2 days ago
‘Work has a massive impact on your whole life'
On average, each of us will spend 90,000 hours at work across our lifetimes. What we do with that time – where it's spent, who it's with and the impact of the work we do – can have a seismic impact on our happiness, both in and out of work.
Work and happiness have not historically been linked, but increasingly the business case for happy employees has become not only understood but embedded within corporate strategies. In the past decade, and even more acutely post-pandemic, the lines between our personal and professional lives have been blurred as ideas of what a business exists for shift from exclusively profit-driven to serving its community, employees and planet alongside its owners and shareholders.
And as the corporate world takes a more integrated view of business's role in society, employees are being viewed more holistically, as well as expecting more from employers – elevating the importance of health, wellbeing and happiness so that they are on par with performance, talent and productivity.
The building blocks for happiness
Susie Wilson has worked at The Plan Group for 17 years, a family-owned independent insurance intermediary selling commercial insurance as well as specialising in niche personal lines insurance, namely home, travel and pedal cycle insurance for cyclists.
She's had a front-row seat to the shift in values across the business world: 'Where you work has a massive impact in your whole life,' she says. 'And if you've got a happy workforce, you'll have less employee turnover, less time and money spent on recruitment, and a much more productive and engaged workforce that produces better-quality work.'
As head of HR & risk, Wilson is committed to ensuring that happiness is embedded within the company. 'There's a lot that goes into happiness at work, but two big factors are flexible working and continuous learning and development,' she says. 'After Covid, we switched to a hybrid model. I think that definitely reduces stress – for example, I started later to let me do the school run, which is a massive help because childcare is so hard to find.'
Wilson also points out that a hybrid model allows The Plan Group to widen its recruitment net and source the best talent, rather than being restricted to a catchment area. 'People are willing to commute one or two days a week if they don't live in the area – but they definitely wouldn't if it was five days a week.'
Learning, development and training are also crucial elements to fostering a happy workforce according to Wilson. 'It's so important for employees to grow with the job, because roles don't stay the same. I've been here 17 years, and my job has changed every couple of years. If I was still doing what I was doing when I started, I don't think I'd be happy.'
The Plan Group has embedded learning throughout the organisation to ensure that employees have access to growth opportunities, upskilling and professional qualifications. 'We've got an in-house training team and we use an online learning management system to really drive engagement and growth.'
Digital learning platforms allow employees to take their professional growth and development into their own hands, such as leading HR, payroll and finance provider MHR's People First platform. This allows employees to cut out the noise and focus on their growth journey more effectively as there's no need to switch between platforms, thanks to the all-in-one ecosystem the tech provides.
Empowering employees to have a say in the organisation is also important to a happy, thriving workplace. 'We have an open-door policy,' says Wilson. 'If anyone has a problem or something they want to discuss, we're never too busy to talk to them.'
The Plan Group has employee-led committees to incorporate staff opinions, values and interests into how the business operates. Its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee decides how the organisation's CSR budget will be spent every year, while its social events committee ensures that work socials are inclusive and open to all employees. 'Asking what employees think is really important. That's why we do our annual employee survey and always take the feedback to our directors and see what we can put into place.'
Business is personal
The other increasingly talked-about facet of happiness at work is how we connect to our jobs through values, meaning and purpose. Three of The Plan Group's directors – brothers Scott, Ryan and Grant – are keen cyclists and noticed that finding cycle insurance was difficult. 'They had a passion for it, so they manufactured a policy for cycle insurance,' says Wilson, 'and now we've got two brands that do cycling insurance: Yellow Jersey and Pedal Cover.
'I think that doing meaningful work boosts self-esteem,' she says. 'Aligning work with values and passions often comes down to the environment and the relationships. We've got People First,' she adds, referring to MHR's people platform that empowers employees, prioritises experiences and drives engagement to foster a happier, more productive workforce.
'On there, you can add recognitions about employees, and also keep people updated about what other people in the company have been doing. You might see something on there that affects you or that you're passionate about and then you can get involved or offer to support.'
Crucially, Wilson says, it comes down to connecting your employees to the organisation's values. 'If you've got people that are aligned with your values, then you'll get people that are happier in their work.'
