Too many workplace happiness initiatives fail or just peter out. Here are my 10 best tips to avoid wasting time, money and energy on the wrong things.
Tag: featured
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THIS Is The Single Most Damaging Career Myth
The single most damaging myth about work and careers is that the best way to success is hard work, suffering and sacrifice. Research shows that the exact opposite is true.
Here are all the reasons why happiness is the ultimate career booster.
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Hiring Usually Sucks – But It Doesn’t Have To. Here’s How To Hire For Happiness!
Many workplaces are stuck in a vicious cycle: Recruitment is rushed and haphazard so the workplace is unhappy so more people quit so they have to recruit even faster. We need to break this cycle.
I’ve had the privilege to visit and study a lot of the world’s happiest workplaces and one thing they all do really well is hiring. They take hiring very seriously and put a lot of effort into bringing in the right people and (equally important) keeping out the wrong ones.
In our recent webinar, we showed exactly how workplaces can hire for happiness, including:
- The top mistakes companies make when recruiting
- How to figure out which applicants will fit your culture and which won’t
- How to make the hiring process itself a good experience for all involved
- The most important lessons from great workplaces who hire for happiness
- 7 specific tips you can try in your organization
You can watch the whole thing and download my slides and other materials here.
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The Science Of Happiness At Work Is SO COOL
For the first time in human history we have actual research and data on what makes people happier and more successful in life and at work.
It would be almost criminally stupid not to study this research and apply it in out workplaces. Sadly, many workplaces are blind to all of these studies and consequently, they waste so much time and money on well-being initiatives that are doomed to fail.
Watch our 30-minute webinar and learn the 5 most important findings from the happiness research that are relevant for workplaces. Topics include:
- The top 5 findings from positive psychology that are relevant to workplaces
- How to apply these findings in practice
- Pitfalls to avoid, including an overfocus on happiness
- Examples from great workplaces who have successfully applied these ideas
- 5 specific, simple ideas you can try in your organization
You can watch the whole thing and download my slides and other materials here.
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Proof That Happy Companies Make More Money
Do you know exactly why happy workplaces get better results?
This is such an important issue because knowing this is what drives workplaces to take happiness seriously and make employee wellbeing a strategic priority.
In our 30-minute webinar last week we showed exactly what a company gets out of focusing on happiness at work and how you can use that knowledge to make it a priority in your workplace.
We’ve shared the full webinar here along with additional materials, including the slides and links to related articles and books.
Feel free to share this with others who would be interested in promoting happiness at work. We honestly think it’s the most important success parameter for a modern workplace.
If you have any questions about this topic please shoot me a message or write a comment on the webinar page.
We have more free webinars coming up – see the full list of events here.
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Introducing: The Chief Happiness Officer Newsletter
I have just launched a brand new newsletter about happiness at work on substack.
I will be sharing 20 years of research and experience to give you the knowledge and tools you need to build happier and more successful workplaces.
It’s all going to be science-based, practical and fun. We’re also going to poke the bear and debunk some of the worst career advice and most toxic management ideas.
You can read more here on what updates are coming and if you have any suggestions for topics I’d love to hear from you.
Go ahead and subscribe – it’s free!
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Yoga Classes And Stress Trainings Do NOTHING For Employees! Here’s Why – And What Companies Should Do Instead.
A fascinating brand new study by William Fleming shows that sending employees off to yoga classes, mindfulness lessons or stress management trainings has NO positive effects. In some cases it actually backfires and makes things worse.
That’s a shame because companies keep focusing on these individual-level interventions in their attempts to make employees less stressed and more happy and motivated at work. Which is not only a waste of time and money but also distracts companies from doing things that actually do work.
In this video I talk to Dr. Louise Lambert about the study. We cover:
- What exactly the study says and doesn’t say
- Why these individual-level interventions don’t work or even backfire
- What companies can do instead that actually does work
We all know that employee wellbeing is absolutely crucial, so the good news is that there ARE things that companies can do that work. And ironically these things are not only more effective but also a lot cheaper and faster than yoga classes or sleep trainings.
So we should probably do more of that :)
Your take
What do you think? Are these types of individual-level interventions a complete waste of time or do they have their place? What’s the best way for companies to actually make their employees happier? Have you been to a stress management training and did it make you more or less stressed? Write a comment, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
More info
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Leading With Happiness in Kuwait
I just returned from speaking at The Happiness Effect conference in Kuwait. I was blown away by the whole event and especially by the organizers from Algas Events who were very organized and incredibly generous and hospitable.
The highlight for me was to reconnect with my friends Maja Neducic and Louise Lambert and see them shine on stage. Louise updated everyone on the latest research on happiness at work and Maja talked about the amazing culture at Vega It.
I love how much of a focus there is on happiness at work in the region and I hope my talks gave the participating organizations some ideas for how to take it even further.
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How you handle a bad boss before it’s too late
How do you handle a bad boss at work before they mess you up too much?
I JUST NOW published a video that takes a deep dive on the science, history and philosophy on bad bosses.
You can really help me if you watch it, like it and especially if you write a comment :)
And here are all the links and source from the video:
- How to deal with a bad boss | The Chief Happiness Officer Blog
- Bad bosses – why they’re bad and what to do about them
- When your boss saves your job | The Chief Happiness Officer Blog
- The Neurobiology of Moral Behavior: Review and Neuropsychiatric Implications – PMC
- The Last Dance | Michael Jordan, the tough guy
- Bad bosses – why they’re bad and what to do about them
- Jewish Chutzpah’s Ancient Precedent: Commoner Sues Toxic Boss 2600 Years Ago – Aish.com
- The First Labor Strike in History
- Managerial leadership and ischaemic heart disease among employees: the Swedish WOLF study
- How Power Makes People Selfish
- Hofstede Insights
- Why Being Rich Might Make You a Jerk – presented by University of California and SlateCustom
- Is Stockholm syndrome a myth? The terrifying crime behind psychology’s most famous — and dubious — term – ABC News
- (PDF) ‘Stockholm syndrome’: Psychiatric diagnosis or urban myth?
- “Stockholm Syndrome” was invented by police to discredit a female hostage
- Can You Make a Sociopath—Either Through Brain Injury or Other Types of Trauma? – Scientific American
- Yes, lead poisoning could really be a cause of violent crime | George Monbiot | The Guardian
- Magnus Carlsen: ‘I just enjoy the game so much. I don’t see one reason to quit.’ — Bruvschess
- Psychopathic traits in adulthood up with child lead exposure
- Life and death in Apple’s forbidden city
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March 31 is International Quit Your Crappy Job Day
A bad job hurts your health, your career and your family. So we created a website with information and resources you can use to find out if it’s time to quit.
You can also test yourself and see if it’s time to quit – over 16,000 people have taken the test already!
If you’re unhappy at work check it out. If someone you care about is stuck in a crappy job, share this with them.
