happy people

Henry Stewart, Founder and Chief Happiness Officer

Henry is founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Happy Ltd, originally set up as Happy Computers in 1987. Inspired by Ricardo Semler’s book Maverick, he has built a company which has won multiple awards for some of the best customer service in the country and being one of the UK’s best places to work.

Henry was listed in the Guru Radar of the Thinkers 50 list of the most influential management thinkers in the world. "He is one of the thinkers who we believe will shape the future of business," explained list compiler Stuart Crainer.

His first book, Relax, was published in 2009. His second book, the Happy Manifesto, was published in 2013 and was short-listed for Business Book of the Year.

You can find Henry on LinkedIn and follow @happyhenry on Twitter.

Get in touch

020 7375 7300

Send us a message

hello@happy.co.uk

Book Review: Maverick by Ricardo Semler, 30 Years On
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 10 min read
When I read Maverick in 1992, it transformed what was then Happy Computers. I went from being a micro-managing boss, who rang every day from holiday to check things were going ok, to – eventually – a fully trust-based environment. For me it is the best business book ever written. I have given copies to many of the staff at Happy and I have given over 500 copies away to others. So, on my sabbatical I decided to re-read it, on its 30th anniversary.
Happy Recognised as One of the Top 15 Workplaces in Europe
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
Happy is very proud to have been rated one of the best 15 workplaces in Europe, in the small company category. It is based 70% on a survey of staff and 30% on the submission we send to back this up. Everybody at Happy was involved and this blog is based on that submission, brought together by Claire Lickman and Lucy Blake. In this blog, find out more about Happy's culture that influenced the judges' decision.
How to Recruit Smarter: Stop Asking Questions and Watch People in Action
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
We all know how to recruit, right? Shortlist then go through our routine interview questions and choose who answers best? But is this the smartest way to recruit? Or are we just hiring the people who are good at interviews but may not be right for the role?
Happy’s 4 Day Week: How is Our Progress? (A 3 Month Update)
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
How is Happy's 4 Day Week going 3 months into the trial? Happy's Founder and Chief Happiness Officer Henry Stewart looks back at how things have progressed and the impact it has had so far.
Happy Workplaces are More Productive and More Profitable
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
New research has backed up one of the core principles at Happy. A happy workplace – where employees feel valued and satisfied, leads to better performance and better results. This blog highlights this research and explains what the results show us about creating a successful working environment.
Let's Get Employees to Choose the CEO's Salary
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
Who decides what the CEO takes home every month? Them? A senior committee? What might happen if you handed that decision over to your workforce? In this blog we see what happened when we did just that at Happy.
How Bluebird Care is Creating a Happy Workplace with the Level 7 Programme
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
Our Level 7 Senior Leadership programme is about significant change in how you run an organisation. It takes place over two years and is designed for senior leaders who want to make a real change to the culture of their organisation. Practical and hands on, you will learn how to increase trust and autonomy in your workplace. Melanie Cohen, Director of Bluebird Care (Bournemouth & Poole), started the programme in April 2021. This is her story.
The Key to Being a Top Performer? Being Happy
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
Recent research confirms that happiness and wellbeing have a huge impact towards success in the workplace. Here at Happy, creating a culture where people feel good about themselves is one of our key principles. How can you develop and nurture happiness within your workplace?
Sarah Pugh of Whizz Kidz: Her 15 Tips for Creating a Happy Workplace
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
At the 2021 Happy Workplaces Conference, we had a fabulous presentation from Sarah Pugh. I ask the speakers at our conferences to share 'nickable' ideas that people can put into practice and Sarah came up with no less than 15 of these. Sarah has just become Chief Executive of Whizz Kidz, so a lot of this relates to when she was CEO at Heart of Kent Hospice.
Could a 4 Day Week Work in Your Sector? Yes!
In: BlogsBy: Henry StewartRead length: 5 min read
At Happy we are engaged in the UK four-day working week pilot, with 70 UK companies testing the idea from June to November 2022. We've had huge interest, with my blogs on LinkedIn getting up to 10 times as many views as my other posts. But some respond by saying that it wouldn’t work in their sector. So I was very interested to read the book Shorter: How Smart Companies Work Less, Embrace Flexibility and Boost Productivity by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. This gives a whole range of examples from different sectors.