8 Blogs Celebrating the Transformative Power of Happiness
4-minute read
Today is International Day of Happiness and, let’s face it, the world could use a healthy dose of happiness right about now. After all, the power of happiness can be transformative. It lifts you up, rejuvenates your spirit, and gives you a renewed resolve to meet the unprecedented challenges we’re facing today.
At times like this, we as humans need a sense of belonging – a sense of community – more than ever. With our family. Our friends. And with our co-workers. That’s when the impact of happiness on work culture becomes so important.
Happiness can reshape a company’s culture and bring us closer together as a community – even though we’re physically apart. At Workhuman®, we’ve used this new reality to double down on our mission of fostering connectedness and elevating humanity. In our work, and our lives. We’ve even launched a hashtag to promote all the positive things that have emerged during this challenging time: #recognizethegood
As I reviewed the Workhuman archives against the backdrop of today’s world events, the impact of happiness took on a profound new meaning. For such a common and seemingly straightforward concept, there’s a remarkable body of research, analysis, theory, and opinions surrounding happiness. Some of the top HR minds in the world – Shawn Achor, Nataly Kogan, Alexander Kjerulf, and Michelle Gielan, to name a few – have explored and unraveled its dynamics and effects. This work is especially relevant today.
The theme of this year’s International Day of Happiness is “Happier Together” – which at first may seem a bit ironic. But the truth is, we are together – perhaps more than ever. Maybe not physically, but as a community, facing a world we’ve never known before. As you read these blogs, I think you’ll agree that happiness isn’t just a “fluff” idea, but a real force for regenerative and transformative change in our workplace – and our lives. A force we can tap into today.
We at Workhuman are with you as you stay safe and strong.
How to Reduce Happiness at Work
How can you make workers happier at work? Give them more pay, right? Wrong, says Workhuman managing editor, Sarah Payne. In this blog, she draws upon the vast body of research to reveal some surprising findings on what actually gives workers happiness in the workplace – and how happy workers deliver greater productivity and bottom-line results.
“When it comes to creating a culture employees love and don’t want to leave, employee happiness is the metric that really matters.” That’s the key takeaway from a recent Workhuman report that lays out a roadmap for building a magnetic culture in the workplace. Using hard statistics and sage advice, it reveals how you can sow the seeds of happiness and boost productivity by as much as 20%.
The Science Behind the International Day of Happiness
Happiness might sound like a soft subject. But as Workhuman content producer Jess Huckins discovered, there’s a vast trove of data and research backing up the power of happiness in the workplace. Among the findings: Happiness increases productivity by an average of 12%. And LinkedIn – a Workhuman customer – saw its social recognition® program make employees happier, boosting employee retention and performance significantly.
Alexander Kjerulf: “The #1 reason employees are unhappy is bad leadership”
“Happiness is not just nice to have; it actually boosts business results. Happy employees do better work,” notes Workhuman® Live speaker Alexander Kjerulf. In a wide-ranging interview with Workhuman contributing editor Emily Payne, the workplace happiness expert explored common obstacles to employee happiness, how managers can promote happiness, and the power of positive feedback.
A Conversation with Nataly Kogan, Founder and CEO of Happier
You might think that happiness just happens. Not so, according to happiness researcher Nataly Kogan. In her view, happiness is a skill – one we can develop and refine throughout our career. In a revealing interview with Workhuman, she reinforces the theme that “Companies with happier employees and positive, human-centered cultures are more productive and profitable. Happier employees take 10x less sick leave, and there's less turnover.”
Happiness, Flow, and How to Be a Better Leader
“Flow” – that feeling when you’re firing on all cylinders – has been described as the secret to happiness, and it’s far more important than money in driving motivation at work. Drawing on the research of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, this post explores how leaders can help employees and teams achieve flow in the workplace and realize profound benefits.
How to Reduce Happiness at Work – Part 2
Sarah Payne revisits her highly popular post, and asks the question: Bad bosses may be the top cause of bad days at work, but what about the very real impact of managers? As companies become less hierarchical, managers need to assume a new role as coach. And the best way to do that? A social recognition program that enables managers to show appreciation throughout the year – while delivering the back-end data they need to make better, more informed decisions.
Workhuman Book Club: "Happier Now" by Nataly Kogan
Following a divorce and a cross-country trip to find happiness, Workhuman content producer Jess Huckins realized that she was running away, rather than doing the hard work that happiness requires. But she found affirmation in Nataly Kogan’s latest book, “Happier Now,” which chronicles the journey to emotional health, resilience, and joy. It offers step-by-step exercises for those seeking happiness. Because, as Nataly tells us, happiness isn’t just an emotion, but a skill that can be honed.