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VW has always known that there is a commercial benefit to developing a trustworthy and reliable brand. The motor car manufacturer has used the values of trust and dependability in its marketing for years. And it has had huge success. Then, last week, the balloon went up and all that hard work disintegrated practically overnight. The German car giant admitted cheating...

Is it when everything goes to plan? When nobody interrupts you? When you achieve what you set out to achieve that day? If these are your criteria then you may be setting yourself up for a fall. Anyone who’s ever been to a family wedding knows that an event rarely goes exactly to plan, and that a spanner will be thrown...

Last week new guidelines from health watchdog, NICE, urged employers to make sure their staff work reasonable hours and take regular breaks along with other seemingly obvious suggestions that will make workplaces happier and healthier. Whether your called a manager, team leader, head teacher or supervisor or just 'the boss', good leaders are the key to creating happier, healthier workplaces. In...

For the average tourist, the Dutch village of Oudehaske wouldn’t merit a second glance. It’s a flat, unremarkable corner of Holland without the type of canals or ‘coffee shops’ that attract visitors to nearby Amsterdam. If however you happen to be a traffic management engineer, Oudehaske is your Mecca. It is to town planning what Benidorm is to fishbowl cocktails and...

This week we heard the very sad news that Cilla Black passed away. Like all Liverpudlians and everyone else in the country, I was saddened. For us Scousers Cilla is like the queen mum; a much-loved and iconic figure of the whom we are all very proud. Along with The Beatles she was one of Liverpool’s greatest exports.   An emotional...

This month the Laughology team have been working a lot on the theme of change (click here and scroll down the page to read The Laughology - eight stages to organisational change). Change is a word that can cause all kinds of emotional responses in an organisation. Awareness of feelings and managing reactions towards change is an important part of any...

Last week a study into the Journal of Adolescent Health suggested the number of schoolgirls at risk of emotional problems has risen sharply. Scientists from the study analysed questionnaires completed by 1,600 pupils aged 11-13 in 2009, comparing them with similar surveys conducted five years later. A surprising 7% spike in girls reporting emotional issues was noted, while boys' answers remained...

My own sense of humour was tested this week when I was caught up in the latest strike action by French air traffic controllers. I was on my jollies in Spain and having a lovely time in the town of Granada (even happy people need holidays ) when a news flash appeared on my phone on Tuesday afternoon. The strike meant...

As you may know, today is United Nations International Day of Happiness which marks the 2012 UN General Assembly resolution calling on member states to take happiness seriously. At the time of the resolution, General Secretary Ban Ki-moon stated a “the world needs a new economic paradigm that recognises the parity between the three pillars of sustainable development. Social, economic and...