In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly recognised happiness and wellbeing as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of everyone around the world. Since then, March 20^th, or International Day of Happiness, aims to make people worldwide realise the importance of happiness in their own lives – and happiness in the workplace.

Happiness wherever we go

At Anabas, we’re committed to promoting happiness wherever we can. The best way we, as a Total Facilities Management provider, can achieve this is through the way we treat our colleagues.

We spend a significant chunk of our lives working – 1,670 hours for the average UK worker – so it’s our mission to make this time as happy as possible for our teams. We believe that happier colleagues are more productive, resilient and creative, and carry a positive attitude towards working. This then positively impacts the level of service we provide to our clients.

Cultivating happiness in our teams means that colleagues are more positive, sociable and successful. But creating happiness at work is far more than a state-of-the-art workspace with slick tech integration, and it takes more than a fruit bowl and coffee machine for staff – it’s even more than receiving an annual bonus.

Happiness at work is generated by aligning a business’ purpose, people, culture and connections. The right company culture has the power to embrace colleagues and realise the scale of their potential. Helping people to see the difference their role plays in the wider business makes them feel valued and gives them a sense of purpose and pride in what they deliver.

Feeling our best every day

Every colleague deserves to feel empowered and engaged with their progression and development.

A workplace culture where people feel confident and appreciated will go a long way to nurturing happiness. Employees who don’t feel valued are most likely to become disengaged from their roles and team. That’s why our Small Decencies awards are so important. They allow us to celebrate each other’s successes regardless of their perceived size because we know it’s the small details that make the biggest difference.

We believe in building connections at work to incorporate fun (and happiness) into the work we do. Team lunches, Strava challenges, book clubs, football tournaments, gym classes and our Anabas awards are just a few of the ways our colleagues connect.

The entire Anabas team has also committed to The Art of Brilliance training to help people stay motivated and positive and become the best version of themselves. By actively identifying the connections between feeling great, always seeking to improve and productivity, we’re continuously cultivating a can-do attitude for team members to thrive and be part of our journey of optimising our service standards.

On International Day of Happiness, we challenge everyone to think about how they nurture happiness in their workplace. Reflect on how to create happiness across your team and feed it out into the world.