Don’t worry, be happy: Happiness Happens month, August 2019
Did you know August 2019 is Happiness Happens month? Well it is!
If the cynic in you is thinking ‘another month, another theme’ and wondering what it has to do with your job, then read on.
It’s true that the ‘days’ bandwagon rolls on relentlessly (and yes, we have been known to celebrate ‘international dress like a pirate day’). But we have it from a fairly reliable source that this really is the month that Happiness Happens.
Why not join in? It’s not too hard to see the link between this and your workplace wellbeing plan, if you have one. But you don’t, and you want to introduce some wellbeing initiatives into your workplace, this is a good month to start.
Here are some quick wins, some inspirational ideas and some good reasons to make happiness happen for your employees.
Happiness boosters you already have
What are the hidden gems tucked away in your employee benefits scheme? Free massage, reiki or acupuncture with a health cash plan? This is a cost-effective benefit for your business and one that employees really like. If you already have one, remind people just how much they can enjoy besides free eye tests!
Gym perks, shopping discounts, cycle to work schemes – all these employee benefits boost wellbeing. There are so many wellbeing nuggets an employee benefits scheme could offer to make your employees happy.
Get sporty
You don’t need much more than an open space to get employees active, bonding as a team and having fun. In fact, at PES we managed to fit the Five Ways to Wellbeing into one afternoon. Sports needn’t be sophisticated to make people happy – find out more.
Prioritise mental health
Mental health at work is talked and written about at length nowadays. No wonder, if 12.7% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be linked to mental health conditions.
If you want real culture change around attitudes to mental health, it’s important to reach everyone in your business. Start with a structured training plan:
- 2-day in-depth Mental Health First Aid training for front-line support in the workplace
- 1-day awareness training for line managers or team leaders
- Half-day awareness training for all other employees, to help increase understanding and reduce stigma.
Remember also that your health cash plan or private medical insurance – if you have either one in your employee benefits scheme – will probably also offer access to counselling.
If you want to know more about this important topic, sign up to our London event on 12 September: Mental health training – is it enough?
What can CEOs do?
If employee happiness is to be taken seriously, then the top team really have to be on board. At our wellbeing event for CEOs last year, PES’s Head of Workplace Happiness Debbie Kleiner out line several practical things CEOs can do.
So there you have it – don’t let August go by without spreading a little happiness at work. If you’re looking for inspiration with either your employee benefits or workplace wellbeing programme, have a chat with us to see if we can help.
About PES and happypeople
happypeople from PES is an employee benefits platform that lives up to its name. We provide employee benefits expertise, broking skills, technical know-how and outstanding customer service. Perfect for organisations with up to 1,500 employees.
Looking for complementary HR, wellbeing or financial services? We offer those too. Contact us to find out more.
