Employee Engagement & Workplace Stories

THE EMPLOYEE JOURNEY

From first-day excitement to career transitions, The Employee Journey captures every milestone of work life. It explores how hiring, learning, recognition, and well-being shape employee experiences. Designed for both professionals and HR leaders, it bridges understanding, showing what today’s workforce values most and how organizations can nurture growth at every step.

AI as a Strategic HR Co-Pilot, Not a Replacement

A column by Preethy Suresh

A practical framework for founders and HR leaders to integrate AI into decision-making, predictive workforce insights, and capability planning, ensuring technology enhances strategic judgment without over-automating people strategy.

You Are the Culture

A column by Dr. Louise Lambert

Forget initiatives, frameworks, and checklists. This column challenges leaders to rethink their role in shaping workplace wellbeing, not as something they manage, but something they embody. Through sharp insights and real-world practices, it reveals how leadership behaviour directly influences trust, performance, and emotional climate across teams.

Your AI Strategy Isn't Failing. It's in the Dip.

Why the productivity crash you're seeing right now is the precondition for the payoff, not evidence there won't be one. | Written by Preethy Suresh PwC's 29th Global CEO Survey, released at Davos in January 2026, asked 4,454 chief executives across 95 countries a direct question. Has AI produced increased revenue or reduced costs at your company over the last 12 months? 56% said neither. Only 12% could point to both. This isn't researchers judging pilots from the outside. Th

Jul 64 min read

Emotional Contagion

Managers shape more than performance; they shape emotional climate. In her second column for Employee Happiness Daily, Dr. Louise Lambert explores how emotional contagion influences team behaviour, decision-making, and psychological safety, and why the way leaders show up matters more than they realise. | Written by Dr. Louise Lambert Most managers believe they are paid to manage performance. Targets, delivery, quality, timelines. And they are. But there is something else the

May 185 min read

Why Inner Excellence Is the Missing Link in Employee Happiness

Razan Badri, Founder & CEO, RAZAN BADRI CONSULTING RBC FZ LLC, advocates cultivating Inner Excellence, that is helping individuals reconnect with their strengths, purpose, and potential to drive employee happiness, engagement, and leadership growth. | Written by Razan Badri We often talk about employee happiness in terms of workplace culture, leadership, flexibility, compensation, and benefits. While all of these are important, I believe there is one crucial ingredient that i

Jul 213 min read

Your AI Strategy Isn't Failing. It's in the Dip.

Why the productivity crash you're seeing right now is the precondition for the payoff, not evidence there won't be one. | Written by Preethy Suresh PwC's 29th Global CEO Survey, released at Davos in January 2026, asked 4,454 chief executives across 95 countries a direct question. Has AI produced increased revenue or reduced costs at your company over the last 12 months? 56% said neither. Only 12% could point to both. This isn't researchers judging pilots from the outside. Th

Jul 64 min read

When Football Meets the Workplace: Managing Employee Experience During FIFA 2026

As FIFA 2026 captures the attention of millions across the GCC, organizations face a unique challenge: balancing productivity with employee wellbeing. Kristina Vaneva explores how forward-thinking employers can turn World Cup fever into an opportunity to strengthen engagement, trust, and workplace culture. | Written by Kristina Vaneva, Employee Experience Professional and Founder of Beyond Plus The 2026 FIFA World Cup is here, and it's bringing a massive overtime shift for th

Jun 185 min read

Why Employee Happiness Begins Long Before Wellness Programs

Safety Culture Isn't a Compliance Program. It's One of the Foundations of Employee Happiness. | Written by Ryan Mitchell The Wellbeing Paradox We have never talked more about employee wellbeing than we do today. Organizations invest billions in wellness programs, engagement initiatives, mental health support, flexible working arrangements, and employee experience strategies. Yet despite this unprecedented focus, employee engagement remains stubbornly low across much of the wo

Jun 176 min read

AI-Led Layoffs Have a Leadership Problem. And Businesses Are Starting to Pay for It

As companies race to cut costs in the name of AI, many are discovering an uncomfortable truth: automation without thoughtful workforce design creates more disruption than value. The issue isn’t AI itself, it’s how leaders are choosing to implement it. | Written by Preethy Suresh The headlines have been relentless. IBM announced roughly 8,000 job cuts in 2024, with HR functions specifically named as targets for AI replacement. Salesforce eliminated 4,000 customer support roles

Jun 14 min read

What Do We Mean by Psychological Safety at Work?

We often think of workplace happiness as something that can be built through policies, programmes, or perks. But the truth is, most people don’t remember those. They remember moments. | Written by Riya Malhotra A manager who helped them find clarity when things felt overwhelming. A team that stepped in without hesitation when something personal came up. A conversation that turned a setback into a chance to improve. These moments are easy to overlook because they don’t feel ex

May 191 min read

Emotional Contagion

Managers shape more than performance; they shape emotional climate. In her second column for Employee Happiness Daily, Dr. Louise Lambert explores how emotional contagion influences team behaviour, decision-making, and psychological safety, and why the way leaders show up matters more than they realise. | Written by Dr. Louise Lambert Most managers believe they are paid to manage performance. Targets, delivery, quality, timelines. And they are. But there is something else the

May 185 min read

Things HR Pretend Not to See at Work

Ku Sim Ling, popularly known as AuntyHR™, is an HR influencer, former Corporate Services Director, and industry voice with 20+ years of experience, making workplace topics engaging, accessible, and refreshingly honest. | April 2026 Edition Happiness Takeaways At a Glance Culture lives beyond policies, in everyday human behaviour Not every issue requires intervention; judgement matters Influence often works better than authority in leadership challenges Early signs of disengag

Apr 204 min read

Caring for the Caregivers: Building Resilience and Compassion in Home Healthcare

Dr Christina Tiong, Chief Executive Officer, Home Nursing Foundation, shares how the organisation nurtures resilience, compassion, and wellbeing among teams delivering deeply personal care in community settings. | April 2026 Edition Happiness Perspective • Wellbeing support must be holistic, practical, and continuous • Compassionate care starts with emotionally supported teams • Autonomy works best when balanced with strong team connection • Purpose alone is not enough, cons

Apr 203 min read

Designing Workplaces People Choose to Stay With

Kristina Vaneva, Employee Experience Professional and Founder of Beyond Plus, explores how workplaces are shaped through everyday moments, shared responsibility, and intentional design across environments and experiences. | Written by Kristina Vaneva Launching my column in the first issue of Employee Happiness Daily feels like the right moment to pause and ask a fundamental question: what does work actually feel like for the people living it every day? Not in theory. Not i

Apr 66 min read

Why I Believe Great Leaders Are Trained, Not Born

Anthony Berryhill, Founder and CEO of Elite College Hacker, reflects on how discipline, structure, and self-belief shape leadership far more than natural talent ever could. | Written by Anthony Berryhill “Not naturally persuasive. Doesn’t look the part. I’ve never seen someone so short in debate.” These words, from debate judges, stayed with me. And the reason why requires some reflection. This was in the late 1990s, when I was attending Isidore Newman High School. I was not

Apr 64 min read

You Are the Wellbeing Strategy

Dr. Louise Lambert, Head of Happiness Programming & Policy Design at HappinessMatters.org , explores how managers shape workplace wellbeing daily through behaviour, presence, and small, consistent actions. | Written by Dr. Louise Lambert Most managers don’t wake up thinking, “Today, I will influence my team’s wellbeing.” They wake up thinking about deadlines, emails, decisions, problems to solve, and meetings they don’t have time for. And yet, whether they think about wellbei

Mar 314 min read

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Sunday, 13 September 2026

THE EMPLOYEE JOURNEY

AI as a Strategic HR Co-Pilot, Not a Replacement

You Are the Culture

Your AI Strategy Isn't Failing. It's in the Dip.

Emotional Contagion

OTHER READS.

Why Inner Excellence Is the Missing Link in Employee Happiness

Your AI Strategy Isn't Failing. It's in the Dip.

When Football Meets the Workplace: Managing Employee Experience During FIFA 2026

Why Employee Happiness Begins Long Before Wellness Programs

AI-Led Layoffs Have a Leadership Problem. And Businesses Are Starting to Pay for It

What Do We Mean by Psychological Safety at Work?

Emotional Contagion

Things HR Pretend Not to See at Work

Caring for the Caregivers: Building Resilience and Compassion in Home Healthcare

Designing Workplaces People Choose to Stay With

Why I Believe Great Leaders Are Trained, Not Born

You Are the Wellbeing Strategy

The Pulse of Joyous Working