What makes a happy work environment?

Happiness is no longer an afterthought for businesses, but what elements go into creating a positive workplace? Is it a fancy office space? Juicy perks? CR speaks to an array of people working hard to ensure the wellbeing and happiness of their teams 

When it comes to being happy in our jobs, a whole host of considerations come into play beyond the day-to-day tasks you’re asked to do and whether you get paid appropriately for doing them. In a Utopian idea of the workplace, you’d have regular, informal chats with your CEO (who wears a shirt, but no tie!), all your meals would be catered for, you’d be trusted to get on with your job, be rewarded regularly for your hard work, and the Christmas party would be infinitely more festive than a beige buffet laid out by the photocopier – oh, and maybe there’d be a slide in the office!   

Some of this is perhaps a little superfluous, but the reality is we spend the majority of our time at work so surely it should at least be a bit enjoyable? With conversations around mental health and wellbeing becoming more prevalent at work, it’s caused some employers, companies and businesses to realise that Casual Fridays and a pat on the back for a job well done isn’t really enough anymore. Here, CR speaks to a handful of business directors, chief people officers, talent managers, workplace consultants and more to get a sense of what makes a happy work environment in the creative industries.