The importance of this was also highlighted in another recent article, about American entrepreneurship. One of the reasons put forward for the US spirit of entrepreneurship is that this lesson is more easily learnt – that failure is deemed almost a necessary step on the path to success. I think this approach, and what the school is trying to teach, is much healthier than the alternative. It means people won’t hold back for fear of failure, nor is failure likely to feel as devastating. By experiencing only success even the thought of failure can cause disproportionate, and restrictive, panic.

Trying your very best and something not working out is obviously different to failure as a result of lack of effort! But schools and businesses should prepare their pupils and employees for the former if they want them to reach their potential.

For Guardian coverage of Robertson Cooper helped Winstanley College to develop resilient pupils, click here.

Of course people recognise that for most of us work is a necessary part of life – and several research projects have shown that it is better for our health than unemployment.  In the moment we justify that we have to work, for financial security, or we assume that ‘ambitious’ should be a permanent state.

The alternative does not have to be no work at all, or working only enough to maintain a ‘minimum’ living standard.  What we should be considering is not necessarily working less, but working better. This might mean flexible working to allow people to make parent’s evening, a special birthday, or just be home in time for dinner; offered within a culture where people feel able to take advantage.  Unfortunately, many organisations and individuals are not open enough to new ways of working, or cannot see the wood for the trees when mid-career.

There’s a second strand to this as well, and that’s about creating ‘good work’, work that is purposeful and that promotes a sense of achievement.  Yes, work might still get in the way of life, but if it also enriches us as individuals (as well as having positive knock on effects), it won’t feel so much like something that ‘got in the way’.

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the relationship between happiness and wealth, this kind of evidence suggests that we need to work on getting our priorities straight before it’s too late.

On the one hand social media is a useful medium for people to stand up for their beliefs, channel their passions and share them with others – something 39% of respondents said they used it for. Unfortunately there is a darker side, with people posting too hastily something they later regret, or worse, using the anonymity and/or distance that the internet affords to bully those they disagree with. Online forums can be very ugly places, something that can confirmed with a quick glance at comments under the most innocuous posts or videos. The survey results report that ‘26% admitted they would say, or have said, something on a social media site that they would never say to someone’s face’.

This is obviously an issue that now crosses over into the office. There is a higher risk of causing offence when you’re not face to face, even if it’s unintentional; which is why it’s important that staff are suitably trained if social media is a part of their role. And internally, organisations and individuals need to be alert to the risk of online bullying or harassment. It will be harder to spot than physical or verbal aggression but victims need to feel empowered to take action, as the Trust is encouraging us to do with their ‘Speak Up, Speak Out’ campaign.

The emergence of services like this, alongside the continually increasing recognition of mental well-being as a business critical issue hopefully means we’ll soon see an improvement in the number of people with mental health conditions who report feeling well supported at work.

To find out more about this welcome new service, you can contact the team at Remploy on 0845 146 0520, email vocationalrehabilitation@remploy.co.uk or visit their website for more details. 

Given that around 1 in 6 people now suffer, or will in the future suffer, from a common mental illness (e.g. depression, anxiety and stress) it is astonishing that the stigma of mental ill health is still with us.  As well as all the high profile cases we hear about, there are so many TV programmes, films and other media highlighting the problem and, indeed, its treatment, that it’s hard to imagine this episode could have occurred in our times.  But unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.  Even though many more people experience mental health issues and access to support is much better than it was a decade ago, there is still a concern about taking people on who have had mental health problems – or dealing with them appropriately if they are already in employment. Sure, we still need more support for people with mental health conditions, but it is out there and there’s no excuse for this particular employer’s response.

And yet when it comes to physical health issues there seems to be much more sympathy.  As Henry David Thoreau wrote in 1853: “how prompt we are to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our bodies; how slow to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls!”  Given the troubled times we are all going through in this severe and long lasting economic crisis, we are going to see more people who are unable to cope and who succumb to mental health problems, albeit treatable conditions.  It would be unacceptable, and unsustainable, to dismiss everyone who said they had a mental health issue – for example, what would have happened if the Lloyds Chief Executive had been treated this way when he admitted struggling with similar issues?!  In order to reduce the stigma of mental health issues, employers need to be made aware of the help available to employees who may be suffering this way, as well as the importance of supporting their psychological well-being as part of the way they do business.

We need to invest more in this growing societal issue, in terms of identifying and treating it, or better still working to prevent it in the first place.  Otherwise, as Mark Twain put it, “if you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got”.  That is not good enough for the many thousands who are suffering or the society in which we all live.

At the heart of the argument is a disagreement with the so-called ‘Easterlin’ school of thought which holds that after a certain point our wealth no longer drives our happiness. Amongst other things, the new report contends that 20% more wealth has the same affect whether you earn $500 a year or $50,000 a year.

As a psychologist it’s not my place to enter into an argument about the economics that sit behind the assertions made by the two sides in this debate. I’m sure that it’s possible to use the data to construct arguments to support both positions. However, what concerns me about the new research is the implication that focusing on happiness, well-being and mental health is a waste of time…and that we should just get back to making money!

Research of this kind is based on pulling together macroscopic financial data from many countries and connecting it with very general ‘life satisfaction’ scores. It has its place, but it doesn’t necessarily tell the story about what is happening on the ground. Money is important to all of us – of course – but it is only one of the many things that influence how we feel and how happy we are with our lives. The data in any given year may nudge us in one direction or the other, but how can we forget recent examples of footballers grappling with depression and mental illness? Or the many stories of lottery winners who fail to find happiness? Or our own experiences of what really makes us happy on a day-to-day basis? How much evidence do we need before we accept that money alone is never enough to bring true happiness? For the vast majority of people it’s about finding the right blend of relationships, health, social support, achievement, community, family, love, work, money and a whole host of other things. In short, it’s about living a balanced life.

I don’t think this new finding should in any way put off David Cameron and the government in their attempts to measure and develop the happiness of the nation.  The current effort is partly about encouraging those who have enough money, or are within touching distance of that ‘saturation point’, to consider more deeply what they want; to think about whether they need more money or whether it would benefit them and their community if they knew how to live a happy life, whatever their financial status.

Yes, in our economy wealthy people at the top need to continue to create wealth so there is a trickle-down effect – but if we leave it at that we are setting a dangerous precedent for the aspiring middle classes who will assume (as many do now) that the goal is to get rich, rather than to live a good life and contribute to the happiness of others. The current government’s efforts are as much a response to massive increases in mental ill-health, as they are to the sense that we are focusing on the wrong things. In this sense, I agree with the assertion that we can no longer afford to focus on growth at all costs and to the detriment of our health.

I do think, though,  that the government is in for a tough fight in the face of challenges such as those issued by the IEA report. On the one hand the coalition is promoting happiness as an ultimate goal that will bring us a sustainable economy and better lives – ones that don’t rely unrealistically on credit and spending on things we don’t need. Yet, right now we are trapped inside an economy that is based on, and demands, growth. Every headline bemoans the lack of it and over Christmas we were again encouraged to get out there and spend to help the ailing high street. All that talk of ‘make do and mend’ that we heard a few years back has faded and we’ve been encouraged to revert to our former spending patterns. So the government has a dilemma: does it want us to genuinely change the goal of the whole enterprise to be about achieving happiness or does it want us to focus on growth? If the only way to get happy is growth then we are, as the new research would have it, back to square one!

In reality, this points to an awkward transition period where we need old levels of growth to support the nation’s economy (which will, in turn, support our old habits!) while we try to make a shift to a new way of living and working based on different values. Maybe we need some signposts for how this will be achieved – this could be about moderating our growth targets slightly in favour of changing the way we do business – taking the hit now for the long-term strategic benefits this will bring. It will be a massive challenge, but no one ever said this would be easy and we now need to decide whether we’re up for it or not!

Obviously the parental role carries great weight but there is no question that over the last 30 years we have seen a big social change which has impacted on this fundamental relationship. Children are exposed to more external influences through greater access to technology and ever more sophisticated efforts from the companies targeting them. While childhood friendships have long been competitive, the trophies have become increasingly materialistic, and expensive, and bragging has extended from a group in the playground to hundreds of online friends.

All this explains why many children attribute their unhappiness to not getting what they want. So is it the fault of the advertising and marketing departments ‘pushing’ their wares putting pressure on the parents to buy them everything they see? Well, yes and no. Obviously there has to be some regulation of this at a central level – the ongoing efforts to prevent the sexualisation of children, for example, is supported by advertising legislation.

But parents aren’t powerless. While many worry about the social pressures on their children to fit in, they do still have the ability to say no – particularly important to bear in mind when under greater financial pressure. The easiest option may be to give in to the demands of a child but in the long run that isn’t going to help and isn’t going to be good for their development. The main thing that children want and need is attention. Children look to their parents to teach them right from wrong, to provide them with love and for their support network. Talking to them (and listening!) and instilling good values from the start will develop genuine confidence and happiness that material goods cannot. They might not knowingly appreciate it at the time but you’ll be setting them up in much better stead for the future!

Children undoubtedly go through phases and there will be times when they are unhappy, but the answer is getting to the root of the unhappiness. Happiness is transient but if it is something deeper, such as depression, anxiety or stress, then of course parents have a responsibility to take action.

No one can expect that children are going to be happy all of the time and parents should not presume to try to guarantee that. Being exposed to unhappiness is a part of growing up, but what we can do is equip children to deal with the pressures that life might throw at them, and teach these skills within a safe, supportive environment.

The survey obviously has its benefits, but what is more difficult to take into account is the ‘quality’ of the time spent both at work and at home.  For example, while working hours might not be rising, greater demands can lead to ‘work intensification’ – with negative consequences.  Similarly, under-utilisation of skills can also have its own damaging effect on the performance of individuals and the organisation.

And at home, ‘leisure’ time covers a multitude of sins!  Obviously one man’s hobby can be another man’s chore – but it’s up to us to make sure we get the balance right between the type of activities we indulge in.  What we spend our average 15.6 hours of time doing is just as important as the amount of time itself.  Using the time to eat healthily, get enough sleep, exercise and build relationships with family and friends is important for everyone’s well-being, as is the chance to indulge in the pastimes we enjoy.  If employees want to get the best from their workforce, they need to make sure they encourage a healthy work-life balance culture for all their staff, whether male, female, parents or childless.

P.S. Check out the OECD’s interactive tool, which allows you to weight the importance of 11 key well-being topics and compare countries based on the results.

What is worrying about the findings in this CMI survey is that the mantra being projected by economists, media and even some in government is more pessimistic than the businesses on the ground. Indeed, in this report only 33% were pessimistic about the future of their business – that’s still too high, but the majority of businesses were more positive than negative.  Of the three main concerns, government can do something about the first two, and, in addition, begin to create a more positive culture, trying to avoid the ‘doom and gloom’ that we constantly hear from all quarters.  The psychology, and not merely the economics of the economy, is now paramount in trying to instill confidence in businesses to invest, expand and export.

Let’s attempt in 2012 to be more optimistic, to have a ‘can do’ attitude.  As George Bernard Shaw in his play Mrs. Warren’s Profession wrote: “people are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them!”

Future Forecast: Expectations for 2012 by Pearson, G and Woodman, P., Chartered Management Institute, Dec 2011.

Just because there is extra work to be done (there is always extra work to be done!) it doesn’t mean that employers are in a position to create more jobs.  To draw that conclusion is to ignore the fact that we are in a stagnant economy that shows little sign of future growth.  How can you create 1 million jobs when there is no extra money to pay for them and the strong probability that such reckless decision-making would put whole companies and therefore, millions more jobs at risk?  To me, this is just more of the same rhetoric from the unions who seem unable to acknowledge the fact that the money just simply isn’t there.  At best, they are stuck on the compromise position that the cuts are required, provided that none affect their members.

Of course, overload and lack of work-life balance are serious issues – and we neglect them at our peril – but working hours above those specified in your contract have long been part of working life in the UK and other first world nations.  In fact, many contracts specify that this will sometimes be required – it is part of a mature psychological contract between employer and employee in developed countries. Employers must create the conditions for the work situation to be perceived as fair – for example, a sense of control, flexible working arrangements, a sense of purpose and good line management.  At the same time, employees must take responsibility for managing their own work-life balance – for example, many actively want to work extra hours for their existing salary to reach the next level in their career and they should be allowed to do this.  We must avoid presenteeism, but this can be achieved through good management, good relationships and good judgements on the part of employees.

This is the reality of working life today – we are not in a temporary state of crisis that will soon pass.  Using statistics like these to effectively bully employers into recklessly creating jobs is not the answer.  We have to find ways to work from within organisations to create a more sustainable way of doing business.

Follow Ben on Twitter: @psycho_boss