Yesterday I presented a workshop on ‘Happiness & Joy @ Work’ and it was a real pleasure to research it and then deliver it to such an energetic group! One of the things I learned is that Happiness at work actually has it’s own word, unique to Scandinavian Countries. It’s called Arbeidsglaede. It’s common for them to discuss this concept and has long been recognised as a key to productivity!

Interestingly enough, Japan also has a unique word around their workplace. It’s Karoshi, and translated means ‘death by overwork.’ In the 80’s they coined the phrase after many men in the prime of their lives, with no illness or health issues died. The only identifiable factor being ludicrously long hours in a highly stressful job.

I also discovered that after 8 hours of work, each hour of overtime, productivity is roughly halved. So if you work 50 hours a week, you’re really only producing that of a 45 hour week! There is much to be said for being happy at work, working smarter and not longer!

So if possible, I’d like you to focus on your arbeidsglaede and avoid karoshi!