happy Blogs

The Mystery of the Humongous Excel File

My colleague sent me an interesting email today. She had tried to send one of our Excel exercise files to a trainer, only to find that the file had grown from a perfectly reasonable 108KB to 30MB!

Louise Beardmore: Building Connected Service Through Engaged Employees

Louise Beardmore’s focus on creating a happy workplace at United Utilities has increased employee engagement levels by 91% and reduced written customer complaints by 50% in the last year. In this 36-minute video from the 2017 Happy Workplaces Conference, Louise explains some of the things she has put into place, such as Tell Me, that have helped to make this happen.

[Video] Why Every Company Needs a Chief Happiness Officer

Henry was inspired by Alex Kjerulf of Woohoo! inc to change his job title from Chief Executive Officer to Chief Happiness Officer – as this better expresses what the CEO of an organisation should be doing. Watch the video to find out more.

People management is a crucial role, and it is different from leadership.

Happy Workplaces Save Lives

In this two-minute video, Henry Stewart explains the financial evidence and academic research behind happy workplaces. The Best Workplaces have a Four Factor Alpha of 3.5% on the stock market, compared to ordinary workplaces. Plus, happy workplaces save lives – for every 96 deaths in a happy and engaged hospital, 103 people die in a hospital where staff are disengaged and unhappy.

The Importance of Trust in the National Audit Office [Three-Minute Watch]

In this short three-minute video, Susan Ronaldson and Steve Mirfin of the National Audit Office explain about why they have made trust the centre of their workplace culture.

The Importance of Communication When Transforming an Organisation’s Culture

In this short video, Tracy Jelfs (formerly Head of Children’s Services at Monmouthshire County Council) explains the importance of communication when transforming the office culture.

The Happy Manifesto: A 'Pisstaker’s Charter'?

In this short video, Brendan O’Keefe of Epic CIC explains about some of the difficulties he had at Epic CIC when first implementing The Happy Manifesto principles of a culture based on autonomy, trust and freedom.

Are Leaders in Charge?

Henry Stewart speaks to the Eth Word about leadership and the concept of being 'in charge' of Happy. "I don’t think about being in charge, I think about trying to inspire people here and elsewhere, and enabling them to be their best," says Henry.

30 Years of Happiness

In the summer of 1987 I wrote in my diary that I could never imagine being happy again. The newspaper I had helped set up, News on Sunday, was on the verge of collapse. Our 200 employees would lose their jobs and the backers would lose their investment. I felt totally crushed, and close to a breakdown. 30 years on, life feels rather different. Happy is a thriving business. We help people become more productive with their software and we help organisations to create happy, productive workplaces. It gives me a lift every time I walk into our colourful, friendly training centre.