happy blogs

How Happy Makes Space for Women in Leadership

You may have seen rather gleeful headlines recently reporting that Marie Kondo has relaxed her stance on tidying up after the arrival of her third child. These days she’s focusing less on the mess and more on the joy. We love this quote from her: “My home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time at this stage of my life.” At Happy we were inspired by her idea of things sparking joy, so much so that our strapline is ‘Creating Joy at Work’. It’s something we practise, and we measure regularly, aiming for all of our staff to spend a high proportion of their time at work doing things that bring them joy.

How to Make Sure Your Next Project is a Success

It can feel as though these days everything is a project and everyone is a project manager. And that represents a significant shift in organisational thinking from only a few years ago. And everyone seems to have heard horror stories about bad experiences with projects (and project managers). But what makes something a project, rather than just a complex piece of work? And what can we do to give ourselves a better chance of success?

How Easy Is It to Get Things Done in Your Organisation?

Is your organisation one where people can move quickly and get new ideas out there, or is it stymied in levels of approval and hierarchy? In this blog, Henry talks about some of the various approaches of several well-known companies, as well as Happy's own policy towards this.

Why We Should Stop Asking For Degrees in Recruitment

Let’s stop asking for degrees in recruitment. Santander recently announced that they would remove the requirement for a 2:1 degree from its graduate scheme, and is apparently the only bank to allow graduates with a third-class degree. I would go beyond that and ask why degrees are necessary at all. Maybe graduate schemes should be changed to simply employ the brightest and the best, whether or not they have a degree.

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.

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.

Becoming a First Time Manager: What Kind of Skills are Needed?

It can be confusing knowing where to begin when thrust into a management role. Our Managing for the First Time workshop is a perfect way to hone the people skills necessary for anyone taking on a role of a manager, at whatever experience level. In this blog, Happy's Senior Facilitator Paul Gapper takes us through some of his most insightful experiences on this workshop, as well as a few simple but effective management skills.

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 Recruit Smarter: Stop Asking Questions and Watch People in Action

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 Workplaces are More Productive and More Profitable

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.