Over the last 7 weeks I've been running a podcast asking the question "can the culture at our workplaces make us happier?" The follow-up question of course is "are happier people more productive?"
It's a fascinating question. Especially in 2017. We're all aware that the devices in our pockets have created the distraction economy. Looking at our phones is very closely associated in our brains with a pleasure release. We glance at our screens and any sort of message rewards us with a burst of dopamine. It's a fleeting injection of pleasure that fades as quickly as it arrives. But worse - our work also resides inside that device. Here's a guide to the episodes so far (you can also find them all on iTunes)
I chatted to Richard Reeves - author of Happy Mondays - and Sue Todd - who used to run a culture consultancy called Wonder. We found that happiness at work tended to come from having a close personal friend at work and feeling like you entered a state of 'flow'
Dan Lyons was a successful writer (for Newsweek but also as the creator of the Secret Diary of Steve Jobs) when he found himself the victim of a cultish culture in a tech start-up.
Baron Richard Layard and Bill Griffin discuss the ways to find satisfaction at work. What are the differences between work benefits and rewards?
The Netflix Culture document was described as the most important document to come out of Silicon Valley. Patty McCord helped create it. She tells us the benefits of having a concretely communicated culture.
Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In was a call to arms of women everywhere. But has it changed work places for women. We chat to Dawn Foster, Sue Todd and Melissa Barnes to get 3 women's views.
Professor Paul Dolan is an expert on energy management. How can we get more from ourselves by minimising distractions and thinking about our energy? Paul tells us the 'production process' for happiness. The studio discussion is joined by culture expert John Owen.
Kim Scott preaches the value of hard talk. How honesty can transform our workplaces?
There's more episodes ahead. Please tell me your views.
