Creating a Happy Workplace at Heart of Kent Hospice

Banish appraisals: "We had them for years, nobody was keen on them. Instead we use a snapshot three times a year, built around our behaviours and values and personal development."

Pets at work: "We let colleagues bring their pets into work in our Hospice. Definitely a way to help people feel happy and our patients loved them."

Liberating Structures: "I attended Happy's Liberating Structures workshop. They were revolutionary for me, to enable me to fully engage everybody in our meetings and events."  

Colleagues not staff: "Don't use the word staff. Use 'colleagues', it is just more adult-to-adult."

Stop making decisions: "Remove yourself as a leader from decision-making. Leave your people to make the key decisions."

Weekly survey: "We introduced a weekly happiness rating, just 4 questions: what's good, what's not, what's changed and how happy do you feel."

Key behaviours to fulfil the values: "I care. I learn. I own. I improve."

The key mindset: "I am curious about improving care."

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: "Continually reinforce the behaviours."

Share the book: "Once I discovered the Happy Manifesto, I gave it to all staff, at both HOKH and now at Whizz Kidz."

Freedom within boundaries: "Set the guidelines and give people freedom within them."

Break the rules: "Encourage colleagues to find the rules that don’t make sense, and banish them."

Need to feel valued, their health and wellbeing: Send thank you and birthday cards to every member of the team.

Create a safe space: Add a 'freedom to speak up' guardian — somebody to help someone who has a concern, they won’t do it for them but will support them through that process.