The Work Happiness Score and work happiness survey are now the Work Wellbeing Score and work wellbeing survey, respectively. Learn more and access our most up-to-date resources.
For the past two years, Indeed has been committed to better understanding workplace happiness in the context of our mission to help all people get jobs, and help employers find and retain quality talent, especially during uncertain times. As we deepened our understanding, it became obvious that a new tool, refocused on the broader notion of wellbeing, was necessary.
With the effects of the pandemic still being felt, people reevaluating their priorities and economic uncertainty dominating the news, the current workplace has gone through major changes and forced both employers and workers to examine how people feel in the workplace.
Following the launch of the Indeed Workplace Happiness Score in 2021, we continued to refine our understanding of workplace wellbeing for Canadian workers with the Work Wellbeing 2022 Insights Report for Canada, featuring the different dimensions of wellbeing – of which happiness is a core element – and how it benefits individuals, businesses, and society in general. To better reflect this, Indeed has renamed its workplace evaluation feature the Work Wellbeing Score.
Looking at happiness as part of overall wellbeing
We know we were on the right track focusing on workplace happiness as our latest report reveals that 34% of Canadians surveyed say their expectations for happiness at work have increased over the past year.
Understanding that happiness is part of the broader concept of wellbeing, we renamed our score since 77% of Canadians find it important to be able to see data related to wellbeing when considering working for a company.
Indeed looks at this from the perspective of recruitment, but wellbeing, work-life balance and sense of belonging that we often talk about as essential to successful talent attraction and retention are all concepts that have been brought forward as priorities for Canadians through the social upheavals that we are still experiencing.
The link between wellbeing and belonging
When employees are constantly faced with stress and not encouraged to prioritize their wellbeing, their commitment to their job decreases which can lead to poor performance and drive them to disengage with their jobs. In the survey, 58% of workers felt that sustained negative stress “debilitates performance and productivity.” More importantly, it can lead to dire emotional consequences such as burnouts at all levels of an organization. However, with proper leadership and the right prioritization, employees can view a healthy amount of stress as an exciting challenge to be embraced.
Once key element to foster is belonging, so that employees feel supported at work and authentically accepted by their organization. We know there is a correlation between belonging and workplace wellbeing; respondents surveyed identified belonging as a top reason for feeling happy and energized at work and having a sense of purpose. Studies show focusing on workplace happiness belonging in times of distress may help employers retain their workforce and sustain labour market challenges.
Wellbeing as a business strategy
When Indeed and Glassdoor launched their inaugural 2023 Hiring & Workplace Trends Report from Indeed & Glassdoor late last year, one of the five core insights was that workplace wellbeing matters and that company culture is important in both attracting and retaining valued employees.
However, to focus on wellbeing, you have to be able to measure it. Unfortunately, only 39% of those surveyed felt their organization was measuring happiness and wellbeing. That is a big missed opportunity since, in those companies that do measure happiness and wellbeing, employees are 78% more likely to stick around for the next year.
Indeed identifies four key indicators to measure: happiness, stress, satisfaction and purpose. By evaluating and tracking these as a whole, you’ll have a more complete picture of the state of wellbeing in your organization. Employee dissatisfaction, which can lead to high turnover, has a substantial cost on businesses. Employers can start addressing this by conducting internal wellbeing surveys, by obtaining feedback on third-party sites, by training managers to efficiently deal with wellbeing concerns, and build your understanding of what drives workplace wellbeing. Such efforts can lead to more satisfied employees who will become your best ambassadors when trying to recruit quality candidates since, in the end, individual wellbeing leads to company wellbeing.
