At People Lab, we truly believe that happy people make the world a better place, for everyone. This happiness doesn’t have to be exclusively linked to the world outside the office, and dumped at the revolving door every day at 9 until you break free at 5. We think it’s pretty simple – make happiness a priority in your organisation, and the outcome can only be good.
However, we also understand that it’s often easier said than done. In theory, if every employee in an organisation made an active effort to focus on happiness, every workplace would be a good one. In practice, you might stumble upon a few cynics along the way, who don’t want to listen to an outlook that they consider to be fluffy and pointless – but you’ll often find a handful of employees who embrace this idea and are passionate about creating a great place to work.
Don’t let a bit of cynicism drag you down. The best way to counter this is with honesty, experience and evidence – if someone plays the ‘fluffy’ card when you talk about happiness in the workplace, show them the supporting evidence that proves that happiness should be a priority. A great example of this is a recent article by People Lab’s Director, Emma Bridger, on The Positive Psychology of Employee Engagement – take a look at the article here, which will give you an overview of the science behind employee engagement and happiness at work.
The subject of happiness is more accessible and acceptable than ever before. There are hundreds of digital apps, websites, businesses and research papers dedicated to promoting happiness. One great example of this is 100 Happy days, a website and social movement dedicated to promoting worldwide happiness. The concept is simple – take a photo of something that makes you happy, every day for 100 days. After you’ve taken the photo, upload it to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #100happydays. It’ll then be virtually ‘housed’ alongside the images uploaded by others taking part in the movement, providing inspiration and encouraging others to notice the every day things that brighten each day. Why not start your own #100happydays gallery?
When you look at it, it’s pretty hard to argue with, isn’t it? What’s the point in spending a life time shrugging off happiness as a waste of time, or something to do when business is closed for the day? If life isn’t about being happy, then I’m genuinely stumped.
When we remember things we’ve experienced in the past, what comes up first? Happiness. Our brains are amazing; they showcase our best bits, replaying the best times of our lives whenever we need something to smile about. So why wouldn’t we spend more time creating memories that make us smile? We need to focus on building working lives that we can look back on proudly, but more importantly, careers that we remember fondly when we’re old and grey. I don’t want to look back on my life thinking that I’d spent too much time in the office – I want to reminisce about how much I loved what I did, what a difference I made as part of a team, and how much I learnt about my own happiness along the way.
You can’t buy happiness, but the real trouble is, you can’t always sell it either. You can’t convince people that embracing happiness at work is the way forward, if they simply don’t want to hear it. But what you can do is this: spread the word, be an advocate for happiness at work, and have a brilliant time doing it. You might just inspire a few people along the way.
