Helen Russell was “living the life” by many people’s standards — successful in her career as an editor, happily married, and living in a dynamic city — London. She was happy at work and happy at home.
When her husband was offered a transfer to a rural part of Denmark they found a need to radically change their lives. Did she know she was moving to a country whose citizens often report being some of the happiest people on the planet? No. Did the journalist in her seek to find out why? Yes, in a very personal way. This is what is detailed in her book “The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country.”
How can it be that the top five happiest populations, according to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations, are Swiss, Icelander, Danes, Norwegians, and Canadians? Why is the United States ranked at #15, below the far more impoverished and seemingly dangerous Mexico? On the surface what the top contenders share is cold winters with long nights, rather basic and repetitive diets (okay Swiss chocolate is an exception), isolation, and a small homogeneous citizenship. These can’t possibly be the secret. There must be something else. For our purposes, how could that “something else” be found and practiced in the workplace?
Striking in all countries is the reported sense of trust. Why so surprising? Because it is the number one complaint of my global executive coaching clients — they can’t trust their boss, co-workers, or the company itself. Note: none of my clients are Danes.
The happiest citizens of the world report feeling more trust and because of this, it is believed, they encourage others to behave in a similar manner — with success. Added to this is the knowledge they will be taken care of, they have a social safety net.
Most of us would see high taxes as a burden. How can they be happy at work, when they know they are paying such high taxes? These taxpayers see it as a guarantee they will not have to worry — health care, schooling (through university level) are free. There are a large number of holidays and of course a pension is there when you get old or disabled. Each of these social benefits is trusted to be handled and there for you when the time comes. Happy people trust their neighbors and they trust their governments.
Corruption is lower in these parts of the world, in fact when it does occur; it is a great scandal and humiliating to the entire society. Who of us hasn’t been promised a raise, a promotion or benefit, only to have it not materialize? How does that build trust? How does it promote loyalty and what does it do for everyone’s happiness?
When you trust, you can actually give people more freedom to make better life and work choices. But, if I don’t trust you and you don’t trust me, and together we don’t trust those around us, not only are we going nowhere but actually contributing to job dissatisfaction and defection.
Trust doesn’t mean you get what you want or blindly let everyone do what they want. It means I believe you will be fair and reliable, and you can be assured I will do the same. Fairness is the foundation of trust for without it there is no building or expansion. People with high levels of trust report better health — contributing to their happiness.
Another element of happiness is what the Danes call “hygge.” Google Translate claims it means “fun” but in fact it is more than that. Hygge is a sense of intimacy and community. It has contentment, particularly achieved through contact with family and friends. I guess that can be fun but it’s really richer than that and totally translatable to the workplace.
In the workplace, hygge is achieved in simple activities that are distracting and enjoyable, like occasionally eating together, rallying on a project, celebrating special events, and achievement of goals. More enlightened organizations do regular volunteer work as a group — clearing trails in the local park, organizing a thrift shop, taking kids to events previously unavailable to them, collecting funds, and tutoring. The important part is they do it in groups, getting a sense of the other person, their talents and temperament. For those who think all of this is a waste of time, I would ask you to question, “Is what we are doing at our desks, right now, bringing anyone more hygge?”
Have you ever thought, “I have too many options”? Even though, temperamentally, I am very prone to keeping my options open as long as possible, I am not sure it brings me more joy. Does the fact I can eat food from 30 different countries within ½ mile of my home and not exhaust the choices necessarily make mealtime more rewarding or contribute to my happiness?
Danes feel too many options are burdensome and specialize in “stress-free simplicity and freedom within boundaries.” It was one of the reasons I loved wearing a uniform to school — easy, no competition, very predictable, and freed me to enjoy the important things like friends and school work. I wish I had one today.
In a consumer-driven society, acquisition (quantity, not necessarily quality) takes over. In the workplace, overly complicated processes, editing of edits, proof of the proof slows things down and contributes to frustration and dilutes initial enthusiasm. What would happen if we decided to streamline everything?
Streamline and unburdening allows you the luxury of focusing on the aesthetics. If you look at modern Danish furniture, you see extreme care and concern for function paired with aesthetics is an important part of its beauty. You can imagine how the craftsman thought and how he probably lives. This focus on one’s environment allows for attention to specific detail and gives you the ability to keep things in fine running order — because there are only a few items and tasks that can really be cared for.
Clutter in the workplace has become almost as epidemic as clutter in the home. Technology gives us the appearance of less but has our desk clutter just moved to our desktop and devices? Are our private and public areas stress-free or simply places where you see other people’s “stuff”?
Finally, Danes honor family and have many rituals around holidays and outdoor celebrations that involve multiple generations and often physical activity. Even though these happy people rank this part of their lives as very important, if not more important than their work, they manage to be highly productive and happy at work. Why? Because they have a drive to get things done in the office, so they can go home.
They take full advantage of technology to help them get to their goal. Co-workers don’t think more of you if you stay late, work weekends or answer e-mail at midnight. In the workplace, if we don’t honor ourselves as complete adults or don’t encourage our employees to have lives outside the office, be it a partner, children, a pet, or simply the solitude of their hearth, we are saying to them, “your life is here and the rest of who you are is unimportant.” It doesn’t seem like a recipe for happiness or retaining people.
Many will say happiness is their number one priority but unless they honor and respect themselves, and others, by living a trusting life that is rich with connections in a way that is simple and refined, the Danes would say you are not living “Danishly.”
For leaders wanting to attract and retain talent who are happy at work, particularly Millennials, following these guidelines might not be optional but a necessity.
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