you start hearing such songs as the classic, We've Got to Get Out of this Place by the Animals, or You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' by the Righteous Brothers or Billy Joel's Movin' Out – "Ah but working too hard can give you A heart attack, ack, ack, ack, ack, ack/ You ought to know by now," You may need some intervention.

Still singing? It's kind of fun and a little uplifting. Isn't it?

Of course, being brought up with the 70's music and still one who listens to Classic Rock, there is definitely a Baby Boomer bias to the songs mentioned here. There are probably many others that I did not think of, so feel free to write back with a few ideas of your own that we can share next month with our clients and friends.

Just think of how much of a better place your work setting would be if employees sang songs in instead of moaning, groaning and complaining about their job, the economy, the health care legislation or other things that can get you down.

It would simply be a better place to work.

We hope 2010 started out with a bang. Let me know if you have any questions or if we can be of help to you.

Thanks for subscribing to and reading the McKenzie Mailer.

Bob McKenzie
President
McKenzieHR
potential@mckenziehr.com