Alexander Kjerulf's Blog, page 12
September 2, 2019
52 countries!!
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I am back from doing a workshop on happiness at work for the staff at the Cambridge International School in Tashkent. This was our first gig in Uzbekistan and that means that we’ve now worked with clients in 52 countries!!!
Here’s the full list:
Antigua, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Curacao, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Guatemala. Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.
Read more about our keynotes and workshops and book us here.
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August 30, 2019
This Japanese high school marching band is RIDICULOUSLY happy
I just cannot stop watching videos of the Kyoto Tachibana high school marching band. Their energy is SO contagious.
The post This Japanese high school marching band is RIDICULOUSLY happy appeared first on The Chief Happiness Officer Blog.
August 7, 2019
See us speak around the world
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We’re speaking at some awesome events around the world – join us and learn how to make workplaces happier and more succesful.
September 19-20, Krakow: Poland’s first conference on happiness at work
September 27, Brussels: Closing event for the International Week of Happiness At Work
October 10-11, Prague: the 5th Czech Happiness@Work conference
October 29-30, Santiago de Chile: Happy People Better Business conference
We’re also contributing to the first Global Online Happiness At Work Summit in September, which you can attend for free!
The post See us speak around the world appeared first on The Chief Happiness Officer Blog.
July 2, 2019
Announcing “Leading With Happiness” – our next open training for managers
Normally, all our work is for corporate clients around the world that book us to do keynotes and workshops to teach their managers and employees all about happiness at work. But now we are doing an open training in English for managers called Leading With Happiness in December and January in Copenhagen.
Studies clearly show that a managers behavior has a huge influence on happiness at work. Good leaders motivate and energize their employees and create a level of happiness that make employees go the extra mile for the workplace and the customers. Bad managers on the other hand spread frustration and stress all around them.
Its important for leaders themselves to be happy at work. Unhappy managers make their employees miserable, have a harder time reaching their goals and are more prone to stress and burnout.
The seminar is based on the newest research and knowledge about Happiness at Work. It will be inspiring and with useful tools. There is a constant shift between presentation, videos, reflection, dialog and exercises.
This seminar also gives you as a leader both the knowledge and tools you need to make your people happy at work. And it doesnt take much. Happiness at work is not about raises, bonuses, perks and promotions it comes from simple, effective actions that any leader ought to know and do.
See the full agenda for the training and get your tickets here.
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Our 4 best tips for a happy vacation
The Summer holidays are right around the corner here in the northern hemisphere and I am really excited for it. No matter how much you love your job, you should still look forward to some time off, where you can do something completely different.
But it’s important to do your vacation right. If not, you risk ruining the whole thing by doing emails at the pool or by feeling bad about the work you didn’t do before going on vacation. That’s not doing anyone any favors – not even the workplace – because time off from work is a prerequisite for happiness and productivity.
So here are our 4 best tips for having a happy vacation.
1: Actually take a vacation
I can’t believe I even have to say this, but in many countries people don’t take the vacation time they’re entitled to. One person wrote this comment on my blog:
Im 34 and havent had a real vacation since my childhood vacations with my parents. The only way I manage to take an entire week off at a time (I work in IT) is when Im able to schedule a week or two of unemployment between jobs, and in those periods, spending money on a trip is not wise.
Im tied to my email/pager even on weekends and holidays and on the scattered vacation days I can take. Most Americans only get 2-3 weeks of combined sick and vacation time in any case, and professionals are expected to read email and be available, even on their days off.
I wonder how many people are able to have a real vacation these days!
US workers typically get very little vacation time, and often don’t even take all the vacation they do get. The Japanese have a similar problem where many workers don’t take the vacation days they’re entitled because they feel they’re letting down their coworkers.
Take your vacations. And if you work for a company that refuses to understand that human beings need time off from work, quit and go work for a company that actually cares about its people.
2: Get organized before you go
Clear out any outstanding work and your email inbox. This will give you clarity and control of any tasks. This sounds boring but it’s quite satisfying to get your work organized and go on vacation with an empty inbox.
And if you know there are important tasks that you can’t get done before you leave, hand them over to a coworker in plenty of time. Make sure to hand over the task with all necessary information so it’s easy for your coworkers to take over. That also keeps them from having to disturb you on your vacation, so you’re helping both them and yourself.
3: Don’t work on your vacation
Don’t bring the company mobile and don’t read work-related emails. Take a real vacation and let your brain do something completely different.
Instead, spend some time doing new things you’ve wanted to try for a long time but haven’t had time for. Go rollerskating, windsurfing, fishing or whatever strikes your fancy. Can I suggest swing dancing? It’s amazing!
Or maybe just kick off your shoes and go lie in a hammock. Stare out at the water. Have days with no plans and time for reflection.
4: Close your email inbox completely
If you have some vacation time coming up, and if youre like most people, you will put up an autoreply email just before you leave, saying that youre gone, when youll be back and who to contact if its urgent.
I have talked to many people who mention both of these as a source of stress and Ive just seen too many parents on family vacations handling work emails on their phone/laptop by the pool, when they shouldve been playing with their kids.
Fortunately, theres an alternative: Close your inbox while youre away. This may seem like a weird idea but some workplaces are already doing it. Here’s how you can close your inbox completely on your vacation.
I’m taking all of July off and I will be doing exactly that.
The upshot
For crying out loud: Take your vacation time and make it a good one.
Related posts
Every month this company forces one employee on a 2-week vacation.
The fundamental unfairness of the “out of office” autoreply.
5 awesome corporate email policies.
The post Our 4 best tips for a happy vacation appeared first on The Chief Happiness Officer Blog.
July 1, 2019
Meet the 24 newest Chief Happiness Officers from our Academy
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Meet the graduates from our 9th CHO Academy – 24 people from 16 countries came to Copenhagen for our intensive 3-day training in the theory and practice of happiness at work.
We had a fantastic time both in the training, on the site visit to IIH Nordic to study how they have created a happy organization with a 4-day work week and in the social activities around Copenhagen.
Íf you’re interested in learning all we know about happiness at work, the next Academy is in November in Copenhagen.
Here are some of our favorite photos from this Academy.
The post Meet the 24 newest Chief Happiness Officers from our Academy appeared first on The Chief Happiness Officer Blog.
June 18, 2019
Happy McDonald’s worker
This is awesome – just think how many people are a little happier because of the way she interacts with her customers.
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Announcing an extra CHO Academy, November 5-8 2019 in Copenhagen
[image error] Graduates from the 2018 Academy in Copenhagen
We are really excited for our next Chief Happiness Officer Academy this month. 25 participants from 16 countries are coming to Copenhagen to learn all the theory and practice of creating happy workplaces.
Amazingly, the Academy sold out over three months ago and even has long waiting list. So we have decided to add an extra Academy this year on November 5-8 in Copenhagen.
This is a great chance to come to one of the world’s happiest countries and learn all about happiness at work.
Read more about the Chief Happiness Officer Academy, see the full agenda and get your tickets here.
UPDATE: We just announced the November Academy and we already sold the first ticket :) Looks like these will be going fast too!
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How to measure happiness at work – and how NOT TO
Most companies conduct regular job satisfaction surveys, but they often dont work very well and fail to deliver tangible improvements to employees perception of their workplace. This leads to increased unhappiness among employees and from there to lower productivity and higher employee turnover.
In this video we cover:
Why you absolutely should measure happiness at work
Why traditional job satisfaction surveys often fail
Better ways to measure happiness at work ie. more often, more relevant and more valuable
Share specific experiences from a company that tried it
A very brief introduction to Heartcount a unique new tool for measuring happiness at work
The post How to measure happiness at work – and how NOT TO appeared first on The Chief Happiness Officer Blog.
June 17, 2019
Wall of win at IKEA
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Last week I did a workshop on “Leading With Happiness” for all the managers at an IKEA warehouse in Copenhagen and I have to say that it was an absolute pleasure. Like any other company, IKEA is facing many challenges and changes but this international group of 40 managers were clearly completely on board with the whole idea of happiness at work.
And while I was there, I stumbled on their wall of win – an entire wall of positive customer feedback, naming specific IKEA employees who’ve gone above and beyond.
What a simple but great way to celebrate your employees’ good work.
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