Indeed has launched a newly enhanced Work Wellbeing Score to help company leaders measure, understand, and improve the wellbeing of their workforce, while enabling job seekers to make more informed choices and find fulfilling work. Formerly known as the Work Happiness Score, the Work Wellbeing Score measures the four key outcomes of work wellbeing — which not only includes happiness, but also stress, satisfaction, and purpose — and displays these insights on thousands of Indeed company profiles worldwide.
Designed in partnership with Distinguished Professor of Psychology Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky and Professor Jan-Emmanuel de Neve, the Work Wellbeing Score is fuelled by data from the largest study of work wellbeing in the world, with more than 15 million surveys completed and counting.
But it’s more than just a rating — it’s also a useful tool for elevating your company culture, improving hiring and retention, and boosting employee performance and engagement, no matter what challenges the business landscape holds.
Why does work wellbeing matter, and why measure it?
“Work wellbeing is more than a nice thing for employees to have; it is a business imperative,” says LaFawn Davis, Indeed’s Senior Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance.
Davis notes that employee wellbeing is tied to higher valuations, greater profits, and better company performance. For organizations facing adversity, focusing on improving work wellbeing can also help employees build optimism and resilience to cope with stress, stay engaged, and avoid burnout during times of turmoil. “It is a win-win for everyone, and one that businesses cannot afford to overlook,” she says.
But how is work wellbeing defined? A company’s Work Wellbeing Score is based on how people rate them on four wellbeing outcomes:
- Happiness: “I feel happy at work most of the time.”
- Stress: “I feel stressed at work most of the time.”
- Satisfaction: “I feel completely satisfied with my work.”
- Purpose: “My work has a clear sense of purpose.”
Alongside their overall score, employers are also rated on 11 specific drivers that shape an employee’s sense of wellbeing at work. These drivers are grouped into three main categories, including:
- Foundational needs: Fair pay, flexibility, and trust
- Social needs: Appreciation, belonging, support and encouragement, inclusion, and management
- Growth needs: Achievement, energy, and learning
Employers can use these insights to gain greater clarity on how they compare to others and how their people are feeling at work — and why.
“Our ultimate goal is to help job seekers find better work, and to help employers attract and retain the talent they need to ensure their businesses thrive,” says Janeane Tolomeo, Indeed’s Work Wellbeing Initiative Lead. “During this time of constant change and mounting economic uncertainty, it’s more important than ever for company leaders to prioritize their people and support work wellbeing in order to boost resilience — for individuals and their organizations alike.”
Here are three ways leveraging the Work Wellbeing Score can work for you:
Three benefits of the Work Wellbeing Score for employers
1. Showcase your commitment to wellbeing
Workers today are prioritizing wellbeing like never before. A 2022 Indeed-commissioned survey from Forrester Consulting found that 90% of people believe that how we feel at work matters. Gen Z workers in particular have high expectations, with 61% valuing companies who offer financial wellness benefits to feel less stressed on a daily basis. This in turn impacts productivity, with 58% of workers in Canada agreeing that stress debilitates performance and productivity.
The Forrester report also found that 77% of workers think it’s important to see work wellbeing information when considering a company. “What people want out of their jobs is changing,” says Priscilla Koranteng, Indeed’s Chief People Officer. “Pay is still the top reason job seekers look for a new opportunity, but stress and a lack of satisfaction or happiness are becoming increasingly important. If you want to retain your talent, you need to prioritize their wellbeing to show you want them to stick around.”
As workers evaluate potential employers, the Work Wellbeing Score is a clear indicator of company values. Consider using yours in employer branding initiatives to appeal to job seekers.
2. Gain actionable wellbeing insights
In the 2022 Forrester survey, 58% of respondents in Canada who reported high wellbeing also indicated that their company measures wellbeing, compared to just 33% of respondents with lower wellbeing. Other research shows similar results. For example, in a study of four midsize to large US companies that began conducting regular employee feedback surveys and making real-time data available to managers, workplace wellbeing improved in every instance.
Measuring work wellbeing enables organizations to identify their strengths as well as areas for improvement, while also offering the ability to track the impact of resulting changes.
Pairing high-level insights from your Work Wellbeing Score with weekly or monthly employee pulse surveys can provide an even deeper understanding of employees’ experience. Look for patterns and themes: for example, people who repeatedly report high levels of stress could be on the path to burnout, while those who consistently report low happiness, satisfaction and purpose might be more likely to leave your company.
3. Make meaningful change to support better work for all
While work wellbeing is crucial to personal and business success, it’s not as common as it should be. A new Forrester publication, The Role of Equity in Work Wellbeing, reveals that only 27% of respondents actually experience high levels of wellbeing at work. Rates are significantly lower in some groups, including women, women who are also caregivers, and younger generations. On the other hand, when their wellbeing needs were met, members of these groups exhibited significantly higher retention and productivity rates.
“Employers that make changes to improve the work experience and show that their company values work wellbeing can tap into talent pools whose needs aren’t currently being met,” says Tolomeo.
Investing in wellbeing doesn't end at offering perks and programs — it's about making systemic changes to create an environment where employees can thrive and do their best work. Focus on the three categories of work wellbeing drivers to help guide your change initiatives:
- Foundational needs (fair pay, flexibility, and trust)
These elements are the new table stakes for attracting and retaining talent. Ask yourself, “Do our employees have agency over their time?” If not, consider implementing remote, hybrid, or flexible working arrangements, or even a shorter work week. Pay transparency policies can increase satisfaction and help close the pay gap, while improving workplace communication — organization-wide, supervisor-to-employee, and between coworkers — helps build trust.
- Social needs (appreciation, belonging, support and encouragement, inclusion, and management)
Based on Work Wellbeing Score data, belonging and manager support are the top two areas where most companies can improve. To increase feelings of belonging, create mentorship programs and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), especially for those in underrepresented communities, where people can connect, develop relationships, and make their voices heard.
Meanwhile, providing management training — from unconscious bias to health and safety and leadership training — will help company leaders develop the knowledge and skills they need to support their workers.
- Growth needs (learning, achievement, and being energized)
Feeling energized by your work is closely linked to increased levels of happiness. One effective organization-level strategy that increases energy and engagement is known as “job crafting.” This puts workers in the driver’s seat by giving them greater control over their daily tasks and interactions, as well as their overall goals and mission. Encourage employees to proactively shape their job design, identify blocks, and guide their own development path.
Work wellbeing is a constantly evolving process, cautions Davis, so you’ll have to regularly reevaluate and adjust to meet employees’ changing needs. In some cases, you may need to do less, but do it better.
“The work starts with understanding where you are right now,” Davis says. “Measure how your employees feel. Dive deeper into what you do well and what can be improved. Only then can you create an action plan to enhance wellbeing within your workplace."
