The Happy Manifesto

Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace not only benefits neurodiverse individuals, but creates a more inclusive, flexible, and productive environment for everyone. By understanding and acknowledging different strengths and needs, we can reshape jobs and work cultures to foster a sense of belonging and joy, leading to more effective organisations. Ludmila Praslova is an organisational psychologist at Vanguard University in Southern California. Her work focuses on embracing neurodiversity in the workplace and promoting a more inclusive, flexible, and productive environment for everyone. She champions the idea of understanding and acknowledging different strengths and needs to foster a sense of belonging and joy in workplace settings. Ludmila’s tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Ludmila via LinkedInThe Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at WorkLiberating Structures Immersion Workshop

Going from startup to scale-up takes strategic planning and insight, along with a real understanding of employee happiness. Plus, crafting great job descriptions and letting people make their own decisions once they’re in a role are key to developing a team of A players. Dominic Monkhouse has a distinguished career in scaling up businesses, especially within the IT sector. He successfully built two web hosting businesses from 0 to £30,000,000 within 5 years, and is an author of two books that demonstrate his insight and experience in business growth and people management. Dominic’s tips for a happy workplace Links The Melting PotConnect with Dominic via LinkedInMind Your F**King Business: The No-Nonsense Guide to Making Your Good Business GreatThe Founder's Survival Guide: Lead your business from start-up to scale-up to grown-upThe Jolt Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer IndecisionHiring for Attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting and Selecting People with Both Tremendous Skills and Superb AttitudeEmployees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management Upside Down

Employee happiness makes a big contribution to a company's success, as can self-management. But how do you know what’s really working, driving the business forwards, and helping it meet its targets? This week's guest is Pieter Jelle de Brue, founder of digital agency Statik, a company that values employee happiness and has adopted a self-managing structure with multiple autonomous teams. They’re continuing to grow and evolve, and one of the metrics they’re currently conducting an experiment to find out if what people say about employee happiness really does have a measurable impact on a company’s bottom line. Pieter’s tips for a happy workplace Links 2024 Happy Workplaces ConferenceConnect with Pieter via LinkedInReinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness

A four-day work week doesn’t simply lead to longer weekends. When implemented right, organisations can maintain the same level of productivity, and give their employees significant – and measurable – increases in happiness. The four-day week challenges traditional concepts of work and productivity and encourages companies to measure output rather than time spent working. This shift in approach has led to reduced stress, fewer sick days, and enhanced team cohesion. Andrew Barnes is the originator of the four-day work week idea, which has now become a global movement and has been implemented in multinationals, governments, and NGOs worldwide. Andrew has written a book on the four-day week and has been involved in numerous implementation pilots in countries and companies of various sizes. Andrew’s tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Andrew via LinkedInThe 4 Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Well-being, and Create a Sustainable FutureThe Four-Day Working Week at HappyHappy’s apprenticeships and long-term development programmesHappy’s Level 5 Global Majority Empowerment Apprenticeship programme

Before chasing the latest technologies or trends, organisations need to focus on building a strong foundation and core capabilities. They need a culture that encourages learning, collaboration, and transparency, and to have leadership that prioritises long-term success over short-term gains. In this episode, Henry is joined by Howard Yu, a renowned strategist and innovation expert, a Thinkers 50 strategy award winner, and the Lego Professor of Innovation and Management at the IMD business school in Switzerland. With extensive experience studying and analysing companies' longevity and their ability to sustain new growth, Howard is now the author of Leap, a book exploring how successful companies have been able to transform themselves and adapt to new challenges. Howard’s three tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Howard via LinkedInLeap: How to Thrive in a World Where Everything Can Be CopiedBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth MakingThe Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to FailAmazon’s Two Pizza Rule: one simple rule for maximising meeting effectiveness

Creating democratic workplaces lead to accelerated growth and a culture that people love. By giving power to employees and treating them with dignity and fairness, companies can tap into the full potential of their workforce. Transitioning to a democratic workplace takes a specific mindset, democratic leadership skills, and the implementation of systems and processes that value transparency and accountability. But not only does it increase employee satisfaction and engagement, it can also result in significant revenue growth. Traci Fenton is the author of Freedom at Work and the CEO of WorldBlu, an organisation focused on democratic workplaces. Traci has been working for decades to help build freedom-centred democratic workplaces and has collaborated with hundreds of companies around the world. Traci believes in giving power to people and creating environments that value transparency, accountability, and the inherent worth of every individual. In her discussion with Henry and Maureen, she emphasises the transformative impact of democratic principles on organisational success, and highlights the accelerated growth and positive culture that democratic workplaces can create. Traci’s tips for a happier workplace Links Connect with Traci via LinkedInFreedom at Work: The Leadership Strategy for Transforming Your Life, Your Organization, and Our WorldJoin Happy’s Liberating Structures Immersive WorkshopWorldBlu’s Freedom at Work scorecard

A culture of trust, empowerment and respect towards employees leads to a successful and sustainable business model, higher levels of customer satisfaction, and a happy workplace. That ethos has been key to Handelsbanken’s operation for over 40 years, and has led them to top ratings in UK customer satisfaction for 15 years. It also makes financial sense. The banking group has been the most profitable within its peer group for nearly 50 years. Bernard Charles is Chief HR Officer at the UK division of Handelsbanken, a decentralised banking environment that prioritises individual and corporate banking customer relationships. The group’s unique approach to banking includes a lack of individual sales targets and a bonus structure that is equally distributed among all employees, regardless of their position in the company. Bernard’s tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Bernard via LinkedIn

Creating a culture of psychological safety is crucial for organisations. By fostering an environment where people feel safe to speak up, share their ideas, and take intelligent risks, companies can promote learning, innovation, and growth. Celebrating failures – especially intelligent failures that result from thoughtful exploration – can encourage individuals to take risks and contribute to the collective knowledge of the organisation. Amy Edmondson is largely credited as the founder of the Psychological Safety movement. She’s written five books, and her work focuses on the importance of psychological safety in organisations and how it contributes to innovation, learning, and success. She’s conducted extensive research on creating environments where individuals feel safe to speak up, share ideas, and take risks. In this episode, Amy shares examples of organisations that have successfully created psychological safety, the concept of intelligent failures, the challenges of creating psychological safety in remote work environments and the importance of active listening and inviting participation. Amy’s tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Amy via LinkedInRight Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to ThriveNew Smart Working Code of Practice announcedTaking Risks, Making Mistakes: How Psychological Safety Drives Innovation

Ricardo Semler’s radical book Maverick is now 30 years old. Happy was an early adopter of some of its key principles, and when software company cofounder Zahid Malik was looking for implementation examples, Happy was just about the only one he found. As Semler’s work suggests, implementing a culture of trust, freedom, and autonomy can have a transformative impact on a company. By allowing employees to make decisions, fostering open communication, and providing guidelines and frameworks, organisations can create a happy and productive workplace. But it’s important to strike a balance and ensure that the right people are in the organisation who can thrive in a Maverick environment. Zahid is the founder of called Risr. They specialise in providing software for education and training organisations to help them manage and run their assessments, exams, and continuing professional development. While he’s faced challenges in implementing the principles of Maverick, he’s striven to create autonomous units within his organisation, allowing teams to make decisions and operate in ways that best serve their customers. Zahid’s top tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Zahid via LinkedInRisrMaverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual WorkshopCreating joy at workReinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human ConsciousnessBullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work, and What We Can Do About it

As an organisation expands and new people come on board – either remotely in or in satellite offices – it can be hard to ensure everyone’s aligned with the same values and goals. This can lead to a lack of cohesion and a sense of disconnection among team members. So organisations need to find creative ways to maintain their culture as they grow. TLC, a relationship charity based in Greater Manchester, which invests in its employees’ wellbeing. They give staff the freedom to plan their own career paths and make decisions across the organisation rather than working in a purely hierarchical way. This week, TLC’s Chief Executive uncovers how the charity creates a happy workplace by promoting a sense of community, and giving employees the opportunity to shape and lead the organisation. Michelle’s tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Michelle via LinkedInTLCHappy’s Level 7 Senior Leadership apprenticeship programme

Creating a truly inclusive and happy workplace means understanding and addressing the unique needs and feelings of each individual. This involves actively listening to and communicating with employees, recognising and addressing implicit biases, and creating a culture of trust and fairness. Creating connections between teammates and increasing knowledge and understanding of each other's backgrounds and strengths will help foster greater inclusion and happiness in the workplace. Femi Otitoju is the co-founder of EW Group, an equality, diversity, and inclusion partnership. She’s been helping organisations become more inclusive since 1988. In her conversation with Henry and Maureen, she tackles unconscious bias and how it can be addressed through training and recognition. Femi’s tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Femi via LinkedIn

Psychologically safety isn’t just about creating a comfortable climate, but about embracing discomfort. That’s because discomfort helps us grow and address complex problems, which in turn leads to greater psychological safety. This means shifting from a parent-child dynamic to an adult-to-adult relationship within teams. That involves relating to people's potential, treating them as competent professionals, and involving them in the decision-making process. A psychologically “safe” environment without a level of discomfort can hinder people’s growth and professional development, which can affect innovation and creativity. To create a more psychologically safe environment, this week’s guest, Lisa Gill, suggests staying curious for longer, asking good coaching questions, and being honest and open about our challenges as leaders. Lisa’s tips for a happier workplace Links Episode 10 – Beyond Budgeting, with Bjarte BogsnesConnect with Lisa via LinkedInWhy Psychological Safety is Important for Productive TeamworkJessica and Douglas Rauch from Aquadec on tradesmen and tealThe Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead ForeverBrave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?Liberating Structures

Co-management is a radical and fair way to run a company. One company’s approach of having no hierarchy and no bosses has allowed for a more collaborative and communicative environment, where teams can solve problems together. Matt Perez is the co-founder of Nearsoft, a software company that practices co-management. Instead of having bosses, they have leadership teams that solve problems and make decisions. They also have a unique approach to dealing with poor performance before it comes an issue. Matt’s tip for a happier workplace Workplace happiness involves being true to oneself and respecting others' boundaries. By finding common ground, differences can be resolved, creating a more collaborative environment. Face-to-face conversations are especially effective in resolving issues and finding common ground. Links Connect with Matt via LinkedInRadical Companies: Organized for Success Without Bosses or EmployeesMaverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workshop

Happiness is not just a feeling, but an action that can be intentionally built within an organisation. By prioritising happiness and promoting engagement, pride, and appreciation, companies can create a culture that leads to profitability and success. Dr Pelè developed the concept of "profitable happiness", which centres around the notion that organisations can create a culture of happiness that leads to engaged and productive employees, and ultimately, profitability. Dr Pelè emphasises the importance of eudaimonic happiness, which focuses on engagement, meaning, and purpose, rather than just seeking pleasure. With this framework, managers can create habits of profitable happiness by providing appreciation, autonomy, and recognition to their employees. Links Profitable Happiness: The 5 Key Habits of a High-Performance OrganizationThe Profitable Happiness PodcastEudaimoniaTry the Profitable Happiness software betaGo Kaba Monate

Budgeting is time-consuming, can lead to quickly-outdated assumptions, and can stimulate unethical behaviours like resource hoarding. Beyond Budgeting is a management philosophy that challenges traditional management practices, specifically the budgeting process. In this episode, Henry speaks with Bjarte Bogsnes about the problems with budgeting, and how some companies have broken free of the budgeting mindset. Bjarte is a senior advisor at the Norwegian company Statoil, now Equinor, and has been a key figure in developing and promoting the Beyond Budgeting philosophy. Bjarte’s tip for a happier workplace Follow the 12 Beyond Budgeting principles around governance and transparency, accountable teams, goals and rewards, and planning and controls. Links Beyond Budgeting: Business Agility in Practice – Happy’s event on July 12thConnect with Bjarte via LinkedInThis is Beyond Budgeting: A Guide to More Adaptive and Human Organisations

Creating a happy and productive workplace starts with a focus on culture. A coaching culture can help build trust and encourage open communication. Sarah Pugh is the CEO of Whizz-Kidz, the UK's leading charity for young wheelchair users. She shares her insights on leading a hospice to an Outstanding rating in just one year. She did this by making culture a fundamental part of the change process. She reveals how this experience has informed her work at Whizz-Kidz and the steps she’s taken there to put culture at the heart of everything. Sarah’s tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Sarah via LinkedInWhizz-KidzHappy’s Level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship ProgrammeIntroduction to Liberating StructuresThe magic of leadership is empathy, with Tom Peters

Implementing a self-managing organisation requires a shift in mindset and a commitment to creating a positive work environment. This involves giving employees trust, freedom and responsibility, as well as promoting health and wellbeing. In this episode, Henry and Maureen speak to Luke Kyte, a senior leader whose company made this transition. Reddico is a self-managing SEO agency that implemented unlimited holiday, formed a salary panel, and measured success through metrics like the Net Promoter Score. All in place of things like pingpong tables and nights out that look great on social media, but don’t improve employee happiness or promote wellbeing. Luke's three tips for creating a happy workplace Links Connect with Luke via LinkedInNet Promoter

When Jason Mitchell escaped the office to reconnect with his tasks, he noticed something: he was losing sight of the relationships behind the tasks. This discovery led Jason to build regular check-ins with members of his team, that weren’t simply task-orientated, but were people-orientated. Jason is VP of Customer Experience at Typefi, and joins Henry to discuss what he experienced and learned through Happy’s Level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship Programme, otherwise known as the “Happy MBA”. Jason’s three tips for a happy workplace Links Connect with Jason on LinkedInTypefiThe 2023 Happy Cultural PlannerLevel 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship ProgrammeMultipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smart

The guiding principle at UK software firm Mayden is to manage the work, not the people. The company has put in place a clear decision-making process and a scaffolding structure that replaces most line management positions. Everyone within Mayden has access to an individual coach who is trained and experienced in coaching, and the company has retained a tier of directors who deal with residual line management responsibilities. Mayden's approach encourages individuals to manage themselves and take responsibility for decisions. The process of forming and growing a managerless team is outlined in a new book written by Mayden. And Alison Sturgess-Durden, one of Mayden’s Directors joins Henry and Maureen to dig into the details. Alison’s tips for a happy workplace: Links Connect with Alison on LinkedInMade Without Managers: One Company's Story of Creating a Self-Managing Workplace

A Multiplier is a leader who amplifies the intelligence and capability of their team, making work feel challenging yet exhilarating. Diminishers, on the other hand, unintentionally hold people back and create an environment where people defer to them. Both types of leaders have vastly different impacts on their teams. Liz Wiseman, the author of Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, joins Henry and Maureen to discuss how to recognise the genius in others and create an environment that elicits the best thinking, provides challenges, encourages debate, and fosters ownership and accountability. Liz’s tips for a happy workplace Links Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your ImpactMultipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone SmarterThe Fearless Organization - Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and GrowthThe Multipliers Accidental Diminisher QuizAdam Grant