Getting Back to Joy

How do you Build a Workplace People Love?

It's a time of year when 'joy to the world' and 'peace and goodwill to others' is seen on baubles and banners and heard in songs, hymns and cards. 

Many teams wind up 2014, with an eye on 2015 and breathe a sigh of relief at the year's end.

We often see more human interaction at this time of year; more support, more engagement, more concern - particularly amid tragic events or fearful challenges.

We are, above all, human. This message was loud and clear at the Above All Human innovation conference in Melbourne last week. No matter the work we do, whatever the field or sector, it still involves people, is for people and has to do with people. Can we bring more of this engagement, support, concern.... joy.... to the workplace?

Richard Sheridan of Menlo Innovations, thinks we can. We can build workplaces people love... if we just add joy. Richard says we do important work. So joy matters. And the company he's a part of welcomes dogs, babies, conversations, (no cubicles or pods by the way), but there's plenty of book sharing (without having to 'sign out' which book you've taken) and so many other sweet tools that make work human and joyous. 

If you can get back to the joy you felt when you were a little kid, you would be:

• doing the work you love, with people you like, the way you want (a key element of Thought Leaders)
• experimenting
• trusting the team
• flexible
• embracing learning.

To build a workplace people love, keep out of chaos. That's the land of not getting anything done!

Bureaucracy isn't much fun either. Too much red tape.

Between chaos and bureaucracy is ... structure. This structure is based on human relationships. 
It's about building an open and collaborative culture and then you can create the environment that will fit that culture.

Allow support, empathy, and encourage creativity; let in some joy and you and your team will do great work... and love the people and the place and the fact we are all... human.