Action for Happiness

Life is short and we spend most of our waking lives at work. It's a big part of who we are, so it's important that however we earn a living, we also enjoy what we do, ideally in a role that complements important priorities in our lives like family and relationships. No-one on their deathbed looks back wishing they'd spent more time in the office.

A new breed of entrepreneur is discovering that the secret to building a successful company may be putting happiness before profits. Study after study proves that happy teams are more productive and effective. These new entrepreneurs are choosing business models that are not only successful, but also allow them to spend more time doing what they love and making a positive contribution to society.

Many people going back to work this week will be feeling miserable. The holidays are over, predictions of more economic turmoil abound, and many people will be returning to jobs that they don't enjoy at the best of times. Action for Happiness is proposing a New Year 'resolution' with a difference. Rather than going back to work feeling fed up, people are being asked to commit to make their workplace a happier one in 2013 - and to encourage their employers and colleagues to do the same.

Why do some of us let our work dominate our lives? Why do we so often seem to find it hard to get the balance right? To celebrate National Work-Life Week, Nina Grunfeld looks at practical ways to get a better balance in our lives.

Well-Being is an enormous, multi-faceted topic that is starting to drive some seismic changes in our working lives. Keeping track of the impact of health, finance, education and day-to-day working life on our well-being – and then taking action to make improvement – is certainly a challenge, but we’ve made huge progress. Now we need to keep the momentum going and make sure the benefits can be consistently and sustainably reaped by all.

Many people going back to work today will be feeling miserable. The holidays are over, predictions of more economic turmoil abound, and many people will be returning to jobs that they don't enjoy at the best of times. Action for Happiness is proposing a New Year 'resolution' with a difference. Rather than going back to work feeling fed up, people are being asked to commit to make their workplace a happier one in 2012 - and to encourage their employers and colleagues to do the same.

Today sees a call for radical change in the way we treat people at work, as we launch a new Manifesto for happier workplaces. A happy, fulfilling work environment isn't just great for staff, it also delivers huge benefits to business in terms of a more motivated workforce, improved productivity and ultimately better long-term financial performance.

Martin Seligman lays out his vision for 51% of the world's population to be "flourishing" by 2051

As drivers angrily beeped their horns and cyclists weaved impatiently through London's traffic, Amandeep Hothi stood cheerily on the pavement holding aloft a sign offering, in pink letters, "Free Hugs". Hothi is part of a new group called Action for Happiness, whose members aim to boost the net amount of joy in the world by being kind to others and countering "an epidemic of loneliness and isolation".

Today sees the launch of Action for Happiness - a new mass movement for social change founded by three pioneering thinkers, Richard Layard, Geoff Mulgan and Anthony Seldon. It is based on one simple idea – that if we want a happier society, we've got to approach our own lives in a way that prioritises the things that really matter, including the happiness of those around us.

Lord Richard Layard discusses what we can do to create a happier society. This lecture was presented on 10 March 2011. Lord Layard, Emeritus Professor of Economics at LSE explores four critical areas of our lives that can be optimised to increase happiness: income, human relationships, altruism and work. He goes on to discuss the Action for Happiness movement, which launches on 12 April 2011 and aims to encourage a mass movement of people pursuing a better way of life.

Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard, get the big promotion, meet the right person, win the lottery we'll be successful and therefore happy. Yet recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have found that's not the case. Happiness itself is the precursor to success and fulfilment, not the other way around.

Last week I met someone I'd coached a few years ago for a catch-up dinner. Her face was glowing and she was radiating enthusiasm and energy. Her organization had been through a very tough time with job losses, new management, high levels of uncertainty. And she had been given lots of new challenges to deal with, responsibilities and in areas she'd had little knowledge of. She was loving it all and told me that she was incredibly happy at work. But what is the general effect that supposedly post-recessionary times are having on happiness and productivity?