The Happiness Index

📣 The World Happiness Report 2025 has dropped 📣 This year's report focuses on the impact of caring and sharing on people's happiness, and it's packed with insight. Summary: The report explores the importance of benevolence and social connections for overall wellbeing. Key findings include that happiness inequality is growing within countries, and that social connections, especially sharing meals, strongly influence happiness. Putting on my "Workplace Happiness" hat here is some stuff I picked out and a few very very simple practical tips for your workplace👇 1) Benevolence is a two-way street: The report emphasises that caring and sharing benefit both the giver and the receiver. How it’s useful for work: Encouraging a culture of helping and supporting colleagues can boost morale and wellbeing for everyone. 2) Social connections are crucial: Sharing meals and feeling connected to others has an impact on happiness. How it’s useful for work: Promoting social events centred on food and creating opportunities for connection. Harder to do virtually but I have seen this done well with the support of food ordering apps. 3) Misperceptions about kindness exist: People tend to underestimate the benevolence of others. How it’s useful for work: Leaders can actively showcase acts of kindness by others and support within the workplace to build trust and a positive environment. 4) Prosocial behaviour decreases despair: Acts of prosocial behaviour (volunteering, donating, helping others) are linked to a decrease in levels of despair. How it’s useful for work: Companies can support employees in prosocial activities to improve wellbeing. 5) Trust is essential for happiness: The report highlights that trust and life satisfaction play a significant role in shaping values and behaviours. How it’s useful for work: Building a high-trust environment is crucial for employee happiness and reduces the likelihood of political polarisation within the workplace. Summary; I encourage you to dive deeper into the report and make your own mind up on the findings. References, credit, kudos and respect to 👏 John Helliwell Richard Layard Jeffrey Sachs  Jan-Emmanuel De Neve  Lara B Aknin  Shun Wang Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., Sachs,  J. D., De Neve, J.-E., Aknin, L. B., & Wang, S. (Eds.). (2025). The World Happiness report is a publication of the Wellbeing Research Centre University of Oxford.

🗺️ Happy international day of happiness and hello spring! It's an opportune moment to promote our next HR lunch in Toronto. Here are just a few reasons why people attend: 👉 Happiness in the workplace is important to them 👉 Get to meet fellow culture focussed professionals with similar challenges 👉 Connecting with peers in a relaxed setting with no fixed agenda 👉 Enjoying a delicious (free) lunch ⏰ When? 12 noon - 2pm on Friday 11th April 🧠 Who is it for? In-house HR and people professionals 💲 How much does it cost to attend? Zero 💻 Sign up? Please message me if you want to come and I will forward you the details. PS If you have child care (or care of any kind for that matter) responsibilities, then they are welcome too. #happinessatwork