5 things you can do for your team this Happiness at Work Week 2025

It’s Happiness at Work Week 2025, and if you’re still treating workplace happiness as a “soft” metric, the data says otherwise.

Oxford University research confirms what we’ve always known: happiness and productivity are directly linked. But here’s what most leaders miss – the ROI is measurable and substantial. Studies show that happy employees are 12% more productive, while unhappy employees are up to 10% less effective.

Yet globally, only 70% of employees report being happy at work, and employee engagement actually declined to just 21% in 2024 according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report. The gap between happiness potential and reality is costing companies billions in lost productivity, turnover, and disengagement.

The formula is straightforward: invest in recognition programs, flexible work policies, learning & development, workplace community, and manager training. The returns speak for themselves. Here are five practical things you can do for your team this Happiness at Work Week – and beyond.

1. Launch (or refresh) your recognition programs

The problem: 35% of employees without access to recognition software never receive praise from their company CEO or executive team. Over 28% of all employees never receive recognition from senior leadership at all.

The impact: Companies with strong recognition cultures see 31% lower turnover rates. Employees who receive meaningful recognition at least monthly are 79% more likely to feel a strong sense of belonging at work, and high-performing companies are 10X more likely to prioritise employee recognition.

Recognition isn’t just about annual bonuses or Employee of the Month plaques gathering dust. Meaningful recognition is timely, specific, and genuine.

What you can do this week:

• Start a daily or weekly team shout-out ritual in your stand-ups or team meetings
• Set up a dedicated Slack/Teams channel for peer-to-peer recognition
• Encourage managers to send handwritten thank-you notes for specific contributions
• Celebrate small wins, not just major milestones
• If you have recognition software, integrate it into your communication platform (85% of employees say they’re more likely to use it this way)

The key is consistency. Recognition programs fail when they’re performative or inconsistent. Make appreciation part of your team culture, not an afterthought.

2. Implement flexible work policies (that actually work)

The stats: Half of all job seekers now prefer hybrid work arrangements, and companies with flexible work policies report 35% lower employee turnover. Meanwhile, 75% of hybrid workers say flexible arrangements contributed to improved mental wellbeing. Yet workplace happiness increased to 74% globally in early 2025, directly correlating with increased workplace flexibility options.

Flexibility has moved from perk to expectation. But true flexibility isn’t just about where people work – it’s about trusting your team to work when and how they’re most productive.

What you can do this week:

• Audit your current flexibility policies: Are they genuinely flexible, or just flexible in name?
• Survey your team about their ideal working patterns
• Introduce core collaboration hours instead of rigid 9-5 schedules
• Consider how your workspace supports flexible working – whether that’s hot-desking options, bookable meeting rooms, or quiet focus spaces
• Ensure your flexibility policy is equitable across all levels and roles

If your team is hybrid, ensure your office space is designed for choice and flexibility. At Work.Life, we’ve seen firsthand how spaces that adapt to different working styles boost both happiness and productivity. The office needs to become a destination people want to come to, not a requirement they resent.

3. Invest in learning & development

The reality: Nothing kills workplace happiness faster than stagnation. When people feel they’re not growing, they’re not thriving – and they’re not staying.

The data: Organisations that prioritise employee development see measurably higher engagement rates. Employees want clear pathways for growth, and companies that provide them retain talent at significantly higher rates.

What you can do this week:

• Schedule individual career development conversations with each team member (not performance reviews – actual growth conversations)
• Allocate a learning budget (even £100-200 per person) for courses, books, or conferences
• Create internal knowledge-sharing sessions where team members teach each other
• Identify stretch projects that align with people’s development goals
• Ask each team member: “What skill do you want to develop this quarter?”

Development doesn’t always mean promotions. Sometimes it’s about skill diversification, mentorship opportunities, or simply learning something new that excites them. The investment shows you see them as more than just their current role.

4. Build genuine workplace community

The truth: Community isn’t created by mandatory fun or forced team-building exercises. It’s built through authentic connections, shared experiences, and spaces where people can be themselves.

The evidence: 89% of employees who are meaningfully recognised at least monthly feel warmly welcomed at their company. Workplace community directly impacts retention, engagement, and daily happiness. People stay where they feel they belong.

What you can do this week:

• Organise a low-pressure social event (breakfast, coffee, or after-work drinks – make attendance genuinely optional)
• Create interest-based groups (book clubs, running clubs, gaming groups, parent support networks)
• Set up communal spaces that encourage spontaneous interaction
• Start weekly team lunches or coffee walks
• Host “life outside work” sharing sessions where people can talk about hobbies, passions, or side projects

The strongest workplace communities happen when people connect over shared interests beyond work tasks. Create the conditions for those connections to form naturally. And crucially, make community-building inclusive – not everyone wants after-work drinks, but everyone wants to feel they belong.

5. Train your managers to lead with empathy

The uncomfortable truth: People don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Even the best workplace culture crumbles under poor management.

The stats: Manager engagement dropped by three points in 2024, while overall employee engagement declined to just 21%. Yet managers who spend more time with their employees see measurably higher engagement from their teams. Leadership IQ research surveying over 32,000 professionals confirms that better communication from managers is a huge key to higher employee engagement.

Your managers are the linchpin of workplace happiness. They’re the ones conducting one-to-ones, giving feedback, recognizing contributions, and setting team culture day-to-day.

What you can do this week:

• Provide managers with active listening and emotional intelligence training
• Implement regular one-to-ones (and train managers on how to make them valuable, not just status updates)
• Encourage vulnerability – managers who share challenges create psychologically safe teams
• Give managers permission to prioritise people over projects
• Survey teams anonymously about management quality and act on the feedback

Management is a skill that requires continuous development. Most people are promoted to management because they were good at their individual contributor role – not because they were trained to lead people. Invest in training your managers to be people-first leaders, not just task managers.

The ROI of workplace happiness

Still need convincing? The data is clear: investing in workplace happiness delivers measurable returns:

• Productivity: Happy employees are 12% more productive; unhappy employees are 10% less productive
• Retention: Companies with strong happiness and recognition cultures see 31-35% lower turnover rates
• Engagement: 83% of HR leaders report that recognition programs positively impact engagement
• Belonging: 79% of employees who receive meaningful monthly recognition feel a strong sense of belonging
• Wellbeing: 75% of hybrid workers report improved mental wellbeing from flexible arrangements
• Revenue Impact: High-performing companies that prioritize recognition and happiness are demonstrably more profitable

Workplace happiness isn’t a luxury – it’s your competitive advantage. In a tight talent market, the companies that invest in genuine wellbeing, recognition, flexibility, growth, community, and strong management will win the war for talent.

Start this week

The beauty of Happiness at Work Week is that it gives you a catalyst to start. You don’t need massive budgets or complex programs. Start small, be genuine, and be consistent.

Your action plan:

1. Recognition: Set up one new recognition channel or ritual
2. Flexibility: Audit and adjust one aspect of your flexibility policy
3. Development: Book career conversations with your direct reports
4. Community: Organise one low-pressure social activity
5. Management: Invest in one training session or resource for your managers

Pick one action from each category above. Commit to implementing it this week. Then measure the impact – not just in metrics, but in the energy, engagement, and morale of your team.

Because happiness at work isn’t just about feeling good. It’s about building high-performing teams, sustainable cultures, and organisations where people genuinely want to show up.

At Work.Life, we design workspaces with happiness at their core. From vibrant communal areas to flexible private offices, our spaces are built to support wellbeing, community, and productivity. Explore our locations or book a tour to see how the right workspace can transform your team’s happiness.