Here you can find all of Happy’s blog posts, covering our Excel hints and tips, ideas for creating happy workplaces, and ways to be more productive at work — and more.
At a recent meeting of training providers we did an exercise on what was distinctive about each of our company’s approaches. As well as our learner focus I talked about making learning about computers enjoyable. The response from my colleague was interesting: “You mean, that’s for real? I thought it was just hype. How do you make IT training enjoyable?”
I was very struck today by an article in a local London paper, the Islington Tribune, on the special customer service award given to a local corner shop.
Think about the people you work with - those who work with you and your customers and your suppliers. Where could you make more of a real personal connection that would make life better for you and them?
People work best when they’re happy at work. That principle is the core of everything we do at Happy (a training business in London, UK). Think about whether you agree with it. If you do, and I find over 95% of people do, then what should be the key focus of management? By simple logic, it should clearly be creating an environment where people are happy and feel good about themselves.
I often say that our most radical belief at Happy is this: you should decide who should manage people based on how good they are at managing people.
Imagine one of your most valued members of staff comes to you and says, 'I love my job. I love the people I work with. I am even happy with what I am being paid. But I can't stand my manager.'
What is the key to creating a happy workplace? I’ve just a written a book with what I see as the 10 key principles of a great workplace but for me one thing stands out.
The Happy Manifesto has been launched for a week, and so far we’ve sold just over 500 copies. That is not going to get The Happy Manifesto into the best seller charts but it is 10% of the print run and enough to pay off 80% of the total production costs – which is nice given that we self-published it.
Only 2% of people say they work just to pay the bills, for 90% being happy a work is important. Yet over half of Brits are unhappy at work.
I was involved in an opinion poll last month which asked office workers "how important is it for you to be happy at work?"