At People Lab, we truly believe in the benefits of creating happy workplaces. Our Director, Emma Bridger, is a positive psychologist, and everything we do is firmly grounded in the key principles of this discipline. Through our extensive research and experience, we’ve proven that happy people make workplaces better for everyone – the customers, the employees, the business and society.
Happiness at work and Employee Engagement aren’t the same thing, but for us, they go hand in hand. To create successful employee engagement, your employees must be happy and willing to embrace the concept – but to ensure employees are happy, they need to be engaged at work. It’s a classic catch 22 situation, and successful employee engagement relies on employee happiness.
That’s why we think positive psychology is such a fundamental element of successful employee engagement – and it’s what makes our approach so different.
But what can you do to create a happier workplace?
It’s not as simple as telling your employees to slap on a smile, or tick a box to let you know if they’re happy or not. It takes time, effort and energy to create successful employee engagement, and the happiness of your employees starts with them.
Positive Psychologists understand that we’ve misunderstood the happiness equation for too long, and that it’s time to put it right. For too long, we’ve believed that in order to be happy, we must achieve success. For example, you’ve probably told yourself in the past that getting that promotion, buying that lusted after pair of shoes, or moving into your dream house is the key to happiness. However, positive psychology proves that this isn’t the case.
The problem with this formula is that every time we achieve those goals, we want something more. We’ve all been guilty of it – how many times have you been promoted, but still find yourself desperate to climb further? The new shoes never seem to live up to expectations, and as for the dream house – aren’t you already planning on changing it in some way?
We’ve all found ourselves thinking in this way – and there’s a simple reason for it. Every time we reach our goals, we shift the goalposts and convince ourselves that true happiness will only be achieved when we reach the next. We need to switch this formula around, and start understanding that if we start with happiness, success is the bonus ball that follows – and not the other way around.
So when it comes down to it, creating a happy workplace isn’t about driving your employees to perform better, or strive for promotion. It’s about helping your employees understand that it’s time to put happiness first – above anything else they want to achieve. Happiness is absolutely unique, and you’ll need to take the time to understand what each of your employees need to ensure they’re starting out on a happy foot.
Reasons to be Cheerful?
Success follows happiness – concentrate on getting the formula right in your organisation, and you’re sure to create a winning workplace. Put your people first, show them you’re interested in their happiness and wellbeing, and create fantastic employee engagement. We love watching our customers’ organisations blossom into award winning, happy places to work – that’s our reason to be cheerful, every day.
