Lord Mark Price, the business leader, former UK trade minister, and founder of WorkL, is calling for organisations and employees around the world to sign up to the Work Happiness Charter, a manifesto that aims to make happiness at work a universal right.
The Charter, developed with insight from global research, employee surveys and thousands of case studies conducted by WorkL, sets out practical rights and responsibilities that support happier, healthier and more productive working lives. This is in conjunction with the launch of Lord Price’s latest book, Work Happier, which aims to help employees understand what drives their happiness at work and how they can improve it.
Speaking about the Charter and his new book at the House of Lords earlier this month, Lord Price, who was previously managing director at Waitrose, said:
“What the stats say is that if you are happy in your job, you are more likely to be promoted and be paid more, Happiness is good for you. It’s good for your wealth, good for your health and it’s good for the company you work for because, if you are happy, that company is going to be commercially more successful. Through the Charter, I hope we are giving people a far better understanding of the world of work – how they should be treated, how they should feel and what their responsibilities are.”
He added: “If I’m remembered for one thing in my business career, I want it to be my Work Happiness Charter. I’m fully prepared for the brickbats. For people to say there is no need for a Work Happiness Charter. How can you legislate for happiness? It’s impossible! Well, no, it isn’t. Let’s turn that thought on its head for a moment.
“Work, as I’m sure you’ll agree, should be ‘safe’. Is safe too loose a term to have as a title in a Health and Safety bill or legislation? Of course not, because the bill goes on to describe what safe means. Likewise, the bill of ‘human rights’ could be considered too broad a title, but it too then goes on to explain what these human rights are. The Work Happiness Charter and my book explain what happiness at work is and therefore what your happiness rights should be. How you can take control of your happiness at work and how that can improve your performance.”
Founding members of the Charter include organisations such as Anthropy, and The Goring.
Individuals have also signed the Charter, including employees from Fortnum & Mason, The Book Publicist, Kogan Page, The Goring, Retail Trust, Speakers Corner, Food Matters International, JD Sports Fashion, Mountside Ventures, Youth Cancer Trust, David Fickling Books, Jenny Garret Global, and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
Lord Price is hoping employers, employees and government agencies will sign up. He said: “I urge leaders across business and government to recognise happiness at work not as a luxury, but a right. A happy workforce isn’t just good for people, it’s good for business, too. Together, we can create a future where work is more fulfilling and productive.”
Signing the Charter is free. Organisations will also receive information about how they can promote their Charter membership. For more information, visit workl.com.