Australia’s first event Chief Happiness Officer Corporate Health and Wellness program is set to change the face of workplaces across the country. Program creator, Clariti Group, under the direction of CEO Belinda Dolan aims to impact the lives of one million and one people globally. It has developed the two-day science backed program to reduce the current level of unhappiness in the workplace.
CEO Belinda Dolan said happiness is not a given in our culture. “We talk about it, we write books about it, but no one really shows us how to navigate through all life throws at us to be truly happy, then we go off to work, often places filled with stress, frantic deadlines, disconnected from the decision makers and working with people we would not normally associate with. The modern workplace is a melting pot of mental health challenges and disconnected staff,” she said.
“Over the past six years, we have reviewed data from over 438 studies and researched almost 100 companies, as part of a larger PhD study into Happiness in the Workplace, to find old workplace models of motivating don’t work. Over 70 per cent fail. That is a lot of people being impacted.”
The Chief Happiness Officer Program recently won a Gold Stevie Asia Pacific Award for its innovation in workplace programs. “The program provides people with proven strategies and tools that will directly increase the levels of happiness, motivation, overall mental wellbeing and economic impact for companies across the globe,” Belinda said. “While Australia is the 10th happiest country in the world, 50 per cent of the workforce are not happy in their jobs. That is a lot of people who are not getting the most out of life and the ripple effects impact an organisation on so many levels.”
Research by Gallup indicated four out of five respondents stated they would be happier at work if they were better connected with leaders and colleagues. The Chief Happiness Officer program has been designed to increase the levels of connectedness to the organisation, colleagues and customers. Creating strong bonds in workplaces means leaders are 90 per cent more likely to retain their staff.
Clariti Group’s own Chief Happiness Officer Anahita Tonkin said now more than ever Australia needs engaged workforces. “We need brave leaders willing to lead and create engaged happy workplaces. For many of our organisations, large and small, its an economic imperative,” she said. “Research indicates happy engaged workforces are amongst the highest performing in the world. Happy people are happy to be at work; they do not get as sick as often and they are engaged in their roles and the organisational culture. Change is inevitable – organisational change can go either way. The growth and transformation of an organisation is optional. By building teams, creating high performing through innovative transformation you can create organisations that are peak performing, adaptable and resilient; helping business flourish and grow,” she added.
