Many businesses still focus solely on financial metrics to understand why they are underperforming. However, one crucial factor is often overlooked—the well-being and happiness of employees who contribute to those results.

Mark Price, former Marketing Director of Waitrose and founder of WorkL, discusses the critical role of employee happiness in driving business success. Drawing from his 32-year career at the John Lewis Partnership, Mark shares valuable insights into the direct impact of a positive work environment on productivity, employee retention, reduced absenteeism, and overall business growth. He also reflects on his experience turning around Somerfield stores by prioritising staff happiness; leading to remarkable improvements in performance.

Mark introduces a six-step framework for cultivating a happy workplace, providing actionable strategies for measuring and improving employee satisfaction, as well as the pivotal role leadership plays in fostering a thriving workplace culture. Whether you're a business owner, manager, or employee, this episode reveals why happiness at work is not just a "nice-to-have" but a key driver of long-term, sustainable success.

Mark’s tips for a happy workplace:

1. Understanding the six-step framework: Reward and recognition. information sharing, empowerment, instilling pride, well-being, and career development
2. It’s all about leadership: know where we’re going and why
3. Good leaders need to be relentlessly optimistic

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

WorkL

Happy Economics Book

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

In many workplaces, mistakes are not tolerated or easily forgotten, leading to environments where employers are feeling pressurised to be perform perfectly and potentially nervous to innovate new ideas.

Ben Clarkson, Chief Finance and Operating Officer at Parkinson’s UK, joins the podcast today to share his journey implementing the principles of the Happy Manifesto, including the idea of celebrating mistakes rather than admonishing them. Previously at Asthma and Lung UK, Ben recounts his leadership experiences there, highlighting the importance of empowering people, recruiting for attitude and fostering an inclusive culture.

Ben reveals the impact on employees when the principle of celebrating mistakes is introduced: creating a culture of openness, accountability, and trust where every mistake is seen as a learning opportunity for growth. This inspiring episode underscores the transformative power of the Happy Manifesto principles in creating positive organisational cultures and good leadership.

Ben’s tips for a happy workplace:

1. Create an inclusive culture where everyone can be their true and best selves
2. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. Be brave.
3. Empower people

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

Parkinson’s UK

Asthma and Lung UK

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn

Happy Manifesto Free EBooks

Happy Manifesto

Round Table

Creating a culture of trust and collaboration and empowering frontline staff in the pressurised environment of Adult Social Care could be a challenge but it’s possible when leaders are given a clear blueprint, and the skills needed.

Helen Taylor, Head of Services in Adult Social Care at Hounslow Council took on that challenge when she joined our Level Seven Senior Leader Apprenticeship programme and joins us today to share her transformational journey of embedding coaching practices within her teams, successfully creating a positive workplace environment that values individual strengths and encourages open communication and innovation.

She discusses the small, yet impactful changes she made, encouraging autonomy and decision-making among team members, creating psychological safety and utilising liberating structures for effective team collaboration.

Helen’s tips for a happy workplace:

1. Creating a culture of freedom, responsibility and trust
2. Give staff respect and opportunity and not punishing mistakes
3. Play to people’s strengths and social styles

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

The Coaching Habit book by Michael Bungay-Stanier

Level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship Programme

Alex Kjerulf is the original chief happiness officer and in today's episode shares insights from his 25-year journey, emphasising that true workplace happiness stems from meaningful results and positive relationships; rather than superficial perks.

Alex reveals the growing global interest in workplace happiness, the benefits of remote working, four-day workweeks, and the pitfalls of relentless positive thinking.

Hear practical tips for fostering a happy work environment and to finding joy outside of work distinguishing it from mere job satisfaction.

Alex's tips for a happy workplace

1. Stop wasting money on the wrong things: focus on results and relationships
2. Start with the leaders in your workplace (if they don't get it, nobody will!)
3. Put somebody in charge of the happiness project (have a Chief Happiness Officer)

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

Alex's book Happy Hour Is 9 to 5

The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer

Alex's video 6 Reasons Why Greece’s New 6-day Work Week Will BACKFIRE

Emma Halahan is an apprentice who has worked with the Dog Star Foundation and is now at Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust. In this conversation, Emma shares her journey as a Gen-Z leader, discussing her experiences with leadership, the challenges of transitioning between organizations, and the impact of her apprenticeship.

Emma also highlights the importance of empowering her team, developing team members who show initiative, embracing agile methodologies, and practicing radical candor with her colleagues.

Emma's tips for a happy workplace

1. As a leader, build a culture of multiplying
2. Build radical candor: empathy and feedback with team members
3. Take the joy of joy at work seriously

Links

Multipliers, book by Liz Wiseman

Radical Candor, book by Kim Scott

Learning from mistakes can create a more fulfilling work environment says our guest, Dr. Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist, who draws upon parallels with jazz music's improvisational nature, to explore the intersection between creativity, organisational culture, and productivity. Natalie advocates for a human-centric approach to problem-solving and balancing curiosity with discipline towards fostering innovation.

Additionally, Natalie challenges traditional work culture by proposing the "motor framework" (MTOR), which values movement, thought, and rest. Her passion for dance exemplifies the joy found in activities outside of work, underscoring the episode's theme of creativity in a happy workplace.

Natalie's tips for a happy workplace

1. Building cultures of trust in the workplace
2. Modeling self-inquiry as leaders and managers
3. Motor activity is more movement, thought and rest

Links

Connect with Natalie via LinkedIn

Figure 8 Thinking (Natalie's website)

The Creativity Leap (Natalie's book)

Understanding that happiness can be tied to outcomes, and that joy can be connected to the process of growth and potential, in both life and at work, can be key to developing happiness in the workplace.

In this episode, Maja Djikic, an associate professor at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and author of The Possible Self, shares her "Wheel of Self" framework and explores the distinction between happiness and joy; and the implications of focussing on joy over happiness.

Maja also emphasises the impact of organisational culture on problem-solving and employee well-being, highlighting the role of leadership.

Maja’s tips for a happy workplace:

1. Allow people to pursue their own interests regardless of skill

2. Identify and address draining work elements

3. Recognise individuals needs for fulfilment

Links:

The Possible Self - Maja's book

Gallup

Maja Djikic

Early and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer, particularly in younger individuals, is important not just in the workplace but to any individual in any team or community and this is at the heart of CoppaFeel's mission: to promote early diagnosis to 18-24 year-olds, which can lead to treatments being more effective and less invasive whilst working towards higher survival rates. CoppaFeel is a breast cancer awareness charity taking a happy and positive approach to serious business.

In this episode, CEO, Natalie Heskall, shares details of the organisation's training programs that enhance communication and teamwork, and the implementation of an approach that puts people first to empower projects and employees. She also shares Copperfield's adoption of a nine-day fortnight work schedule and the importance of playing to individual strengths.

Natalie's tips for a happy workplace:

1. Understand your purpose
2. Foster by belonging to and building community
3. Provide autonomy for people to be themselves

Links:

CoppaFeel