Friday Pulse

When pressure rises at work, the default response is often to push harder. More targets. More measures. More effort. But what if that’s part of the problem? Happiness at work isn’t a “nice to have”, an optional extra that can be forgotten when things get tough. It’s one of the strongest predictors of sustainable performance. Not just for individuals, but for teams and organizations as a whole. If you’re thinking about resilience, retention, or how to maintain energy through ongoing change, you need to think beyond burnout: https://lnkd.in/ePv3QJn7 Image reads: Happiness isn’t a luxury. It’s a vital driver of resilience, creativity & performance #HappinessAtWork #Leadership #EmployeeExperience #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleAnalytics

Many HR platforms now offer pulse surveys. Some even include recognition features. It’s easy to assume they can do the same job as a dedicated engagement platform, right? But here’s the question worth asking: will it actually help you improve how work feels? Because measuring engagement is one thing. Improving it is something else entirely. The difference isn’t in the features - it’s in: ✅ the design ✅ the science behind the questions ✅ what happens next ✅ and ultimately, the value it brings to your organization If you’re currently relying on your HR platform to “cover” engagement, this is worth a read. #HappinessAtWork #EmployeeExperience #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture

Is smoking healthy? Definitely not. But can we learn something from smokers? Definitely yes. Nic Marks shares a simple way to remember some healthy habits to build into your day - without the smoking: S – Stop what you’re doing M – Move your body, and go… O – Outside K – Kickstart conversations E – Exhale longer than you inhale R – Relax None of these take long. But together, they help release tension, restore focus, and make it easier to continue working without becoming overwhelmed. The challenge isn’t complexity. It’s remembering to pause. Image text reads: I am not suggesting that smoking is healthy... but some of the behaviours of smokers are great stress-busting strategies! #wellbeingatwork #stressmanagement #resilience #leadershiphabits

“Quiet quitting” may have slipped out of the headlines, but disengagement hasn’t gone anywhere. When people are doing the minimum, it’s rarely because they don’t care. More often, it’s because they’ve lost sight of why their work matters. Engagement isn’t about pushing harder or adding pressure, but about helping people reconnect with purpose and see the impact of what they do every day. If you’re thinking about how to move teams from going through the motions to actively engaged, this one’s worth a read: https://lnkd.in/e9Y-BgjA Image reads: Reigniting passion starts with making work feel worthwhile #HappinessAtWork #EmployeeEngagement #TeamCulture #Leadership #EmployeeExperience

There’s a lot of focus on stress at work. Some of that attention is completely justified - but what if it stops us paying attention to something else that’s just as important? It’s easy to assume that reducing stress is the key to improving how work feels. But the data tells a more nuanced story. High stress can undermine people’s experience at work. But boredom has an even stronger negative impact. In fact, being bored is four times worse for happiness at work than stress. It isn’t that stress doesn’t matter. It’s that interest matters more than we often realise. The best work isn’t stress-free. It’s engaging, meaningful, and absorbing - without becoming overwhelming. Learn more in Nic Marks’ latest book, Happiness is a Serious Business. Image text reads: The best jobs are stimulating without being overwhelming. #workplacewellbeing #employeeexperience #engagement #burnout

Flexible working is often talked about as a simple win. More autonomy. Better balance. Less commuting… In practice, it’s more nuanced. Without careful design, flexibility can quietly erode connection, learning and fairness across teams. But with the right approach, it can do the opposite and help teams thrive. Using a framework like the Five Ways to Happiness at Work can help organizations design flexible working in a way that supports both individual wellbeing and team success. If flexibility is part of how your teams work, this is worth a closer look: https://lnkd.in/emnXWX57 Image reads: Flexibility isn’t just about location. It’s about connection, collaboration, & success #HappinessAtWork #FlexibleWorking #TeamCulture #Leadership #EmployeeExperience

Some people think that high-performing teams must always be “on” - focused, driven, pushing forward. But that’s only part of the picture. In Happiness is a Serious Business, Nic Marks describes two types of positive emotions: striving and sustaining. Striving - energy, focus, progress - helps teams achieve goals. Sustaining - calm, connection, restoration - helps them stay creative, resilient, and work well together. The challenge is that many workplaces place more value on striving, and treat sustaining as an optional extra. The best teams find a balance between the two - and that balance isn’t static. It shifts week to week, depending on workload, challenges, and what the team needs most. The key takeaway? Both striving and sustaining are essential for long-term team success. Image text reads: Striving helps teams achieve goals. Sustaining helps them stay creative, resilient, and work well together. #leadership #workplaceculture #teamperformance #employeewellbeing

Happy teams don’t happen by accident. They’re built through small, consistent habits that help teams stay connected to how work really feels, particularly when things get busy. We see a simple rhythm in high-performing teams again and again. It helps them spot issues early, celebrate progress more often, and keep improving without adding more noise or complexity. It’s not a big programme or a one-off initiative. It’s a habit. If you’re thinking about how to support team happiness in a way that actually sticks, this is a good place to start: https://lnkd.in/dsNiKBmC #HappinessAtWork #TeamCulture #Leadership #EmployeeExperience #PeopleAnalytics

Some organizations ask employees how things are going once a year. But what happens when you ask every week? Here 🤖 Mike Sharp Sharp, Ops Director at Launch, shares that he started with scepticism about using Friday Pulse - worried it was just “another tool”. But how have things turned out two years later? After 104 weeks of measurement, reflection and conversation, one insight stood out above all others: Happiness is a leading indicator of performance. Read the full story here. #HappinessAtWork #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeExperience #TeamCulture

Are you still relying on ad hoc or annual surveys to understand engagement? Work moves more quickly than that. In fast-changing organizations, small frustrations can grow quickly and small wins can easily be missed. By the time a survey result lands, the moment has often passed. Regular check-ins are the future of employee engagement. Weekly or monthly pulses help teams spot patterns early, respond faster, and build momentum while it still matters. If engagement is something you care about this year, it might be time to rethink how often you’re listening. https://lnkd.in/eP89qEXi #HappinessAtWork #EmployeeEngagement #Leadership #PeopleAnalytics #TeamCulture