The Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) has received the “Three-Star Gross National Happiness (GNH) of Business Certificate” for its alignment with Bhutan’s GNH values. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay presented the certificate yesterday in the capital. The Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies (CBS) assessed DGPC earlier this year using the “GNH of Business Assessment Tool,” which evaluates alignment with the nine domains of GNH, including wellbeing, education, health, and ecological resilience, among others.
The three-month evaluation surveyed nearly 900 employees, with a response rate of 88.2 percent. The DGPC scored 54.54 percent, earning the three-star certification, which signifies above-average performance.
“When an organisation has to try and increase the level of happiness in the organisation and still work to make a profit, it is very difficult. I want to congratulate Dasho Chhewang and everybody working in the DGPC,” said Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister.
Organisations must request the CBS to evaluate their operations to begin the assessment process. DGPC is the fourth organisation to receive the certification, following Bank of Bhutan, Bhutan Telecom, and Bhutan Power Corporation.
The certification highlights DGPC’s efforts to incorporate happiness-driven values into its business practices.
“Our services so far have been well evaluated. We have to learn from the report and be better. That’s what we learned today, the areas where we can improve,” said Dasho Chhewang Rinzin, managing director of DGPC.
The GNH of Business framework, derived from Bhutan’s GNH Index, assesses businesses’ commitment to holistic wellbeing. It examines worker happiness and the integration of GNH values into daily operations, using 46 indicators classified under the nine domains of GNH.
First proposed by the prime minister at the Sixth International Conference on GNH in 2015, the framework emphasizes socially and environmentally conscious business practices.
Karma Samten Wangda
Edited by Sonam Pem
