Washington, DC—November 28, 2012—Just a few weeks after its first event, Positive Business DC today announced the launch of its Web presence at http://www.positivebusinessdc.com. Positive Business DC endeavors to help companies increase well-being in the workplace, which has been proven to lead to increased life satisfaction and also improved creativity, productivity, reduced employee churn and greater profitability. The website will give the business community information about the group’s charter and upcoming online and offline events.
“We feel fortunate to be located in the Virginia/ Maryland/ DC area, which is often a hotbed for starting and igniting social change. Washington, DC recently placed last on the Happiness Scale of US cities. Focusing on improving business culture here can help us increase the area’s overall wellbeing level,” states Donna Hemmert, co-founder of PBDC.
DC ranked last recently, according to Kiip who surveyed over 96 million recorded “events of happiness” using locational data from across the United States. They measured happiness by linking happiness to moments of achievement, which is one of the five pillars of happiness according to Martin Seligman, a founder of positive psychology.
Positive Business DC launched six weeks ago. The group held its first event on October 25th at TeqCorner in McLean, Virginia. Doug Hensch, founder of myHappier, delivered the first program in the group’s “Well Being in the Workplace” series. The event was very well received and has fueled the group’s growth. Currently, 370 registered users belong to Positive Business DC’s Meetup. Many of these members previously belonged to Happier DC, the precursor to Positive Business DC.
“The research shows that job stress costs more than $300 billion a year. On-the-job stress carries over into employees’ personal time. It follows that when people are happy in their work, it can be transformative in all areas of life, even beyond the workplace. Positive Business DC wants to help accelerate and champion this change,” said Shannon Polly, MAPP and co-founder of Positive Business DC. “We believe the nation’s capital is the perfect place to start and the warm reception we have already received has validated this.”
What is Positive Business DC doing to increase well-being and happiness in Washington DC? “We are giving information, practical hands on tips and ways to execute – based on science. The information that the group pulls on includes leadership, positive psychology, neuroscience, teaming building, cultural dynamics as well as our experiences. We recently starting by showcasing live speakers but are looking to quickly expand our online resources as well,” said Marcia Moran, the third founder of Positive Business DC.
Michelle McQuaid, an internationally acclaimed expert in positive psychology interventions for workplaces said: “With two-thirds of American saying they’re unhappy at work, organizations like Positive Business DC that help business leaders gain the proven, practical knowledge and skills they need to bring out the best in their employees are exactly what is needed.”
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