The Happiness Index - Data. Insight. Stories

Hosted by Matt Phelan

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180

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Research, data, evidence and the stories of people focused on employee engagement, workplace happiness and driving performance at work. Connect with Matt via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewphelan/ You can download The Happiness Index's Global Workplace Happiness Report here https://thehappinessindex.com/the-global-workplace-happiness-report/

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June 11, 20264 min

Inside the Global Workplace Happiness Report with Stefan Tornquist

This week, we’re changing things up. Our host Matt Phelan is back in the chair, and he’s turning the microphone on Stefan Tornquist. After spending months hosting our Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026 series, Stefan is stepping onto the other side of the desk as a guest. Stefan is the lead author of the report and the managing director of Executive Summary Research. He’s spent over 30 years leading complex research projects and translating vast datasets into actionable business strategies. In this lightning-fast five-minute conversation, Matt asks Stefan to take off his researcher hat and share what surprised him most about the final data. We explore:📊 The titanic operation. The massive logistics behind crunching 82,000 responses, 1.9 million data points, and 90,000 qualitative open-text answers. ⚖️ The gender divide. The striking, everywhere-we-looked finding that women scored lower than men in 28 out of 29 categories across all age groups and seniorities. 💼 The workplace paradox. Why companies mistakenly treat employment as a transaction, while your people inherently experience it as a relationship. 🔮 The 2027 roadmap. A look ahead at the future of the project, focusing on wider geographic spreads and deeper qualitative context. Stefan argues that the highest-order elements of work always come down to connection. If you want to build a resilient business, you must stop looking at your headcount as an expense line and start building a real relationship infrastructure. Are you ready to see the real story behind the numbers?🚀 The Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026: https://tinyurl.com/GWHR2026

June 5, 20263 min

What is radical kindness in leadership in 3 minutes?

Natalie Semmes from Kind-Hive: What is radical kindness in leadership?Matt Phelan catches up backstage with Natalie Semmes, CEO of Kind-Hive and contributor to the Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026. In this lightning-fast snippet, Matt asks one core question: What is radical kindness, and why is it the ultimate business multiplier? In three minutes, discover:🧠 The human-first lens. Why sharing your authentic story and showing up as a vulnerable human being transforms the way people view leadership. 🤝 Radical kindness. Moving past the fluff to define kindness as a strict, non-negotiable strategy required to inspire true employee outperformance. 📈 The EBITDA multiplier. The striking, evidence-based research shows that human-first organisations are 34% more likely to double their EBITDA over 10 years. Natalie argues that there is a better way to do business. Before you can grow your bottom line, you must first have the courage to show up as a real human being. Are you ready to tap into radical kindness? 🚀 The Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026: https://tinyurl.com/GWHR2026

June 3, 20263 min

Kaly Little from Google: "What is radical safety in the AI era?"

Matt Phelan sits down at Google HQ in London with Kaly Little, Head of HR, UK Large Customer Sales at Google and contributor to the Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026. He asks her one quick question: What is radical safety in the AI era? In under three minutes, discover:🚀 Radical safety. Why absolute psychological safety is the non-negotiable permission slip for Google’s famous moonshot thinking and 10x innovation. 🤖 Human in the loop. Moving past the jargon to place human creativity and strategy at the absolute center of technological advancement. 🧠 Automation bias. The crucial role of HR in building critical thinkers so teams do not rely too heavily on AI tools. Kaly argues that the AI era requires leaders who can coach teams to tap into their brains differently, using technology to free up space for bigger, bolder strategy. Are you ready to build radical safety? 🚀 The Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026: https://tinyurl.com/GWHR2026Guest bioKaly Little is Head of HR, UK Large Customer Sales at Google. She focuses on deeply supporting teams, coaching managers to become better leaders, and championing the "human in the loop" approach to technological transformation.

May 19, 20263 min

What do you mean by "Clarity is Capital?" with Dr Amanda Henwood

Matt briefly chats with Dr Amanda Henwood, a key contributor to the Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026. He asks her one simple question: What do you mean by clarity is capital? In under four minutes, discover:💰 The metric. Why clarity functions as actual business capital, driving productivity and retention. 📉 The hidden tax. How a lack of clear conditions forces employees to blame themselves, triggering imposter syndrome. 🕵️‍♂️ The warning signs. The quiet behavioural signals that prove your organisation is drowning in ambiguity. Amanda argues that defining what good looks like isn't a fluffy nicety. It's a high-return strategy. Are you ready to stop the second-guessing?🚀 The Global Workplace Happiness Report 2026: https://tinyurl.com/GWHR2026

May 13, 202648 min

The science of belonging and performance with Andrea Carter

This week, we’re welcoming back our host, Matt Phelan, as he takes the baton back from Stefan Tornquist after his brilliant Global Workplace Happiness Report series. Matt dives straight into the deep end with a topic that bridges human emotion and high performance.His guest today is the exceptional Andrea Carter. Andrea is a performance consultant, researcher, and creator of the Belonging First methodology. She has spent over 20 years studying brain differences, behavioural science, and workplace dynamics. Andrea helps organisations move away from surface-level initiatives to build genuine belonging infrastructure. We explore:🧠 The neuroscience of belonging. Our brains do not distinguish between physical pain and social exclusion. Rejection activates the exact same neural circuits as a physical injury, forcing the prefrontal cortex offline.📉 The manager engagement collapse. Global manager engagement is in a severe decline, driven by invisible emotional labour. Managers are working two jobs by delivering business targets whilst simultaneously absorbing their team’s anxiety.🏗️ Infrastructure over initiatives. Workshops and unconscious bias training have a short shelf life. True infrastructure means changing the actual operating conditions, protocols, and feedback loops that outlast a culture budget.📊 The survey average illusion. A passing grade on a standard engagement survey often hides deep disconnection at the edges of your distribution curve. Traditional metrics measure employee effort, not the conditions for sustainable performance.🧪 The five measurable indicators. True belonging relies on five distinct neuroscience conditions. These are comfort, connection, contribution, psychological safety, and physical well-being.Andrea argues that an environment lacking belonging infrastructure is a massive drain on cognitive capacity. When your people's threat systems are chronically activated, you are paying a full salary for only a fraction of their performance.Are you ready to stop running temporary initiatives and start building a real infrastructure for success?

May 5, 202651 min

Strategic narrative and the bridge to meaningful work with Dr Sarah Pass

For the final time in this series, we’re handing the host chair to Stefan Tornquist. Stefan is the lead author of our Global Workplace Happiness Report. He has spent the last few months interviewing the brilliant contributors to this project. While he's signing off for now, Stefan will return next year for our 2027 report.His final guest is the expert-friendly Dr Sarah Pass. Sarah is a senior lecturer at Nottingham Business School and an advisory board member of Engage for Success. She has spent nearly 30 years researching the employee experience to understand what truly drives engagement beyond just a paycheque. We explore:🤝 Authentic purpose. A mission statement shouldn't just be a strap line on a wall. Real purpose must be authentic to avoid becoming a diluted tick-box exercise as a company scales.✨ Meaningful moments. There is a big difference between overarching meaning and episodic "meaningful moments". These individual moments are often sparked when a manager notices and values an employee’s specific contribution.🗺️ The strategic narrative. Your people need to know where the organisation is going and why. A clear story acts as a bridge during stressful market cycles or restructures.🛑 The micromanagement tax. Micromanagement is corrosive to meaning. It erodes trust and autonomy, forcing your people to disconnect their emotions and work like machines.🤖 AI as a personal assistant. Technology can help overworked managers by handling the "mundane" work. This frees up time for the 15-minute weekly human connections that are vital for engagement.Sarah argues that meaningful work isn't just a "nice-to-have" buzzword. It is a tangible business metric that creates resilience and directly impacts your bottom line.Are you ready to move beyond the Sunday night dread and start building a strategic narrative?🚀 Download The Global Workplace Happiness Report >

April 29, 202649 min

Self-expansion and the science of personal growth with Dr Anne Hsu

This week, we’re handing the host chair to Stefan Tornquist. He’s the lead author of our Global Workplace Happiness Report. Stefan is interviewing the experts shaping the future of work. His guest today is the fascinating Dr Anne Hsu. Anne is a lecturer in computer science and psychology at Queen Mary University of London. She’s an expert in resilience, motivation, and personal growth. Anne helps people navigate challenges by connecting their work to a bigger vision of who they can be. We explore:🚀 The expansion mindset. Personal growth often fails when it’s seen as a narrow set of work skills. True growth is about self-expansion and becoming more adaptable in the world. 🧠 The safe brain. Our minds have two modes. When we lack meaning or safety, our brain enters a reactive, threatened mode that kills creativity. Growth only happens when we feel safe and flexible. 🎯 Intrinsic motivation. Motivation comes from envisioning a satisfying future. We thrive when a task is just hard enough to be a game-like challenge without causing frustration. 🧬 The library of Alexandria. Anne is building a digital repository of human stories to help employees solve challenges. This uses AI to find the right institutional knowledge exactly when your people need it. 🦸 The hero's journey. Resilience training works best when it’s fun. Anne uses immersive storytelling and augmented reality to help people harness their inner strengths. Anne argues that we must stop seeing work as an obstacle to our development. Growth is a universal human need that directly drives engagement and performance. Are you ready to move beyond the Faustian bargain and start growing your people?🚀 Download the report: https://tinyurl.com/GWHR2026

April 24, 202640 min

How structures and culture unlock innovation with Dr Rochelle Haynes

This week, we’re handing the host chair to Stefan Tornquist. He’s the lead author of our Global Workplace Happiness Report. Stefan is interviewing the experts shaping the future of work.His guest today is the innovative Dr Rochelle Haynes! Rochelle is an expert in the "gig economy" and a specialist in global human resource management. She advises organisations on how to adapt to the rising trend of digital nomadism and remote work flexibility.We explore:🌍 The nomad mindset. Why the desire for geographic freedom is reshaping how your people value their careers.🤝 Managing the "gig" relationship. Shifting from traditional employment to a partnership model with independent workers.📈 Performance over presence. Moving the goalposts from hours spent at a desk to actual outcomes achieved.🧱 Building digital trust. How to maintain strong connections and culture when your team is spread across different time zones.🚀 Future-proofing HR. Why organisations must innovate their people strategies to attract the best global talent.Rochelle argues that the workplace is no longer a physical destination. It’s a community built on shared goals and mutual respect.Are you ready to embrace the boundaryless workforce?

April 16, 202639 min

Preventive maintenance: Freedom without burnout with Fiona McDonnell

This week, we’re handing the host chair to Stefan Tornquist, lead author of our Global Workplace Happiness Report. He’s interviewing the experts shaping the future of work.His guest is the brilliant Fiona McDonnell. Fiona is a global executive with a career spanning giants like Amazon and Booking.com. She’s a veteran at using data to grow both businesses and people. She also authored Two Mirrors and a Cheetah, a guide to succeeding by being your authentic self.We explore:🛠️ Preventative maintenance. Apply engineering logic to your people by fixing "failure modes" like stress before the system collapses.🦋 The freedom to be. Thriving happens when your people feel free to contribute without fear of being undervalued or judged.📉 The self-protection trap. Without psychological safety, employees "check out" and stop offering diverse, valuable ideas.📊 Manager self-awareness. Use engagement data as a mirror for leaders to see how they're truly perceived by their teams.🧠 Protecting critical thought. We must use AI to stress-test ideas without letting it erode our own human judgment.Fiona argues that culture shouldn't be outsourced to HR. If you own the profit, you must own the people metrics that drive it.Are you ready to stop sprinting and start building for the marathon? 🚀 Download The Global Workplace Happiness Report >

April 8, 202644 min

The hidden power of workplace relationships with Verity Glasgow & Dr Shannon Hirst

This week, we’re handing the host chair to Stefan Tornquist. He's the lead author of our Global Workplace Happiness Report. Stefan is interviewing the experts shaping the future of work.His guests today are the expert-friendly Verity Glasgow and Dr Shannon Hirst from the relationship charity OnePlus One. Verity is the CEO, and Shannon leads their research. They’ve spent years using evidence-based tools to help people build and maintain high-quality relationships. They're here to explain why relationships are the highest-scoring element of our latest research.We explore:🤝 The relational capability framework. Good quality relationships aren't just about luck. They require specific internal skills like empathy, self-regulation, and mentalization.🏥 Reducing the error rate. Psychological safety allows your people to speak up and own mistakes without fear. Research in hospitals shows that when nurses feel safe to question senior surgeons, error rates decline.🚀 Driving innovation. Long-term iterative innovation depends on a safe environment for problem-solving. Trust and good quality relationships are the foundation for taking calculated risks together.🏋️ The social fitness muscle. Like physical exercise, you have to practice relationship skills every day. These small interactions build the trust that keeps your people from quiet quitting.☕ The "stop and make tea" habit. Effective communication often starts with self-regulation. Taking a moment to breathe before responding to a sharp email can prevent a relationship rupture.Verity and Shannon argue that showing you care about your people as humans builds a foundation of trust that isn't just transactional. It's a strategic imperative that directly impacts your bottom line.Are you ready to stop falling into old patterns and start exercising your social fitness?📊 Download The Global Workplace Happiness Report >💬 Speak with a culture expert >