How to Build a Thriving Workplace: A Leader’s Guide

Overview

Lead teams that don’t just show up at work, but teams that thrive at work because you know how to focus on their well-being.

Multiple studies show a clear link between businesses that attend to their employees’ well-being and the bottom line. In fact, the profit of companies with the strongest focus on employee experience is about four times higher than the average. And yes, you read that correctly—not customer experience, but employee experience. Because if you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers, and your shareholders will do well, too.

How to Build a Thriving Workplace: A Leader’s Guide will show you how to identify and implement relatively simple and inexpensive changes to improve your employees’ work environment and positively impact your bottom line. Professor Beth Cabrera, organizational psychologist and Senior Scholar at the George Mason University Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, provides a step-by-step guide to creating the best possible work environment for your employees to thrive, based on the relatively new science of positive psychology.

She will discuss the benefits of mindfulness training, developing positive attitudes, creating a sense of meaning, work relationships, employee autonomy, and more—and how they lead to a thriving workplace where employees are more creative, engaged, and productive. This course will give you all the information you need to transform your workplace into an attractive and thriving environment. In the process, not only will your bottom line improve, but so will the lives of your employees—and your own life, as well.

Course Structure

01: Workplace Well-Being: The New Frontier

What’s the next competitive frontier in business? It’s the relationship between employee experience and company success. Learn about the exciting new research showing a clear link between employee well-being and your company’s bottom line.

Duration: 32 min

02: Mindfulness at Work: The Power of Presence

While most of us believe multi-tasking increases our productivity, scientific studies reveal the opposite. Explore why mindfulness has proven to be a better path to emotional well-being and optimal work performance. Discover how to develop and implement the practice of mindfulness in your life.

Duration: 31 min

03: Positive Outlook, Positive Performance

Can starting your day off with a few smiles really make a difference in your work performance? Yes! Discover how positive emotions can impact our brain structure and chemistry, resulting in significant psychological, cognitive, social, and health benefits that can improve work performance.

Duration: 27 min

04: Fostering Employee Optimism and Hope

Optimism and hope are two powerful ingredients in the recipe for a thriving workplace, and studies have confirmed their correlation to the bottom line. Explore the important differences between these two concepts and the specific ways in which employees can learn to shift from pessimistic or hopeless attitudes to more optimistic and hopeful ones.

Duration: 29 min

05: The Advantage of Workplace Relationships

Our brains are wired for social interaction, and research has confirmed that our relationships with others significantly impact both our ability to thrive and our work performance. Find out how to foster high-quality social connections among employees and how those connections can have a positive impact.

Duration: 33 min

06: Encouraging Generosity and Compassion

Scientists now believe nature rewarded not only the fittest, but also the kindest. Explore how to foster generosity and compassion in the workplace, and the many ways in which these qualities lead to stronger relationships and greater productivity. Also, explore the benefits of self-compassion.

Duration: 33 min

07: Creating an Inspiring Learning Environment

We all want to learn and grow throughout our careers, yet some people are more open to learning new concepts and skills than others. Find out how leadership can create an environment of psychological safety, curiosity, and creativity, which will inspire all employees to learn, grow, and thrive.

Duration: 31 min

08: Engaging Your Workforce: The Power of Flow

We’re familiar with the concept of athletes and artists experiencing “flow” or being “in the zone.” They report performing almost effortlessly while time goes by unnoticed when they are fully engaged in their work. Discover how creating more opportunities for flow at work and adopting a strengths-based leadership approach can benefit both your employees and your organization.

Duration: 29 min

09: The Need for Meaning: Making Work Matter

Many people look to their work for a sense of fulfillment and meaning. But meaning doesn’t come from the specific task performed; it is derived from an individual’s understanding of the task’s purpose. Explore the many ways to help employees understand how their work and the company’s collective activities serve colleagues, customers, and community.

Duration: 27 min

10: Promoting Workplace Resilience

The modern workplace can be a stressful environment. But whether that stress is harmful or helpful depends on an individual’s mindset—a mindset that can be changed. Examine specific strategies that can help develop resilience. A more resilient workforce can lead to increased performance and decreased employee turnover.

Duration: 30 min

11: Strategies for Employee Health

The research is clear that a few well-planned front-end investments in employee health can prevent significant costs later on. Explore the many ways in which workplace environment and culture can promote better health through exercise, eating habits, sleep, rest, and relaxation.

Duration: 30 min

12: Autonomy: Empowering Employees to Succeed

Autonomy—the feeling of being in control and having the ability to accomplish your goals—is one of the most powerful components of well-being, and companies where employees have greater autonomy significantly outperform competitors. Learn the best ways to give up a bit of control, even though it’s difficult for most of us. It will be well worth the effort.

Duration: 31 min