Download the Workplace Happiness Standard (WHS)
A clear, evidence-based framework to build happier, healthier workplaces – designed for real-world organizations and system integration.
Why this matters
Employee wellbeing is no longer optional.
But without a common language and structure, it’s hard to make progress.
The Workplace Happiness Standard brings clarity to the conversation.
It defines what a truly human-centric organization looks like and it’s based on science, not slogans.
What’s inside the WHS
Your free download includes:
- The Workplace Happiness Standard
- 104 actionable requirements that can be integrated into your quality management system
- Appendices that show you how to measure and interpret the measured data
Built from over 500 peer-reviewed studies and a decade of quality management experience.
Who it’s for
The WHS is designed for leaders, HR professionals, quality managers, team leads and internal change agents – anyone working to create a healthier culture at work.
It can be integrated into existing quality management systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 13485, FDA’s QMSR or similar systems.
Why we built it
The WHS is not guesswork. It’s the result of over 500 peer-reviewed studies, synthesized into a format that real organizations can actually use.
Created by the Workplace Happiness Institute, an independent, non-profit organization, the standard helps bridge the gap between research and practice.
Download Now
Download the full WHS document now.
It’s free, non-commercial, and built to be shared.
Use it to reflect, plan or start a change process in your team or organization.
Questions?
If you’d like to explore how to apply the WHS in your context or if you’re planning a structured implementation, we’re happy to talk:
FAQs
How does the WHS fit with our existing frameworks or integrated management systems?
The WHS is an evidence-based framework you can map onto integrated management systems (e.g., ISO 9001) and use as your organizational culture framework or workplace wellbeing framework. Many teams also treat it as an employee experience framework, employee engagement framework or even an evidence-based leadership framework for a broader culture transformation framework. If you already use a culture maturity model or a psychological safety framework, the WHS gives you clear, auditable requirements to align them. It is designed for evidence-based use and system integration and integrates with any quality management systems.
Will this help reduce turnover and improve engagement, morale and retention – sustainably?
If you’re searching how to improve employee engagement / morale, improve employee engagement, how to increase employee retention, or how to reduce employee turnover, the WHS provides 104 concrete requirements you can operationalize. It also supports outcomes like employee retention strategy, tackling stop quiet quitting, how to build psychological safety, how to create a happy workplace and how to make employees happier, without one-off perks. The download includes 104 actionable requirements plus appendices on how to measure and interpret results.
What practical tools or next steps come with the download?
The WHS isn’t a box of templates, but it shows how to design high-leverage practices and action cycles,e.g., engagement survey action planning, a workload assessment tool, how to build a feedback culture, employee recognition program ideas, or using a career path framework alongside people systems. For specific HR artifacts (e.g., stay interview template, onboarding checklist for new hires) you can adapt your existing materials to meet WHS requirements; the site’s Implementation Guidance and Survey & Monitoring Tools point you to the right practices and measurement approach. Or just give us a call.