At Ferr-Tech, we believe work happiness is the foundation of success. A positive environment where your work matters, colleagues support each other, and successes are celebrated together.
Our office manager Miranda Hendriks – who’s increasingly known as our Chief Happiness Officer – plays a key role in this. Since May, she’s been following a training in work happiness and putting it straight into practice at Ferr-Tech. How? Read on.
Why do people call you the Chief Happiness Officer?
I’ve always cared about how others feel. Maybe it’s because I’m the oldest on the team, but people naturally come to me when they need to talk. That’s always been the case – it just fits me. And when something needs organising, I’m usually the one who steps in. I don’t need the spotlight. I’m happy when others are.
Where does that interest come from?
It’s just in me! I’ve been organising local events for years in my hometown of Meppel – things like King’s Day, Liberation Day or small festivals with regional artists. All focused on creating positive experiences.
At Ferr-Tech, I also regularly organise things that people enjoy like our annual summer BBQ, a work anniversary, or Christmas events with partners. That made me curious: what if we could bring more of that happiness into the regular workweek?
Then the training in work happiness came along…
Exactly. It immediately spoke to me. And I really appreciate that Ferr-Tech gave me the space to pursue it. The training takes a year and I started in May. It covers every aspect of work happiness. Super interesting!
What have you already taken from the training?
That work happiness means something different to everyone. Before summer, we sent out a survey at Ferr-Tech. Three themes stood out: physical activity, healthy food, and better communication and team connection.
So we started three workgroups, each coming up with their own ideas – from group training sessions with a coach to a course on giving positive feedback, and a monthly surprise lunch prepared by colleagues who don’t normally work together. These ideas will soon be discussed in the management team, and the running group has already started!
What’s changing within Ferr-Tech?
You can feel it starting to take off. People are getting involved, sharing ideas, and joining in. Because everyone defines work happiness differently, it’s great to work on multiple fronts at once. And it doesn’t always have to be something big.
And what does work happiness mean to you personally?
Well, this training is my work happiness. So I try to make time for it, even when things are busy. Another example is my ‘focus hour’, which came from a time management session. At first, people would still interrupt me during that hour, I’d say, “I’m in my focus hour,” but that already broke my flow.
Then my colleague Marijn came up with a simple fix: red or green dots on the screen. It works surprisingly well!
Finally, what’s your vision for work happiness at Ferr-Tech?
There’s so much more I’d love to do. We’ve only just begun, but the first steps are in place. It’s great to see both colleagues and management responding so positively. I’m excited to finish the training and keep contributing to a happier workplace at Ferr-Tech.
Want to learn more about the training? Visit: wijvanwerkgeluk.nl
