What does it take for joy to become part of an organisation’s culture, rather than simply a word in its values statement? A culture of joy is not necessarily a workplace where everyone is visibly cheerful or where everything runs smoothly. It might look like people laughing together, but it also looks like someone being able to say, “I am struggling”, and knowing that this will be received with care.
It looks like people having some agency over their work, being able to contribute ideas and seeing that their contribution matters. It looks like celebrating progress, making space for creativity and creating moments where people can simply connect as human beings. And just as importantly, it means addressing conflict and unfairness rather than covering them with forced positivity.
Leadership sets the emotional tone of an organisation, whether leaders intend to or not. Trust and psychological safety make it possible for people to relax some of their self-protection, ask questions, take thoughtful risks and bring forward ideas that are not yet perfect. This does not mean that everyone is always comfortable or agrees, but that people can move through discomfort and disagreement without feeling that their dignity, belonging or position is at risk.
A culture of joy is also shaped by the practical choices an organisation makes every day. Policies and structures tell people what an organisation truly values. If we say that we value well-being but design workloads that are consistently unmanageable, people will believe the workload rather than the value statement. Fair pay, manageable workloads, meaningful participation, opportunities to learn and clear recognition all matter.
Joy may be spontaneous and uncontained, showing up in creative moments, shared laughter and unexpected connections. But the conditions that allow it to emerge are shaped by deliberate choices—by leaders who are honest and human, who encourage trust and psychological safety, and by organisations whose structures, strategies, policies and workloads reflect what they say they value.
We look at what nourishing a culture of joy means in the work environment and spoke to Litha Magida and Vanessa von der Heyde about what enables this to emerge at the SI. They reflected on a few key questions:
1.What is joy in the workplace and how is it different from happiness, satisfaction or engagement? “A person experiences joy when they understand that the work they do matters, that their contributions are valued, and most importantly that the environment supports growth, creativity and human connection.”
2. Why is joy often absent from professional environments, and what has normalised that absence? “We have inherited quite a narrow idea of what professionalism looks like. We associate it with seriousness, emotional restraint, constant productivity and having everything under control.”
3. Is joy a ‘nice-to-have’ or a strategic necessity for organisations today? “When we see joy, it may be telling us something important about the culture around it: that people feel safe enough to participate, connected enough to care, and free enough to imagine and create.”
4. How do workplaces look where joy is absent, or present? “Where there is joy, there is an ease between people. Where joy is absent, people tend to become more guarded. People protect themselves, ideas stop flowing and even small interactions can feel tense.”
5. What tensions exist between productivity, professionalism and joy? “Tension arises when we assume that productivity and joy are competing priorities. A culture of joy is not a culture without accountability.”
6. What myths about work culture might be preventing joy? “Should success require sacrifice at all costs, and stress, exhaustion and burnout become signs of dedication?”
7. How has hustle culture or burnout culture shaped our expectations of work? “We do not always stop to ask whether our activity is taking us where we actually want to go.”
8. Are organisations unintentionally designing systems that suppress joy? “We have to look honestly at what our systems reward, what our leaders model and what people experience every day.”
The full interview can be read here. What becomes clear is that joy is a strategic necessity for organisations and it’s people to thrive, and that it must be nourished with intent to embed itself as part of an organisation’s culture.
To read part 2, click here.