This guide to joy in the workplace explains what it takes to help people thrive in their work -- what the authors call, Joy at Work. The guidance is based on 10 years of research done to understand what experiencing joy in the workplace means to leaders and employees. It's also based on the authors' combined 50+ years of direct experience leading and being part of large teams that are under a lot of pressure.

Get a detailed view into the dimensions of Joy at Work revealed in the research. Learn how the dimensions contribute to joy in the workplace and how to recognize the signs they're working well (or not) in a company. See where you have strengths and where you can focus to increase joy, and the results of a joyful workforce, for yourself. Practical tools are included so you can apply the Joy at Work dimensions to your life at work, both individually and company-wide.

This guide offers a definition of Joy at Work that has a role for the company and the people that work there. Both must engage because as an employee you can be willing to behave in ways that grow joy in the workplace but if the company doesn’t value it, your behavior will get limited traction. And, vice versa. The company can do its best to create the conditions that help people thrive but if people don’t accept the invitation, it won’t happen.

The authors’ research and personal experience reveals that companies get better results when people thrive at work. At the same time people report gaining significantly from those experiences, both personally and professionally, even when under considerable stress.

This is especially relevant now because of recent events. The pandemic has caused people to rethink work and the place it has in their lives. With people working from home, many have been forced to think about how to prioritize and integrate their personal and professional responsibilities. The obvious and critical importance of “essential workers” has caused people to reflect on what that really means. Behaviors that promote equity and inclusion and value diversity are also now top of mind concerns for companies and their employees. Building good working relationships in a virtual workplace remains challenging. And that’s all just recently.

Prior to the pandemic, executives reported talent as being one of their top concerns. Can they compete to attract and keep people with the skills they need? Can they grow the skills of their current workforce? Can they keep their people productive and engaged? Today, it’s widely reported that more than half of employees report they’re considering a job change. There’s value in considering joy in the workplace to attract, retain and engage the workforce.

The authors see the pursuit of joy in the workplace as a goal of health and vitality for people and the companies they work for. Over a lifetime, assuming a 40 hour work week and 45 years of working, you can spend more than 80,000 hours of your life dedicated to work. Given that, it's useful to ask questions like, how am I going to spend my time working? What choices do I feel I have? What's a life worth living and how does work factor into that? 

This guide prompts the reader to consider what Joy at Work means to them and how they can grow it for themselves and others through the choices they make.

Roxanne Brown and Ed Cook are co-founders of The Change Decision, a change and culture company focused on Joy at Work.

Roxanne is a life-long-employee-turned-entrepreneur who found her calling in change work long ago. Today, she is the CEO of The Change Decision.

She has 20+ years of Change Management experience working for Fortune 500 firms, nonprofits and small businesses. She also has extensive subject matter expertise in Banking, Risk Management, Compliance and Data Quality. 

During her 16-year tenure with Capital One, she was an executive coach, led large-scale change initiatives for several divisions and established their Change Leadership Community of Practice. She has a background in culture strategy, communication and training. Her specialty is in creating high-performing teams through engaging their unique capabilities.

Roxanne received her bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts, with a focus in Leadership Studies, from the University of Richmond and has several advanced certifications. She also serves as the global Past President of the Board of Directors for the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP).

Ed Cook received a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University and became a Naval Aviator flying the C-2A, Greyhound achieving over 750 aircraft carrier landings. Ed received an MBA from Old Dominion University and after leaving the active Navy, he worked for two decades in two Fortune 200 companies, Corning and Capital One, as an analyst and leader of large teams, technology implementations and corporate mergers.

In 2007, Ed was mobilized by the Navy and sent to Baghdad, Iraq where, as CDR Ed Cook, he worked in the Green Zone on the Commanding General's Staff, at the time Gen. David Petraeus. Ed worked extensively on employment initiatives for the people of Iraq bridging across the US military, the US Embassy and the Government of Iraq. Ed was awarded the Bronze Star.

Today, Ed is the cofounder of The Change Decision, a change and culture company focused on Joy at Work. Ed has a PhD in Systems Modeling and Analysis and brings his expertise in Decision Analytics to the work of The Change Decision. Ed also employs his analytics expertise as a Visiting Professor at the University of Richmond in both the undergraduate and MBA programs.