International Week of Happiness at Work

560 315 Jess Easby

International Week of Happiness at Work

We spend a lot of our time at work and when we are happy there, we are likely to be happier in our personal lives. Science and business have shown that happy employees are more productive, flexible, resilient, creative and work better with their colleagues.

At the end of 2017, a Dutch initiative announced that the last week in September should become International Week of Happiness at Work. It was then officially launched in September 2018.

The International Week of Happiness at Work is a do-it-yourself movement and is not owned by anyone. Companies are encouraged to put the topic onto their agenda and start to make the change to a happier workplace, with suggestions such as:

  • Invite an expert to give an inspirational talk.
  • Discuss with your colleagues what makes you happy at work.
  • Start a program to give more positive feedback.
  • Organise drinks after work with your colleagues or meet up for lunch rather than at your desk.

The International Week of Happiness at Work has started to spread all over the world, with participating countries such as Switzerland, Italy and France. In 2021 the UK launched the official website for the UK https://www.internationalweekofhappinessatwork.co.uk/.

Working together to provide employee happiness

Ellis Bates have recently been awarded Gold Accreditation in We Invest in People, signifying our commitment to placing our people at the heart of everything we do. This is an excellent achievement and adds testament to the fact that the company cares about the happiness of its employees.

In the words of our Managing Director, Michael Cope, “we believe that the success of our organisation begins and ends with people. If we make work better for everyone, we make Ellis Bates and our communities stronger, healthier and happier”.

Only 17% of organisations within We Invest in People achieve Gold and places us in the top 10% of UK organisations with this accolade.

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