happy people

Andrew Barnes: Why the 4 Day Week is the Future of Work

Andrew Barnes is the head of New Zealand's biggest corporate trust company, Perpetual Guardian, but he's probably better known as the father of the four-day week movement. Andrew trialled the four-day week at Perpetual Guardian in 2018, despite a lot of fear and opposition from his board and management team. It was a resounding success and has grown into a movement with unprecedented momentum. In this video from the 2022 Happy Workplaces Conference, Andrew explores some of the data supporting the four-day working week and challenges you to think about how it would work in your organisation.

5 Tips for Tackling Difficult Conversations

Often if a sensitive issue arises in the workplace it can cause huge anxiety for the person who needs to tackle it. Whilst it can be tempting to put your head in the sand, the resolution will only come if you have the difficult conversation that's needed. Here are some tips, written by our Digital Marketing Assistant Dolly Osborne, to help you take it on with confidence.

4 Tips for Being Assertive, Not Aggressive

Assertiveness is about communicating confidently and in a positive way. You don't need to be domineering or belligerent to get your voice heard. In this blog, written by our Digital Marketing Assistant Dolly Osborne, we give you four helpful tips for being assertive, not aggressive in your interactions both in and out of the workplace.

The Art Of Coaching In The Workplace

As we move away from hierarchical workplaces we are seeing a conscious move from manager-employee relationship to a coaching relationship. When you hear the word coach it may bring to mind an authoritative figure who'll make you work in your pants but do not fear, modern coaching is very different. In this blog, written by our Digital Marketing Assistant Dolly Osborne, we'll take you through some tips to perfect the art of workplace coaching.

How to Stay Focused and Maintain Work/Life Balance When Working From Home

Working from home was often perceived by cynical bosses as a way for employees to take an unofficial day off. However, the Covid-19 pandemic saw many workers forced into home working and this displayed to employers and their staff that it was a feasible alternative. Now more workers are seeking flexible working options and bosses are no longer suspicious of remote working. In this blog, written by our Digital Marketing Assistant Dolly Osborne, we give you some tips on how to make working from home work for you.

4 Fundamental Components for Effective Conflict Resolution

Conflict can arise in many situations, both in life and in business. Though tempting to avoid, a minor dispute can soon become oppressive for everyone if ignored. Learning effective conflict resolution is a vital skill for maintaining a happy workplace. In this blog, written by our Digital Marketing Assistant Dolly Osborne, we have some tips to help you become an accomplished peacemaker.

3 Ways to Improve Your Active Listening Skills

Empathetic listening requires humility. It calls for us to set aside our own vanity and judgements to create space in our minds for the perspectives of others. Too often we listen to what feels comfortable and dispute what is unfamiliar or inconvenient. In this blog, Nicole Martins gives some advice to improve your listening skills, so you can listen and understand others better — whether it's in a meeting, on a phone call or chatting with friends and family.

The 4 Day Week on The Office: Re-Defined Documentary

Happy was recently featured in The Office: Re-Defined documentary, created by Inês Santos, Noopur Jambhekar and Anagha Raghunath. In this short extract, The Office: Re-Defined explores the four-day working week. Inês interviewed Happy's founder and Chief Happiness Officer, Henry Stewart, about the four-day week and our experiences so far. In our 'new normal' following the pandemic, is this the future of the office?

How to Create a Poll in Your Next MS Teams Meeting

You can add Polls to your meetings in MS Teams, either before or during the event. Polls are a quick and easy way to gain insights from your meeting attendees. For example, you could use a Poll to reach a decision quickly, find out when people are available for a future event or to gain insights into people's preferences. It's also a great way to improve engagement and assess learning for training sessions. In this blog, find out how to create a Poll in Microsoft Teams — why not create a Poll for your next meeting?

Simple acts such as colour coding can have a huge, positive impact on how your spreadsheet looks and the ease with which it can be understood. Conditional Formatting and Data Validation are two ways to make important data stand out. For example, you can use Conditional Formatting to colour code cells that meet certain criteria. This will enable people to find specific cells quickly. In this blog by Happy trainer Ebbie, we will look at how adding colour to certain elements within a spreadsheet can create visual appeal and increase user accuracy when it comes down to interpreting your data.