This November, Laughology turns 20. Which is slightly alarming, because it still feels like yesterday that we were convincing people that humour might actually have a place at work. Not as a distraction. Not as a gimmick. But as something that helps people think better, learn faster and behave more… human-ly.
Back then, culture was often the fluffy bit. The thing you talked about once the “real work” was done. These days, culture is the work. Especially when people are tired, stretched, hybrid, change-weary — or all four before 10am. So rather than doing one birthday thing and moving on, we’re spending the whole of 2026 focusing on what we care about most: how work really feels, not how it looks on a slide.
You’ll see that show up in our webinars, our events, our new sessions and a refreshed brand that tells our story more clearly than before. Same beliefs. Sharper focus. Twenty years on, we’re still guided by the same idea: everyone has the right to be happy at work.
Not constantly delighted, just human. Able to do their job without feeling like a robot in a lanyard. And yes, sometimes with a good bout of laughter — not as a distraction, but as part of what helps people enjoy what they do and, as a result, do more of it.
The Laughology 20th Anniversary Webinar Series
As part of turning 20, we’re launching a year-long webinar series.
Webinars have always been how we create space for proper conversations. This series uses that space to reflect on the areas Laughology is known for — culture, happiness at work, change, inclusion and human leadership — and to share what 20 years of work has taught us. Learning alongside some of the best people in the industry and who we’ve loved working with.
Over the year, we’ll be joined by leaders and thinkers we admire. People who’ve shaped culture from the inside. Not by talking loudly about it or using jargon or scripts from culture books. But by paying attention to the small, human stuff that makes work either bearable or brilliant.
We’re starting on 27th February with Ann Pickering and Mark Evans, former Chief People Officer and CEO of O2, with a session called:
Culture People Choose: Inside the O2 Playbook
Laughology worked with O2 for several years, including through the merger and continues to work with them as Virgin Media O2. Ann and Mark know what culture looks like when it’s under strain — and what it takes to shape it deliberately. It feels like the right place to start. Real people and real experience. An honest conversation.
In June, we’ll turn our attention to transformation and change. Not the glossy version. The real one. What it actually takes to create a culture that can cope with it, where it commonly goes wrong and what helps it go right. We’ll be joined by Matthew McBride, Head of Transformation at Tesco Mobile, on 12th June, who knows first-hand what change looks like when it’s lived, not just planned.
In September, we’ll shift the focus to inclusion. Not the kind that sits politely at the bottom of an email signature. The real kind. Thought-led. Behaviour-driven. The kind that shows up in decisions, conversations and everyday actions. We’ll be working with another industry legend to explore what inclusive cultures look like when they’re actually practised, not just promised.
And to round off the year, we’ll be turning to leadership. Not heroic leadership, human leadership. The sort that people feel on a random Tuesday afternoon, not just in a strategy document.
World of Learning 2026
We’re excited to announce we’re back at the World of Learning this year.
On Tuesday, 3 February, Stephanie Davies will deliver It’s Only Banter, a session about humour at work. How it connects people. How it sometimes misses the mark. And how leaders can create cultures where people feel safe to laugh, speak up and challenge — without anyone feeling shut down or singled out.
On Wednesday, 4 February, we’ll be sharing something new.
Once Upon a Team is a brand-new session, being delivered publicly for the first time. It looks at why change so often stalls when it’s delivered as data alone — and why stories help people make sense of uncertainty, build belief and move into action.
Both sessions are grounded in real workplace challenges. Both are practical. Because you know us, we love to give guaranteed tips and tricks to take away. We’re looking forward to the conversations and seeing you there.
If you would like to book one of these workshops for your workplace or book time in with Stephanie or Doug at the world of Learning, you can email doug@laughology.co.uk
And if you can’t get to any of those events, then there’s March to plan in!
Alternative Events Conference
Stephanie Davies – CEO and Head of Happiness has also been announced as a keynote speaker at the Alternative Events Conference, taking place on 2–3 March.
Alternative Events feels like a good fit for Laughology. A room full of people who don’t sit comfortably in the “normal bracket”, who think differently about leadership, culture and performance — and aren’t afraid to talk about the tricky stuff.
Stephanie will be speaking on Day One (2 March), delivering a one-hour interactive workshop titled: Courageous Conversations: How to have the performance conversations that matter — the good, the bad and the slightly uncomfortable
This session is about the conversations leaders often avoid — and really shouldn’t. Because in today’s workplace, dodging difficult conversations isn’t kindness. It’s costly.
Most performance issues don’t arrive dramatically. They build quietly when feedback is delayed, expectations aren’t clear, or someone decides it’s easier to say nothing. This workshop gives managers the confidence, language and structure to address issues early — without drama, defensiveness or awkward showdowns.
It’s not about confrontation. It’s about clarity, care and helping people succeed.
Stephanie will be joined at the conference by brilliant women speakers, including Gemma Edwards – Head of Digital at Cooper Parry and Nikki Bhamra, former Senior Crime Investigator and Human Behaviour Expert. So she’d best be on her best behaviour!
You can find out more and book onto the session here. Come and see us. We promise an honest conversation, laughter and lots of alternatives.
If You Missed Our L&D Christmas Special Webinar
December has a habit of disappearing. One minute you’re planning a thoughtful end-of-year review. Next, you’re Googling whether Quality Street counts as protein.
If you missed The Laughology L&D Christmas Special – The Year That Sparkled (and Occasionally Spilt Its Sherry), you weren’t alone. It was a full one! It was our festive pause to look back at a year in learning and development that brought more change, pressure and plot twists than anyone ordered.
Together, Stephanie Davies and Sarah Creegan explored what really shaped 2025:
the pace and scale of organisational change; leaders trying (and sometimes struggling) to get performance conversations right; resilience being stretched thinner than a December diary; restructures and acquisitions keeping HR and OD teams busy; and AI continuing to promise everything while quietly raising a few new questions.
We also looked at how new legislation and evolving workplace expectations are changing what good leadership and inclusive behaviour actually look like — not in theory, but in practice.
This wasn’t crystal-ball gazing. It was pattern-spotting. Taking what the economists, boffins and workplace experts are saying, and translating it into something that actually makes sense for real organisations — with 2026 firmly in mind. There were insights and reflections. And plenty of sparkle!
If you’d like to catch up, the recording is available here. And if you’d like the slides, just get in touch – info@laughology.co.uk
The Laughology Happiness Fund
As part of our 20th year, we’re committing £20,000 through the Laughology Happiness Fund.
That’s four £5,000 grants, awarded across 2026.
The Fund has always been part of who we are. It’s how we take the belief that everyone has the right to be happy — and extend it beyond the workplace. These grants support projects that improve wellbeing, connection and happiness where it’s genuinely needed.
Because if your work is built on helping people feel better, it makes sense to put some of that back into the world.
A couple of dates for your diaries:
- Fund Cycle 1 (March-April 2026)
- Fund Cycle 2 (August-September 2026)
Keep your eyes peeled for all the information and announcements in the weeks and months ahead. If you want to hear about it first, subscribe to our newsletter here and we’ll share more when the first round of funding opens in March.
A Refreshed Laughology Brand
Turning 20 felt like a good moment to grow up. Just not in the way some organisations do.
You know the type. They hit adulthood and immediately drain the colour from the room. Everything turns beige. Everything gets serious. Banter is quietly shown the door, replaced by bullet points and a vague sense that laughing in meetings might now require HR approval.
That’s not us.
So yes — we’re launching a refreshed Laughology brand this year. But don’t panic! We’re not suddenly putting on a grey suit and asking everyone to lower their voices.
We have shaken off a few teenage habits. Some of the tie-dye tops have gone. (Some..) We’re clearer, sharper and more intentional than we were 20 years ago. We don’t blurt quite as much — although if you’ve ever been on a webinar or at an event with Stephanie Davies, Head of Happiness and CEO, you’ll know there are limits to that promise.
Our work has deepened. Our thinking has matured slightly – (we still find bottom burps funny.) We’re clearer about what we do — and just as importantly, what we don’t. The new branding reflects that. Same heart but with fewer distractions. A bit more confidence in our own skin.
What hasn’t changed is the bit that matters. We still:
- Champion humour as a way to think better, feel better and work better.
- Believe the right kind of banter belongs at work.
- Do things differently.
That won’t be for everyone. And that’s fine. We’re not here to please every organisation.
We’re here to help people think better, work better — and enjoy doing it. Adulting? Yes, a little, but not too much. Becoming boring? Absolutely not.
We’ll share more soon. Here’s a sneaky peek!
