Insights Archive
One of the greatest things about modern society is our increasing acceptance of talking about our emotions. Here's my insights to measuring happiness at a systemic level.
Friday Pulse: adopting a 4-day work week
When the senior leaders at Friday Pulse and I realized that the pandemic wasn’t ending any time soon, we knew we needed to do something for our team. With people feeling overworked and on the brink of burnout, we switched to a 4-day work week to astounding results. Here’s a look at what happened.
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Beat the January Blues and Thrive in 2022
As we enter year three of the pandemic, today is Blue Monday — the supposed most depressing day of the year that ties holiday blues with winter and job dissatisfaction. And, it’s clear that people are struggling amid the continued uncertainty. So, what can we do to beat Blue Monday this year and ensure 2022 is about thriving, not just surviving?
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How to Support Staff Through Climate Anxiety
With the dust settling on COP26 and the environment crisis hitting the headlines more than ever, businesses now have a pivotal role to play in allaying employees’ concerns.
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The science of happiness: How trust is the key to empowerment
In part three of my series on The Science of Happiness, I’m exploring The Five Ways to Happiness at Work with my co-creator Dr. Jody Aked. Empower is the third of The Five Ways. Empowerment is critical to enabling your colleagues to do their best work. This interview with Friday Pulse shows us how leaders can start trusting their people more.
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How Leaders Can Help Their Staff During Uncertain Times
Since the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020, we have learned to live with varying levels of restrictions and the ongoing arrival of new threats and disruptions. Now, with the end of the pandemic feeling so close yet so far, many feel trapped by uncertainty. We want to make plans, and we want to move on. Yet, unknowns can be psychologically disturbing, and frustration is a sure-fire way to kill creativity. Research shows that happier teams are more productive. So, what can you do to support your team through this time of continued disruption?
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Leading your team through the ‘Pingdemic’
Times of uncertainty and disruption impact employee happiness. And, while the future is always uncertain, the more we become aware of uncertainty, especially if laden with negative outcomes, the more threatened we feel. So, what can we do to help our teams through this continued period of disruption?
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The Science of Happiness: Connecting – Why Relationships at Work Matter
I’m always talking about the science of happiness and how it can make our work lives better. In this series on The Five Ways to Happiness at Work, I sit down with my dear friend and colleague Dr. Jody Aked. With the help of Friday Pulse, we’ll be diving into each of The Five Ways. With Connect being the most important component, we talk about how teams can create real friendships in the workplace.
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The Future of Employee Engagement: The Case for The Happiness KPI™
Employee engagement is a stagnant idea. And while “How have you felt at work this week?” may feel like an awkward question to ask employees, talking about people’s emotional experience of work — their happiness — and measuring it in the workplace can lead to improved team morale, greater resilience, more innovation and greater productivity.
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Boredom is a job killer and why we need an “interest” stimulus
Boredom is not only a joy killer. It’s a job killer. But when we think about why people leave jobs, we often focus on stress, not boredom. Here’s why we need an ‘interest’ stimulus.
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International Day of Happiness 2021 – why workplace happiness is good for everyone
International Day of Happiness in the middle of a pandemic seems a bit odd, but the line between work and home has never been more blurred. That’s why happiness at work is important to your happiness at home.
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The Fundamental Flaws of the eNPS & why the Happiness KPI is the answer
There's now some reason to be optimistic, and many employers are beginning to look beyond pandemic conditions and hoping to accelerate their growth. To achieve this, leaders need to ensure they have the right people. And, while the eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score) can help track whether teams are working well together, it is not a headline indicator of employee experience and it should not be how companies think of wellbeing.
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The Bluest of Blue Mondays
As managers continue to play an essential role in determining how well their organizations navigate the ongoing pandemic, we provide some practical, positive advice for beating the Blue Monday ‘blues’ this year.
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Remembering Tony Hsieh (1973-2020)
It was with great sadness that we heard that the former CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh, died last week. Tony was a pioneer in the employee happiness and wellbeing space and firmly believed it was essential to business success. Because of our aligned interests, Tony was an early friend and supporter of both me and my business, Friday Pulse. At this time, I want to offer my condolences to his loved ones and friends, and share some thoughts about the impact Tony had on me.
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There’s a vaccine on the way—we just need resilience till it gets here
A vaccine is on the horizon! While that’s the best news we’ve had in a while, it’s offset by the sobering number of cases surging around the world. We’re entering a new wave of lockdowns and we know how to build the resilience necessary to survive. Here’s how we do it.
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What does World Mental Health Day mean for leaders?
As World Mental Health Day approaches, it’s my firm belief that leaders need to pay attention to their team’s mental health and take active steps to preventing burnout. Here’s how they can do it.
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The Science of Happiness: Why Impact and Authenticity Are Key to Inspiring Your People
In part five of my series on The Science of Happiness, I’m exploring The Five Ways to Happiness at Work with my co-creator Dr. Jody Aked. Inspire is the fifth of The Five Ways and is key to staying motivated in our careers. In this interview with Friday Pulse, Jody and I discuss how leaders can inspire their people and help them find meaning in their work.
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Here’s to a happier 2022
It’s the end of the year, but it certainly has felt like the end of a hundred years, hasn’t it? Another year of COVID and all its variants (including omicron) and uncertainty, and the end of the year can’t come soon enough. In a typical year, this is the time where companies take the opportunity to throw a Christmas/holiday/end of the year party and then give their people some time off. It’s a great way to say thank you to people for a year’s hard work. Of course, this year, the office parties will look different. Because of omicron, many companies are opting for smaller get-togethers or even virtual parties. Even so, these parties are an excellent opportunity to improve morale.
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The Science of Happiness: How Challenge Makes a Successful Employee Experience
In part four of my series on The Science of Happiness, I’m exploring The Five Ways to Happiness at Work with my co-creator Dr. Jody Aked. Challenge is the fourth of The Five Ways and is a key component of an enriching and happy work experience. In this interview with Friday Pulse, Jody and I talk about how leaders can both challenge and support their people. Check it out!
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Why work boundaries matter: how to say “no” at work
Having no boundaries is an invitation to be overwhelmed. In 2019, the WHO announced that burnout would be included as an occupational syndrome that can result in exhaustion, cynicism and reduced professional efficacy. It’s an incredibly prevalent problem, especially as we’re navigating a pandemic-altered world. So how do we properly set up boundaries in our work life? Here are some thoughts.
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The Science of Happiness: Fairness and Acting Humanely
In my new series on The Science of Happiness, I’m exploring The Five Ways to Happiness at Work with my co-creator Dr. Jody Aked. Be Fair is the second of The Five Ways and sets the foundation for a successful wellbeing plan. This interview with Friday Pulse shows us why.
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On the Record: Why Employees Need a Voice
For real change to happen, we need good feedback. But anonymous responses can only get you so far. Here’s a look at why you should seek to build a psychologically safe space to foster a true employee voice.
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Why asking your people about returning after they’ve come back to the office makes the most sense for everyone
Every company that went remote during the pandemic has to grapple with returning to the office. However, asking your people to make a long-term decision about going back before they’ve actually set foot in the office is bound to produce skewed results. Here’s how you can get to know how your people really feel.
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How to scale while keeping your company culture intact
Many companies are looking to scale up as they emerge from the COVID pandemic. Yet, one of the biggest concerns they have is being able to scale with their culture intact. It’s entirely possible with a team-first focus, rather than a top-down approach.
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Wellbeing – the ultimate (pandemic) shock absorber
The 9th World Happiness Report acts as an excellent benchmark for our wellbeing data. And, Friday Pulse clients have fared significantly better than their peers during the pandemic. Here’s a detailed look at how this happened.
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What to do when one size doesn’t fit all
Many CEOS have recently made the news because they expressed that working from home is an aberration and not the new normal. I completely disagree. Even after the pandemic, people will still want flexible working conditions. Here’s how I believe companies can create a culture that can support and meet the needs of their people.
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The Workplace Trends that Matter in 2021
2021 has felt a lot like 2020, but that doesn’t mean it will be the same year. I took a look at some of the top workplace culture trends for 2021. I found, we’ll need flexibility to stay agile and survive the trials the year will bring, but we can win out in the end.
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2020 was tough — here’s what you and your organization can learn from it
2020 has been a tough year. Yet, it’s taught us some powerful lessons about self-care and trusting the people within our organizations. Here’s a look at what I think we should take from 2020 as we head into 2021.
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FridayOne: The Happiness Test for Everyone
With pandemic fatigue and burnout on the horizon, it’s important to take a step back and take care of yourself. To help, I’ve created FridayOne — an individual Happiness Test — to help you reflect on how happy you are at work. This five-minute test gives you a personalised report packed with insights and tips.
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Why times of crisis are an opportunity for positive change
Times are tough. We are emotionally exhausted because the current crisis has turned into something chronic. But even when things are bad an opportunity exists for us to enact positive change.
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Happiness and the Function of Emotions: An Interview at the Global Happiness at Work Summit
This week was the 2020 Global Happiness at Work Summit, and I was proud to be a sponsor of the event. Sarah Metcalfe from the WooHoo Partnership and I sat down (virtually, of course) in a wide-ranging interview where we discussed the meaning of being happy at work, resilience in COVID-19, and the function of […]
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