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 workplaceCreate flexible social environments that allow people to connect in ways that work for them.Adapt work schedules, information sharing, and learning opportunities to suit individual cognitive strengths.Encourage a non-judgmental environment where people feel comfortable expressing their feelings without fear of criticism or misunderstanding.Cater to individual physical and sensory needs, like temperature preferences, noise levels, and work locations.LinksConnect with Ludmila via LinkedInThe Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work – Ludmila’s bookLiberating 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 workplaceHire great peopleShow them the destinationGet out of the way so they can do their best workLinksThe Melting Pot – Dominic’s podcastConnect with Dominic via LinkedInMind Your F**King Business: The No-Nonsense Guide to Making Your Good Business Great – Dominic’s bookThe Founder's Survival Guide: Lead your business from start-up to scale-up to grown-up, by Rachel TurnerThe Jolt Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision, by Matthew DixonHiring for Attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting and Selecting People with Both Tremendous Skills and Superb Attitude, by Mark MurphyEmployees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management Upside Down, by Vineet Nayar

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 workplaceTrust people to organise themselves when the purpose and goals are clearRun small experiments to continuously evolve and improveValue employee happiness as a measure of successLinks2024 Happy Workplaces ConferenceConnect with Pieter via LinkedInReinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness, by Frederic Laloux

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 workplaceIntroduce the four-day working weekLook after your buildingPut great art up on the wallsLinksConnect with Andrew via LinkedInThe 4 Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Well-being, and Create a Sustainable Future – Andrew’s bookThe 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 workplaceDocument and share as much as possible, providing access for all employees so they can understand the decisions the company is making.Create a data-rich work environment where openly discussing and documenting failed experiments is encouraged. Capture realtime decision-making processes so everyone can learn from their mistakes.Allow independent teams to operate as micro-enterprises, or adopt Jeff Bezos’ “two pizza” rule.LinksConnect with Howard via LinkedInLeap: How to Thrive in a World Where Everything Can Be Copied – Howard’s bookBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, by Tony FadellThe Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, by Clayton ChristensenAmazon’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 workplaceAdopt a mindset of valuing every individual's worth and giving power to the people. Treat employees with dignity and respect.Develop democratic leadership skills, including meaningful conversations, active listening, fairness, and transparency.Implement systems and processes that support freedom-centred principles, like transparency, accountability, and choice.LinksConnect with Traci via LinkedInFreedom at Work: The Leadership Strategy for Transforming Your Life, Your Organization, and Our World – Traci’s bookJoin 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 workplaceCultivate a culture of trust within your organisation. Believe in your employees' capabilities and trust them to make the right decisions.Provide your employees with the right conditions to make decisions in their areas of expertise. This not only creates engagement but also fosters a sense of ownership and shared purpose.Respect each employee as an individual in their own right. This includes creating an environment where everyone feels like they can bring their whole selves to work and where everyone has the opportunity to be included and heard.LinksConnect 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 workplaceCreate a culture where people feel safe to contribute their knowledge, questions, expertise, and concerns.Monitor your response and show genuine interest and appreciation for what others are saying.Use tools and technology to facilitate communication and collaboration.Encourage taking risks and trying new things, celebrating intelligent failures that result from thoughtful exploration.LinksConnect with Amy via LinkedInRight Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive – Amy’s latest bookNew Smart Working Code of Practice announced (PAS3000)Taking 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 workplaceHaving freedom and autonomy is crucial for a happy workplace. Allowing employees to make decisions and have control over their work contributes to their overall satisfaction.But not everyone may thrive in an environment like this, so it's essential to ensure that employees align with the company's values and ways of working.Providing employees with clear guidelines and boundaries within which they can exercise their freedom helps bring structure and prevents chaos in the workplace.LinksConnect with Zahid via LinkedInRisr – Zahid’s companyMaverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workshop, by Ricardo SemlerCreating joy at work – Episode 2 with Cathy BusaniReinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness, by Frederic LalouxBullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work, and What We Can Do About it, by David Graeber

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 workplaceBe authentic and encourage others to do the same.Always listen and be open to ideas from anyone.Be willing to fail and commit to learning from it.LinksConnect with Michelle via LinkedInTLC – Talk, Listen, ChangeHappy’s Level 7 Senior Leadership apprenticeship programme – the “Happy MBA”

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 workplaceAssume good intent when people make contributions. Even if someone makes a mistake or uses terminology that might not be comfortable for everyone, start by assuming that they did not intend to offend anyone.Combat micro-aggressions with micro-affirmations. Consciously use small positive statements and gestures, like acknowledging people's presence, welcoming their contributions, and congratulating them on a job well done.When receiving feedback or criticism, assume good intent and respond with graciousness. Thank the person for their feedback and take the time to understand their perspective. Avoid getting defensive or dismissive, and recognise that feedback is a rare and precious gift that can help improve workplace happiness.LinksConnect 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 workplaceAllow space for people to be something other than happy if that's what's real for them.Create a climate of psychological safety by embracing discomfort as well as safety.Practice adult-to-adult conversations by relating to people's potential and being curious and empathetic.LinksEpisode 10 – Beyond Budgeting, with Bjarte BogsnesConnect with Lisa via LinkedInWhy Psychological Safety is Important for Productive Teamwork, by Shane SnowJessica and Douglas Rauch from Aquadec on tradesmen and teal – from Lisa’s Leadermorphasis podcastThe Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay StanierBrave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?, by Aaron DignanLiberating 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 workplaceWorkplace 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.LinksConnect with Matt via LinkedInRadical Companies: Organized for Success Without Bosses or Employees – Matt’s bookMaverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workshop, by Ricardo Semler

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.LinksProfitable Happiness: The 5 Key Habits of a High-Performance Organization – Dr Pelè’s bookThe Profitable Happiness PodcastEudaimoniaTry the Profitable Happiness software betaGo Kaba Monate – Dr Pelè & Mash Macaroni (closing music)

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 workplaceFollow the 12 Beyond Budgeting principles around governance and transparency, accountable teams, goals and rewards, and planning and controls.LinksBeyond 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 – Bjarte’s book

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 workplaceLead with kindness, and remember that kindness is a strength, not a sign of weakness.Treat people like adults and they will act like adults. Look for the potential in people and allow them the opportunity to shine.We learn so more from our mistakes than we do our successes, so eliminate blame and encourage people to learn from mistakes.LinksConnect with Sarah via LinkedInWhizz-KidzHappy’s Level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship Programme – the “Happy MBA”Introduction to Liberating StructuresThe magic of leadership is empathy, with Tom Peters – Episode 1 of the Happy Manifest Podcast

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 workplaceStart with trust, building the company for the vast majority of people who want to do a great job and want ownership.Treat perks and benefits as the cherry on top, and focus on changing the organizational structure.Include people in decision-making and strategy across the business, particularly when going through a process of change.LinksConnect 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.“Action has meaning only in relationship; without understanding relationship, action on any level will only breed conflict. The understanding of relationship is infinitely more important than the search for any plan of action.” – Jiddu KrishnamurtiThis 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 workplaceSupport your team to pursue their ideas for improvement, not yours.Embrace asynchronous working.Celebrate anything and everything you can.LinksConnect with Jason on LinkedInTypefiThe 2023 Happy Cultural PlannerLevel 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship ProgrammeMultipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smart, by Liz Wiseman

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:Be mindful of the people you've employed and free them up to get on with doing the job that they want to do.Empower your employees to do their jobs without fear of blame. Employees need to feel safe to make decisions and manage their work, and should feel supported if something goes wrong.Focus on respecting your employees as valuable adults and encouraging them to be be kind.LinksConnect with Alison on LinkedInMade Without Managers: One Company's Story of Creating a Self-Managing Workplace, by Alison Sturgess Durden, Chris May, and Philippa Kindon

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 workplaceEmpower team members by giving them control, which helps them feel less like victims and more in charge of their work.Point people to where they can be most impactful and show them how their work is making a difference.Lighten the load, not by doing other people's work for them, but by doing the small things that make work easy for others.LinksImpact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact – Liz’s new bookMultipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter – Liz’s previous bookThe Fearless Organization - Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, by Amy EdmondsonThe Multipliers Accidental Diminisher QuizAdam Grant